Native candidate edged out in race for another seat in Congress

Thursday, November 8, 2018  

By Acee Agoyo

Two Native women made history this week by winning their races for seats in the U.S. Congress but it looks like a third won't be joining them.

After voters went to the polls on a landmark Election Day, Republican Yvette Herrell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was consistently ahead in returns from New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District. But it turns out a large number of ballots from the most populous county in the southern part of the state remained uncounted.

As those votes were tallied throughout Wednesday, Herrell's already narrow lead slowly began to disappear. By the end of the day, Democrat Xochitl Torres Small emerged as the apparent winner, with less than 2,800 votes separating the pair.

“We received an incredible amount of absentee ballots in this election,” Doña Ana County Clerk Amanda Askin said after the process was complete late in the afternoon. “The appointed absent voter board worked tirelessly and ultimately ensured a result in which Doña Ana County voters can full confidence.”

Congratulations to my good friend @XochforCongress your victory tonight is proof that every vote counts.

— Deb Haaland (@Deb4CongressNM) November 8, 2018

Herrell, however, is not as confident. Her campaign has not yet conceded the race, instead urging everyone to wait until additional ballots are counted.

"Last night, we heard from Xochitl Torres Small that it was extremely important that every vote be counted," a statement issued late Wednesday read. "This campaign believes that should be the case and we look forward to seeing the results from all provisional ballots throughout the district."

Torres Small, on the other hand, embraced the latest results. Her first name means "flower" in Nahuatl, an indigenous language spoken in Mexico and Central America, though she does not identify as indigenous.

“The votes have been counted and the voices of the people in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District have been heard,” Torres Small said in the evening. “I am so honored to represent this incredible district, this enormous district, this district with people from all walks of life who have shown up in this moment.”

Despite Herrell's reticence, a change in the outcome would not turn back the gains the Democrats made on Tuesday. The party regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 2011.

Another Native woman from New Mexico in fact played a key role in the so-called "Blue Wave" that swept the nation. That was in the neighboring 1st Congressional District, where Deb Haaland easily sailed to victory.

The win by Haaland, who hails from the Pueblo of Laguna, was expected, especially since voters in the district have sent a Democrat to Capitol Hill in every election since 2009. Janice Arnold-Jones, the Republican candidate, barely got 36 percent of the vote on Tuesday.

Haaland nonetheless broke new ground with her campaign. She defeated five other challengers in her party's primary in June with the help of the Native vote -- the 1st District is home to several tribes and a large urban Native population in Albuquerque, the most populous city in the state.

Politicians use immigration as a talking point, instead of trying to solve the problem. I am committed to working with everyone to fix that. Great afternoon with Border Patrol talking about what we need to make our immigration system strong, smart, and fair. #NM02 #nmpol pic.twitter.com/oUQICXLwu2

— Xochitl Torres Small (@XochforCongress) October 23, 2018

With Haaland and Torres Small on board, New Mexico's delegation to the U.S. House is made up entirely of persons of color. Ben Ray Luján easily won re-election in the 3rd Congressional District, home to a large number of tribes and Native Americans as well.

And the results show that New Mexicans statewide embraced the Democratic party. Martin Heinrich easily held onto his seat in the U.S. Senate, where he will be serving a second term in office.

The last member of the New Mexico delegation is Sen. Tom Udall, whose seat was not up for re-election on Tuesday. The Democrat has been serving as the vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

"We voted to defend health care, to put working families first with investments in good jobs and education, to stand up for the rights of immigrant and Native communities, to protect our public lands and environment, and to build a better future for our kids and grandkids," Udall said on Wednesday.

The Democratic wave included another historic victory from Sharice Davids, a citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She ousted a long-serving Republican in the 3rd Congressional District in Kansas on Tuesday.

"Sharice Davids' election is another giant step forward for women, LGBTQ women and women of color — not only does she instantly become a role model for millions, but she provides representation of these communities when we need it most," Stephanie Sandberg, the executive director of LPAC, told Indianz.Com after the vote.

LPAC is a political action committee that supports candidates like Davids, who is the first LGBTQ person to secure election in Kansas history. Sandberg was among those on the ground in the 3rd District on Election Day, knocking on doors and encouraging turnout.

Haaland and Davids will be serving in the 116th Congress, which begins in January. Overall, Democrats won at least 225 seats, a net gain of 30 from the current session. The party needed to win 218 to gain control of the chamber.

"When the 116th session of Congress convenes on January 3rd, 2019, OUR voices will be heard!" Haaland wrote in a post on Twitter, sharing a photo of herself and Davids.

Herrell's Republican Party, on the other hand, lost at least 30 seats in the chamber. As a result, they will cede control of the House committees to Democrats.

That includes the House Committee on Natural Resources, which has undergone years of turmoil under Republican control. Tribal leaders frequently criticized the panel and its outgoing chairman, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), for often taking a negative approach to their sovereignty.

What an amazing turnout yesterday at the Chaves county Republican headquarters grand opening! I’m not sensing a “blue wave” at all! Thank you, Chaves county, for your support and hard work. #nmpol pic.twitter.com/866LAtl2Kv

— Yvette Herrell (@Yvette4congress) August 19, 2018

Herrell did not talk about Indian Country during her campaign and it was a surprise to many --- even to some within her party -- that she was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She largely focused on immigration, the U.S. border with Mexico and gun rights, issues that resonate with President Donald Trump and his followers.

In hopes of tapping into that sentiment in the largely rural 2nd District, Herrell aligned herself with the Trump administration. She benefited from a high-profile campaign visit on November 1 by Kellyanne Conway, a White House adviser. Vice President Mike Pence also appeared at a rally in New Mexico with other GOP candidates late last month.

The message did pay off, but only to a point. According to the Secretary of State, Herrell won 49.29 percent of the vote in the district.

Torres Small benefited from a larger than expected Democratic turnout in Doña Ana County, home to Las Cruces, the second largest city in the state. She secured 50.71 percent of the vote, according to the latest results.

Nearly 11 percent of the population in New Mexico is Native, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The state is home to 19 Pueblo tribes, plus the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Navajo Nation.

Native women headed to Congress for first time after historic election (November 7, 2018)
Election Day: #NativeVote18 races to watch across the nation (November 6, 2018)