This week, two candidates withdrew from the race for the Democratic nomination in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, and another announced her bid for the seat. David Baake and Ronald Fitzherbert, both of Las Cruces, withdrew. Xochitl Torres Small of Las Cruces joins Mad Hildebrandt and Angel Pena in the race, which concludes with a June 5 primary.
Here is the announcement from the Torres Small campaign:
Torres Small, a water attorney and former staffer for Senator Tom Udall, is a first-time candidate running to expand opportunities for New Mexico families, especially those in rural communities.
Torres Small enters the race with over a dozen endorsements from: Mayors Ken Miyagishima and Diana Trujillo; State Senators Bill Soules and Jeff Steinborn; State Representatives Doreen Gallegos, Rudy Martinez and Joanne Ferrary and fmr. State Representative J. Paul Taylor; Las Cruces City Councilor Gill Sorg and fmr. Councilor Sherry Thomas; Grant County Commissioners Harry Browne and Alicia Edwards; as well as, fmr. Doña Ana Commission Chair Oscar Vasquez Butler, Pat Salazar of Milan and 2016 NM-02 Democratic Nominee Merrie Lee Soules.
“As the daughter of a teacher and a social worker in Las Cruces, I learned early the values of hard work and having your neighbor’s back - something that seems long forgotten in Washington today,” said Xochitl Torres Small. “To solve our greatest problems, we need a new crop of leaders ready to bring New Mexicans of all backgrounds together to find common sense solutions. I’m running to expand opportunities for hardworking families and to strengthen our rural communities with better access to healthcare, broadband service and good-paying jobs.”
As a child, Torres Small heard stories about her grandmother, who immigrated here from Mexico, working in the fields to build her American dream. While her family never had a lot of money, she learned that through hard work and a good education she could not only succeed, but also give back to the community that made her success possible.
Torres Small would bring a wealth of experience to Congress, having worked in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She previously served as a field representative for Senator Udall, where she helped bring farmers, conservationists, and communities together to protect New Mexico’s water. She also worked with teachers, college instructors, and business leaders to create better job opportunities for local graduates.
After that, Torres Small clerked in New Mexico for the Honorable Robert C. Brack, a federal judge with one of the heaviest criminal dockets in the country. In this capacity, Torres Small saw firsthand the personal costs and financial burden our nation bears because of its broken immigration system.
Like so many New Mexicans, Torres Small and her family took out loans to pay for college. She worked through school, took jobs tutoring, and graduated Cum Laude from Georgetown University in just three years. Torres Small received her law degree from the University of New Mexico Law School and has worked in private practice in Las Cruces, where she’s carved out an expertise in water, working with local governments, farmers, developers, and conservationists to best use this shared resource.
She currently sits on the Board of Directors for Mountain View Market Co+op and La Semilla Food Center, and is a member of the Public School Capital Outlay Oversight Task Force. She lives in Las Cruces with her husband Nathan Small.
To learn more, please visit www.XochforCongress.com, Facebook.com/
Here is the Facebook announcement from the David Baake campaign:
After a great deal of reflection and discussions with friends, family, and supporters, I have decided to end my campaign for Congress.
I am tremendously proud of the work we have done. I traveled all over our beautiful district, spending time in each of our counties. I met with the governors of each of our Pueblo tribes. I attended the NAACP State Conference, the Las Cruces Pride Parade, and the Deming Duck Race.
I raised my voice in support of Dreamers and immigrant families, in defense of our public lands, and against the Trump Administration’s attacks on women and LGBT Americans. I set forth novel policy ideas, calling for a Climate Conservation Corps to put unemployed Americans to work fighting climate change, and for real tax reform that would force the investment class to pay its fair share. Most importantly, I formed lasting friendships with people all over our district.
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of the people who supported me, who hosted events for me, who collected signatures for me. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. I don’t know what my next move will be, but I promise that I will continue to fight for progress, and for the people of southern New Mexico.
Here is the announcement from the Ronald Fitzherbert campaign:
Ron Fitzherbert announced today that he is ending his campaign for the open Congressional seat from NM02.
Last March when Mr. Fitzherbert formally filed papers to seek the seat then held by Steve Pearce, a Republican no other candidate had announced an official campaign for the 2018 election and he felt that someone needed to step forward and set the tone and ensure there was a “resistance”.
Statement by Mr. Fitzherbert:
“When I first entered the race, I had two main goals; make sure Mr. Pearce wasn’t reelected to Congress, and make sure there was someone in the race who I felt would put the people of New Mexico ahead their own interests. Keeping Mr. Pearce out of Congress turned out to be much easier than I had anticipated as he decided to take himself out of the race.
“However as other candidates entered the race I would ask myself if they were someone I would trust more than I trust myself to do the right thing for the people of New Mexico. Although there were some good people running I felt I was the better candidate, that is until today.”
“With the announcement of candidacy by Xochitl Torres Small I can finally feel good about withdrawing from the race. Xochitl is someone I trust fully to represent the people of New Mexico in a fair and equitable manner and I fully support and endorse Xochitl in her bid to be the Democratic candidate for US Congress from the New Mexico 2nd District.”
“I thank those of you who have supported me over the last year and I ask that my supporters consider now supporting Xochitl in her bid for Congress.”
“I am going to take some time to spend with family and decide what possibilities 2019 might present in the Las Cruces Municipal election.”
For more information, contact Ron Fitzherbert at ron@ron2018.org