Another House Incumbent Defeated in Midterms as More Races Called

Another House Incumbent Defeated in Midterms as More Races Called
Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) speaks during a congressional border delegation visit to El Paso, Texas, on March 15, 2021. (Justin Hamel/AFP via Getty Images)
Zachary Stieber
11/10/2022
Updated:
11/10/2022
0:00

Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.), New Mexico’s only Republican in Congress, was defeated in the midterm elections.

The race to represent New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District was called on Nov. 10, with Herrell, 58, losing to Democrat Gabriel Vasquez.

“While we are disappointed by the final results, I am incredibly proud of our team and the work we did serving our district, and I am grateful for the steadfast support of so many who helped us along the way. I'd also like to congratulate Gabe Vasquez on his victory,” Herrell said in a statement.

“I could not be more proud to be elected to Congress by my fellow New Mexicans. Whether you voted for me or not, I will fight my heart out for you, because public service is a sacred responsibility that I will never take for granted,” Vasquez, a former aide to Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), said in a statement.

According to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office with all precincts reporting, Vasquez received 96,747 votes to Herrell’s 95,470.

After incumbent Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) decided not to run again in 2018, Democrat Xochitl Torres Small edged Herrell by less than 4,000 votes. Herrell exacted revenge in 2020, defeating Torres Small by nearly 20,000 votes.

Herrell is the latest incumbent to fall in the surprising midterms, which saw Republicans flip more seats but Democrats score key wins that will keep a likely Republican majority in the lower chamber slimmer than hoped.

In another call on Thursday, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) squeaked out a win against Democrat Monica Tranel. Zinke was a secretary of the interior during the Trump administration.

And Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) was also declared the winner in her bid for re-election. She was challenged by Republican George Logan.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke attends an event in Washington on Nov. 28, 2018. (Oliver Contreras/Pool/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke attends an event in Washington on Nov. 28, 2018. (Oliver Contreras/Pool/Getty Images)

Incumbent Losses

Most of the incumbents who have lost so far are Democrats.
Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) was unseated by Iowa state Sen. Zach Nunn. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) fell to New Jersey state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) lost to Virginia state Sen. Jen Kiggans.
And Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee—which seeks to get Democrats elected to the House—was trumped by Mike Lawler.

Some other Republican incumbents have been unseated.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) lost to Democrat Greg Landsman. Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) lost to Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas).

In some of the races that haven’t been called, incumbents are behind.

Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) was down more than 4,000 votes on Nov. 10. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) was down more than 7,500 votes. Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) was down more than 4,700 votes.

Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) were among the others locked in tight races.

California and other western states have been struggling to count votes, leaving the outcomes of some races uncertain more than 24 hours after polls closed. In a small number of races in other parts of the country, the narrow margins have delayed races being called.

As of midday Thursday, Republicans had picked up seven seats and had won 210 races. Democrats were at 192. A party achieves a majority with 218.