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Gabe Vasquez

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Gabe Vasquez
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byYvette Herrell
Member of the Las Cruces City Council
from the 3rd district
In office
November 2017 – December 2021
Preceded byOlga Pedroza
Succeeded byBecki Graham
Personal details
Born (1984-08-03) August 3, 1984 (age 40)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationNew Mexico State University (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Gabriel Vasquez (born August 3, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served on the Las Cruces City Council from 2017 to 2021. Vasquez's district covers southern New Mexico, including Las Cruces, Carlsbad, and the southern fourth of Albuquerque.[1]

Early life and education

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Vasquez was born on August 3, 1984, in El Paso, Texas.[2] He was raised in the El Paso–Juárez–Las Cruces border region, spending much of his childhood in both the United States and Mexico.[3] He grew up in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico,[4] where he spent time in his grandfather's television repair shop. His grandfather Javier Bañuelos, originally from Zacatecas, Mexico, had transitioned from farming to working as a mailman before establishing his repair business.[3]

Vasquez later attended Montwood High School in El Paso[2] and then enrolled at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces,[5] where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and journalism in 2008.[3] During college, he served as the news editor and later as editor-in-chief of The Round Up, NMSU’s student-run newspaper.[1]

Career

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Vasquez began his career as the business editor for the Las Cruces Bulletin from 2008 to 2011.[1] He later served as executive director of the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce[4] before joining SDS Inc. as executive vice president for public relations.[1]

From 2013 to 2015, Vasquez worked as a field representative for U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, focusing on community outreach and policy initiatives in New Mexico.[1] He subsequently held leadership roles in several nonprofit organizations,[2] including serving as vice president of communications for First Focus on Children,[1] director of community relations for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation,[6] and deputy state director for the Wilderness Society. He later worked as deputy director for federal lands at the Western Conservation Foundation from 2019 to 2021.[1]

In 2017, Vasquez was elected to the Las Cruces City Council,[7] where he served until 2021.[8] During his tenure, he focused on economic development, expanding parks and improving the city's infrastructure.[1]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2022

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico
Vasquez and the 118th Congress are sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, 2023

Vasquez was the Democratic nominee for New Mexico's 2nd congressional district in the 2022 election.[9][10] He won on November 8, 2022, by 1,350 votes, defeating Republican incumbent Yvette Herrell. The district's boundaries were redrawn after the 2020 census, drawing the previously Republican-leaning district to be Democratic-leaning.[11]

During the campaign, Vasquez deleted tweets critical of the oil and gas industry, rationalizing rioting in the summer of 2020, and comparing the Trump administration to the Ku Klux Klan.[12] He supported President Joe Biden’s 2021 pause on new oil and gas leases, citing the need for a transition to renewable energy while balancing the district’s economic reliance on the energy sector.[13][14]

2024

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Main article: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in New Mexico

Vasquez ran for reelection in 2024 against Republican former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell. in a rematch of the 2022 race, Vasquez once again defeated Herrell, this time by 11,032 votes, despite Donald Trump narrowly flipping his congressional district in the concurrent presidential election.[15]

Tenure

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Vasquez discusses new funding for broadband internet for rural New Mexico, 2023

In 2023, Vasquez introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the teacher shortage in Indian Country.[16] The bill proposed providing federal pension benefits to educators working in tribal schools, seeking to improve teacher retention and support Native American students.[17][18]

Vasquez voted that year in favor of requiring healthcare workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.[19][20] The following day, he opposed a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[21][22] On women's health, he has supported abortion rights and advocated for codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.[23]

In 2024, Vasquez voted in favor of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, commonly referred to as the TikTok ban, which sought to address concerns over data security and foreign influence.[24] On July 19, he called for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, citing concerns over his age and ability to campaign effectively.[25]

Committee assignments

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Vasquez on the Committee of Armed Services, 2024

For the 119th Congress:[26]

Caucus memberships

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Vasquez's caucus memberships include:[26]

Electoral history

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2022

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2022 New Mexico's 2nd congressional district election[28]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gabe Vasquez 96,986 50.3
Republican Yvette Herrell (incumbent) 95,636 49.6
Democratic Eliseo Luna (write-in) 51 0.03
Total votes 192,673 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican

2024

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2024 New Mexico's 2nd congressional district election[29]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gabe Vasquez (incumbent) 138,177 52.1
Republican Yvette Herrell 127,145 47.9
Total votes 265,322 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rep. Gabe Vasquez - D New Mexico, 2nd, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Vasquez, Gabriel". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Uribe, Mónica Ortiz. "Outdoor adventures with his grandfather shaped conservationist Gabe Vasquez as a leader". El Paso Times. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez Says He's Running For Congress". KRWG. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Las Cruces city councilor will run for U.S. House seat". Santa Fe New Mexican. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  6. ^ McDevitt, Michael. "Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez announces congressional run". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Linan, Ali (November 7, 2017). "Gabriel Vasquez takes District 3 seat in a landslide". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  8. ^ McDevitt, Michael (April 30, 2021). "Gabe Vasquez Won't Seek Second City Council Term". Las Cruces Sun News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Mutnick, Ally (March 10, 2022). "House Democrats name top challengers in fight for majority". Politico. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "New Mexico Democrats pick top contenders for June 7 primary". Associated Press. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Duerrmeyer, Tia. "Democrats Make a Clean Sweep in New Mexico". Lea County Tribune. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. ^ "Running as a moderate, New Mexico Democratic congressional candidate deletes progressive tweets". CNN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  13. ^ Carver, Adrian N. (September 16, 2021). "Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez Is A Serious Challenger to Herrell In CD2". The Paper. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "ICE needs 'melting,' says Democratic House hopeful critical of immigration agency".
  15. ^ "2024 General Election Candidate Summary Results Report" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Mexico. November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Time, Indian. "Bipartisan Effort Seeks to Address Teacher Shortage in Indian Country with the Parity for Tribal Educators Act". Indian Time. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  17. ^ MacDonald, Alexander (June 17, 2024). "Cronkite News: Bipartisan bill seeks to boost hiring of Indian Country teachers". Indianz.Com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "Bill aims to ease teacher shortage at tribal schools". ICT News. June 19, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  19. ^ Aabram, Virginia (January 31, 2023). "Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers". The Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  20. ^ "On Passage - H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on". August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  21. ^ "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency". February 2023. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  22. ^ "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by". August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  23. ^ Garcia, Justin. "Dems rally in Las Cruces over abortion access amid counter-protest". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  24. ^ https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202486?BillNum=H.R.7521
  25. ^ "Every Big Name Urging Biden To Drop Out: Sen. Sherrod Brown Joins 35 Democrats In Congress". Forbes. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Vasquez. January 3, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  27. ^ "Strengthening Conservation Advocacy: Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus Expansion & Reconstitution". National Wildlife Refuge Association. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  28. ^ "2022 General New Mexico - Unofficial Results". New Mexico Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  29. ^ https://klvg4oyd4j.execute-api.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prod/PublicFiles/ee3072ab0d43456cb15a51f7d82c77a2/c7e73a30-8a5e-4a1b-bb76-669da1347713/2024%20General%20Summary%20Results%20Report.pdf
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's 2nd congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
364th 		Succeeded by
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