ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A bitter fight for the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional seat came to an end with Tuesday’s primary vote.
But the question remains whether the winner of the contest between Roswell oil and gas executive Claire Chase, former state Rep. Yvette Herrell and Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys will be able to defeat Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small after a campaign described by political observers as “nasty.” Chase’s and Herrell’s campaigns attacked one another, each questioning the other’s loyalty to President Donald Trump.
They were considered the front runners heading into the night based on their one-two finish at the Republican pre-primary convention and their sizeable fundraising advantage over Mathys.
“I don’t think it’s been good for either candidate … moving to the general with that kind of negative legacy from the primary campaign,” University of New Mexico political science professor Lonna Atkeson told the Journal. “… It can’t be good for uniting the Republican Party,” she added.
But pollster Brian Sanderoff said in an earlier interview that a negative campaign isn’t unusual in a competitive race, and he feels confident the Republicans would unite behind the winner.
And the Republican Party issued a statement earlier in the campaign saying the “rifts” between the Chase and Herrell campaigns could be healed.
“The 2nd Congressional District is conservative, and we believe constituents there will repudiate the liberal policies being promoted by Congresswoman Torres Small,” the party said in a statement sent out by spokesman Mike Curtis.
But Sanderoff said the negative attacks could affect how moderate Democrats and independents vote, and he said they are the ones who will determine the outcome for a seat that had been held by Republicans in every year except two since 1981 before Torres Small’s victory in 2018.
The Chase and Herrell campaigns – and supporting political action committees – spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on attack ads.
Herrell’s campaign reminded voters of Chase’s anti-Trump comments she made leading up to the 2016 election, including calling the future president an “a**hole unworthy of the office.” Chase’s campaign has run ads claiming Herrell stood against the president, citing Herrell’s attendance at a legislative conference in 2015 in which attendees were asked about supporting Trump and no one indicated support.
Atkeson wonders if the two campaigns “depleted” their resources in attacking the other.
“That’s going to hurt them for raising money on the general, while with no opponent on the other side, Xochitl Torres Small has an economic advantage,” she said.
As of May 13, Torres Small had more than $3.1 million cash on hand. Chase had more than $202,000 and Herrell had more than $70,000. Mathys reported having about $15,000 on hand from his mostly self-funded campaign.
Sanderoff, however, feels there will be plenty of money that will flow to the winner. He said there may be donors who are waiting to find out who will win before writing a check.
And outside groups have already been spending money on the general election. The Congressional Leadership Fund has booked $1.1 million in advertisements against Torres Small for the general election.
That’s in addition to the almost $220,000 American Action Network spent in advertisements against her that ran late last year. And the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also spent money in support of Torres Small during the impeachment process.
“I think that’s the earliest I’ve seen advertisements for the general election,” Atkeson said.
Herrell cited her eight years as a state legislator and as a business owner in making the case for her election during a Journal-KOAT forum on Sunday.
“I come to the table with the right amount of experience, the relationships and I have the references, (Ohio) Congressman Jim Jordan, (White House Chief of Staff) Mark Meadows, (Texas Sen.) Ted Cruz and others,” she said. “This race is about the people of New Mexico … This is about our values and what’s important to us and taking those to Washington, D.C.”
But Chase, who positions herself as an outsider, said the state doesn’t need to send more career politicians to Washington.
“My experience having worked for Congressman (Steve) Pearce, having actually drafted federal legislation and having actually moved through the committee process, along my seven years of business experience make me uniquely qualified to be an effective congresswoman for this district.”
Mathys said he would fight to keep the Constitution “intact,” protect 2nd Amendment rights and fight for the unborn.
“You have my word I will fight hard for our conservative values,” Mathys said.
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Bitter GOP U.S. House District 2 race comes to an end - Albuquerque Journal
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