Republican Yvette Herrell Defeats Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in New Mexico

Republican Yvette Herrell has defeated Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the race for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.

The Associated Press called the election for Herrell around 2:14 a.m. ET as an estimated 90 percent of precincts had reported. As of 1:20 a.m., Herrell led Torres Small by nearly ten percentage points, 54 percent to 46 percent.

BREAKING: Republican Yvette Herrell wins election to U.S. House in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, beating incumbent Rep. Xochitl Torres Small. #APracecall at 12:13 a.m. MST. #Election2020 #NMelection https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 4, 2020

Herrell ran a tight race against Torres Small with multiple polls showing the candidates in dead heat with one another as Election Day grew near.

While it ultimately did not work out in her favor, Torres Small was forced to distance herself from comments by former Vice President Joe Biden during a presidential debate when he pledged to “transition from the oil industry.”

Yvette Herrell (@Yvette4Congress) is a proven fighter for New Mexico! She strongly supports our Brave Law Enforcement, Life and the Second Amendment. Strong on the Border and Trade, Yvette has my Complete and Total Endorsement! #NM02 https://t.co/77hjYfVWAB

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020

“Biden made the comment as he attempted to defend his record on fracking, a technique that allows oil and gas to be extracted by breaking up rock formations deep underground,” Breitbart News’s Sean Moran noted. “During the Democratic primary, Biden pledged to end fracking, but has since backtracked.”