Wednesday, December 23, 2020Final Numbers Show How Trump Paved The Way For Herrell, Plus: Merry Christmas, New Mexico The take on this year's southern congressional race was the same from beginning to end--if Donald Trump carried the district by double digits then Republican Yvette Herrell would be poised to defeat Dem US Rep. Xochitl Torres Small. And that's what happened. Herrell whomped XTS 54-46 and thanks to the trackers at the Daily Kos we have the final numbers behind that win. They report that Trump carried the district by 12 points--55 to 43: That actually represented a small increase from (Trump's) 50-40 win four years earlier, though the 2016 numbers were skewed somewhat by former Gov. Gary Johnson, who took a sizable 9% running on the Libertarian ticket.
Torres Small won a huge upset in the 2018 blue wave when she defeated Republican Yvette Herrell 51-49. . . For the first time in a presidential race since New Mexico added a third congressional seat following the 1980 census, the 1st (ABQ) District gave a higher share of its vote to the Democrat than the (northern) 3rd. . .This year, the 1st went for Biden 60-37 while the 3rd supported him 58-40; the strong result in the 1st was powered by Biden's 61-37 win in Bernalillo County, the second-best showing by a Democrat of all time, trailing only FDR's massive 1936 romp. Herrell's victory, however, may be short-lived. The Legislature will meet later this year to redistrict the state. With Dems controlling the Governor's office and the House and Senate, the expectation is that the southern district will be turned blue beginning with the 2022 election. MERRY CHRISTMAS  With the help of a vaccine the pandemic is on the way to burning out, the state's financial condition is better than expected and no matter the year or century the ancient allure of New Mexico is as close as a step out your front door. That can never be taken from us. In this space on the cusp of Christmas 2006 I wrote this of our state: We live in a wonderful, almost fantasy-like environment in this Land of Enchantment. It is a gift that gives year round--the sunsets that make hearts soar; the mountains that inspire dreams; the never-ending landscapes that give a spiritual dimension to daily life. The contrast of this earthly perfection with our crazed, but beloved La Politica makes us that more inscrutable to the outside world. New Mexico politics is also special because ancient customs collide with the contemporary. It's what makes our state so deliciously baffling and delightful and so pleasurable to talk with you about through this blog. Thanks for joining me today and all the days of 2006 (and 2020). I look forward to more special times with you when we return in the new year.
Merry Christmas, New Mexico! Frank, that's your cue. . . This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.
  (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020 |
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