Ballotpedia Preferred Source

Incumbent Gabriel Vasquez (D) defeated Greg Cunningham (R) in the general election for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District


Incumbent Gabriel Vasquez (D) defeated Greg Cunningham (R) in the general election for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District on November 3, 2026.

Vasquez defeated then-incumbent Yvette Herrell (R) 50.3%–49.6% in 2022. In 2024, Vasquez defeated Herrell 52.1%–47.9%, and President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 49.9%–48.1% in the 2nd District. The 2nd District was one of 23 U.S. House districts Democrats defended in 2026 that Donald Trump won in 2024.

The New Mexico Political Report's Jesse Jones said, "The registration numbers show that CD-2 isn’t catching the same blue wave as the rest of the state. While Democrats in CD-1 and CD-3 are sitting on comfortable leads, the cushion in CD-2 has become smaller. With the party base shrinking and independent voters on the rise, this race may be a toss-up rather than a sure thing." As of November 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Likely Democratic, Lean Democratic, or Tilt Democratic.

Before his election to the House, Vasquez was a member of the Las Cruces City Council. He earlier worked as executive director of the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D). In a press release, Vasquez said, "Congressman Vasquez has continued to win over Democrat, Republican and Independent voters because he is willing to work with anyone to deliver results for New Mexicans on the issues they care most about: lowering the cost of living, expanding access to health care, protecting our public lands, and fixing our broken immigration system."

Cunningham was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former member of the Albuquerque Police Department, and former owner of a private investigations agency. Cunningham's campaign website said, "Greg understands that political rhetoric has done more to split neighbors and families than solve problems. He believes there is far more that unites us than divides us. In Congress, he will be a steady, trusted voice for New Mexico—a voice of reason that always puts the people ahead of politics. Guided by conservative values and his faith, Greg will work to deliver commonsense solutions shaped by New Mexicans, for New Mexicans."

As of November 2, 2026, Vasquez had raised $5.52 million, and Cunningham had raised $2.53 million.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans had a 219-214 majority with two vacancies in the U.S. House.