U.S. Congressman Gabe Vasquez was greeted with applause as he spoke to supporters in Las Cruces. Before leading a group to vote at the Doña Ana County Government Center, Vasquez said the number of community members who showed up was a big confidence booster.
“The type of turnout that we had here today shows how energized Democrats are to get out the vote. I think these volunteers that are here today that are going to help us throughout the campaign are really the key to winning. It’s not about a candidate like myself. It’s about a collective movement of New Mexicans in this district who are going to help us cross the finish line.”
Meanwhile, Republican challenger and former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell has been working to get out the vote for her own campaign, and said she’s been having productive conversations with voters throughout the district.
“I think party affiliation sometimes gets in the way of good policy discussions, and so it’s time I think we start being honest about what we need and how we need to fix some of these issues, and not let the talking heads or the mainstream media narrate the future for us and tell us how to vote or what to think. We need to do that on our own, and I believe most voters are feeling that way,” Herrell said.
At the polling location inside the Doña Ana County Government Center, hundreds of people showed up to vote, including Las Cruces resident Charlie Hurley, who said he’s happy to take advantage of the early voting window provided by the state.
“The reason I’m doing it is because we have the opportunity to come out a month early to cast that ballot. There’s really, in my opinion, no excuse if you’re already registered to vote, to get it done within that 30-day window,” Hurley said.
October 8 is the final day for New Mexicans to register to vote by mail or online, but eligible voters who aren’t registered can still do so at their local county clerk’s office or early voting polling locations all the way through election day.
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