Democrat Torres Small keeps money edge in key US House race

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS - Associated Press - Thursday, July 16, 2020

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) - Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small has more than a 10 to 1 money edge in a critical U.S. House race in southern New Mexico that Republicans hope to recapture.

Federal campaign records show the Las Cruces Democrats raised $795,444 from mid-May to June 30 but had $3,920,818 cash-on-hand. Her campaign coffer has more than 10 times the amount of Yvette Herrell, her GOP challenger.

Records show Herrell raised $395,062 during the same period following a grueling and personal GOP primary. However, the former state lawmaker reported having $379,094 cash-on-hand, illustrating the costly effect of the three-way Republican race.

Steve Jones, an independent candidate in the race, raised no money during the same period and only had $250 cash-on-hand, records show.

Torres Small defeated Herrell by less than 4,000 votes in 2018 to flip a traditionally Republican-leaning district along the U.S.-Mexico border. Some Republicans blame Herrell for losing the seat following a lackluster campaign that focused only on conservative voters and ignored the district’s Hispanic residents.

In Congress, Torres Small has tried to portray herself as a moderate on issues around immigration and spending. But she has faced criticism for avoiding media and keeping a carefully staged persona in town halls.

Torres Small has complained that reporters regularly question her about her vote to impeach President Donald Trump, yet rarely ask her about her bipartisan efforts on rural initiatives. When an Associated Press reporter attempted to ask her about those rural proposals after a February town hall in Belen, New Mexico, Torres Small said she didn’t have time to talk.

On Tuesday, Torres Small released her first general election campaign ad where the Democrat boasts about working with President Donald Trump to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m Xochitl Torres Small and in New Mexico, we have each other’s backs,” she says in the ad. “That’s why I put politics aside and worked with Republicans, Democrats, and President Trump to pass the coronavirus relief plan.”

Republican National Committee Spokesperson Andres Malave immediately dismissed the ad as “fiction” and cited Torres Small’s vote to impeach Trump.

Republicans repeatedly have challenged Torres Small over her voting record, though she has voted with Republicans on some issues like minimum wage and trade. She has clashed with some of the more liberal members of Congress.

The sprawling district is home to a lucrative oil region but also has some of the most impoverished communities in the U.S. The district has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters in New Mexico, which is the state with the highest percentage of Hispanic residents.