Who's In the Race

Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) faces Republican Greg Cunningham in the November 3 general election in New Mexico's 2nd District. A recent redistricting redrew the district's boundaries so that Cunningham's South Valley home fell within it, making him eligible to run there for the first time. Vasquez faced Yvette Herrell in both the 2022 and 2024 elections, and he is running against Greg Cunningham in 2026. ​

Vasquez has served as the district's U.S. representative since 2022, previously sitting on the Las Cruces City Council and working as executive director of the Las Cruces Hispano Chamber of Commerce. He ran unopposed in the June 2 Democratic primary.

Cunningham is a former U.S. Marine and combat veteran who retired from the Albuquerque Police Department as a detective, where he worked border cases as a DEA task-force officer, and later started a small business. He won the June 2 Republican primary with about 85 percent of the vote over Jose Orozco, who received about 15 percent.

What They Stand For

Vasquez has proposed making healthcare more affordable through a public option and allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription-drug prices, according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Raising wages and workers' right to organize, including backing the PRO Act,
  • Protecting public lands and advancing bipartisan wildfire legislation to reduce wildfire risk,
  • A secure border alongside legal pathways to status, protecting DREAMers and reforming immigration enforcement to focus on violent criminals; and
  • Opposing restrictions on abortion access and birth control.

Cunningham has proposed an updated national crime bill addressing sentencing, sanctuary cities, the border, and cartels, according to Source New Mexico. He also supports:

  • Border enforcement targeting people who enter unlawfully and commit crimes, while also calling for a streamlined path to citizenship,
  • Targeted tariffs as a negotiating tool for fair trade deals rather than as a permanent tax, according to the Albuquerque Journal,
  • Building New Mexico's economy through lower taxes, less regulation and water infrastructure; and
  • Opposing the sale of public lands while favoring improved management, including assigning vacant grazing allotments and thinning overgrown forests, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

The Money Behind the Race

Through June 30, Gabe Vasquez had raised about $3.8 million and had about $2.4 million in the bank, roughly three times as much cash as Greg Cunningham, who had raised about $1.5 million and had about $794,000 on hand. Outside groups have spent about $6,884 supporting Vasquez, with Field Team 6, Inc. as the largest spender at about $3,269.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Democratic as of Oct. 9, and Sabato's Crystal Ball also rates it Lean Democratic as of Oct. 11. On Kalshi, traders gave Democrats, whose nominee is Vasquez, a 91.44 percent chance of winning the seat as of Oct. 19.

Vasquez won the district with about 50 percent in 2022 and about 52 percent in 2024, a gain of roughly two percentage points. Democrats have won all three of New Mexico's U.S. House seats in both 2022 and 2024. In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris carried New Mexico with about 52 percent of the vote.

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