Gabe Vasquez

SANTA FE — There are still more than two months to go before Election Day, but national political figures are already trying to stir up enthusiasm — and possibly some votes — in New Mexico’ 2nd Congressional District.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will travel to Albuquerque this week to rally support for fellow Republican Greg Cunningham, who is facing off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat, in the southern New Mexico-based district.

The Cunningham campaign announced the event on Monday, saying Johnson and Cunningham would join New Mexico law enforcement officials to discuss crime and border security issues.

Public safety has emerged as a key issue in this year’s CD2 race, with Vasquez touting his ability to secure federal funding for New Mexico law enforcement agencies and Cunningham highlighting his personal background as a former Albuquerque police detective who infiltrated drug cartels.

Meanwhile, other national figures could follow Johnson’s lead in the coming weeks, as the CD2 contest is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely-watched U.S. House races in this year’s midterm election cycle.

The outcome of the race could even prove pivotal in determining whether Republicans are able to hold their current majority in the chamber — they narrowly outnumber Democrats by a 218-212 count.

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has been U.S. House speaker since 2023, also came to New Mexico two years ago to stump for Republican Yvette Herrell in her campaign against Vasquez. But Vasquez ultimately won that race by 4 percentage points, even though now-President Donald Trump got more votes in the district than did his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

Both candidates have already reported hefty fundraising hauls in the run-up to the November general election, with Vasquez reporting having taken in more than $3.7 million as of the end of June.

For his part, Cunningham reported having received more than $1.5 million, according to Federal Election Commission data. Those figures do not include spending on the race by outside groups.

The 2nd Congressional District has tilted more Democratic since state lawmakers redrew the district’s boundary lines in redistricting in late 2021. Under the current map, the district stretches from Las Cruces north into Albuquerque's South Valley and also includes much of the Oil Patch in southeast New Mexico.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on Twitter at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at [email protected].