KRWG-TV presents this week’s KOB-TV debate between the candidates running in New Mexico’s Second District Congressional race on Thursday at 7 p.m.
It’s the second battle between incumbent Democratic Congresswomen Xochitl Torres Small and former state legislator Yvette Herrell.
Torres Small beat Herrell in 2018 by less than two percent, just a few thousand votes.
And this year, a recent poll sponsored by the Albuquerque Journal found the race too close to call.
A recent KOAT-TV debate may provide some answers as to why the race seems to be a repeat of 2018.
Torres Small focuses largely on one message: bipartisanship.
During the debate, the candidates asked each other one question.
And Herrell seemed to try to court voters who support President Donald Trump. She noted that Torres Small’s ads mention a willingness to work with Trump. Then, Herrell noted that Torres Small voted to impeach Trump.
But Torres Small said, you can be bipartisan and still hold people accountable.
“Part of working together is being willing to respect enough to hold people accountable. It doesn’t mean being a pushover. It means standing up for New Mexicans. And that’s what I did when I felt that our national security was at risk, when there was a potential that the President was using his office for political gain and misusing military support to do so.”
Herrell also asked Torres Small if she planned to vote for Vice President Joe Biden.
Initially, Torres Small failed to answer.
But later, in a question about energy policy, she said she would support Biden, but did not agree with his approach to energy.
“I would vote for Vice President Biden. But I do not agree with his oil and gas approach. I stood up to my party to say that we should not ban fracking.”
To be clear, Vice President Biden has not called for a ban on fracking. He campaign has said that there should be no new licenses for fracking on federal lands.
When it came time for Torres Small to ask Herrell a question, she referenced Herrell’s voting record as a state legislator, noting that Herrell voted against a bill that would have prevented state lawmakers from becoming a lobbyist for two years after they leave office.
Herrell said the bill was flawed, but did not explain how it was flawed.
“Yeah, great question. Yeah. And I voted against that bill because we didn’t have all of the information put together. I worked with parties across the aisle, both Democrats and Republicans, so that we could ensure that when we did pass a bill in New Mexico, it would be effective and would address the issue at hand in terms of lobbying, but that bill was not ready.”
The issue of public officials becoming lobbyists is a big one in New Mexico. And not just for elected officials. Ryan Flynn served as Environment Secretary under Republican Governor Susana Martinez. Then, he went to work as Executive Director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, a job he still holds, advocating for an industry he was previously hired to regulate.
Speaking of regulations, we move to one area where the two candidates differ. A moderator asked if the candidates could support gun safety measures, like a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons. Herrell not only said she would be against a ban, she would not support any legislation, a position she also held in the primary.
“I do not support any ban. In fact, I would not support any legislation that would have an impact on our second amendment. I think we need to be standing strong to protect our second amendment.”
Torres Small said gun safety measures and the second amendment can co-exist.
“I grew up in a household that owned guns. And I’m a hunter. And one of the earliest serious conversations I remember having with my grandfather was about that checklist that you run through every time you use a gun as a tool, to make sure that you’re keeping yourself and others safe. And I believe the same thing when it comes to legislation. That we have to look at it carefully. And that there shouldn’t be loopholes when it comes to our legislation, either. There’s no shortcuts. That’s why I did support comprehensive background checks, a legislation that 87 percent of New Mexicans support and the majority of gun owners. Because we know that you can both protect your second amendment rights and protect communities at the same time.”
Torres Small has been careful to show her support of gun rights, even using weapons in television ads in 2018 and this year.