Republicans hope rematch election will take back southern New Mexico district flipped in blue wave

Torres Small won over Herrell in 2018 by 3,700 votes, accounting for less than 2% of the vote.

The seat is a prime target for Republicans, who argue that the race was taken from them in 2018 after absentee ballots counted after election night tipped the razor-thin election in favor of Torres Small.

President Trump won the district by a 10-point margin in 2016. The rural 2nd Congressional District, which stretches across the southern half of the state from Arizona to Texas state borders, was held by Republican Steve Pearce for nearly two decades before he vacated the seat to run unsuccessfully for governor in 2018.

The race has already attracted attention from national political groups using unusual tactics.

Liberal PACs Patriot Majority and EMILY’s List spent tens of thousands of dollars on ads during the Republican primary that attacked Herrell as a Trump loyalist — a sneaky move that pundits thought was intended to boost her chances against failed primary candidate Claire Chase because national Republicans thought Herrell might be easier for Torres Small to beat.

Republicans are hoping to win the race against one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House by energizing their base. Herrell’s platform focuses largely on conservative values, touting positions like cutting regulations and being pro-life.

Torres Small, meanwhile, paints herself as a House member who “stood up to my party and urged leadership to pass the United States Mexico Canada Agreement.” As a representative of an area that experienced an oil boom in the last few years, she has resisted the left-wing of the party by opposing a fracking ban and a “Green New Deal.”

Early polls showed that the race is tight, and election raters like the Cook Political Report rate the district a toss-up.