Historically, the district has leaned more
Republican than New Mexico's other two districts, particularly in presidential elections. In the
2020 election,
Republican candidate
Yvette Herrell defeated
Democratic representative
Xochitl Torres Small in a rematch of their race in
2018. Herrell is the third Native woman elected to Congress and she assumed office on January 3, 2021. Following the 2020 census, each congressional district in the state underwent redistricting "to ensure that each district has a variety of constituents better reflecting the diversity of interests in New Mexico as a whole." This district was made much more Democratic, as it gained more of Albuquerque while losing some heavily Republican areas in the eastern part of the state. With a tight margin, Democratic challenger
Gabe Vasquez won the 2022 midterm election. Nevertheless, with a
Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of EVEN, it is the least Democratic district in New Mexico, a state with an all-Democratic congressional delegation. == Recent election results from statewide races ==