Two congressional districts heavily favored to go for Democrats were, indeed, won by their Democratic incumbents.
In the 1st Congressional District, with 735 precincts partially reporting Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury appears to have won with 56 percent of the vote. Steve Jones, her Republican opponent, received 44 percent of the vote.
Stansbury told NM Political Report that even if Republicans win in the Senate and the White House, that her work prioritizing the needs of New Mexicans would continue. She said some of the issues she will be fighting for will include housing affordability, behavioral health, land and water rights and the rights of Tribal nations.
Stansbury said that, despite the possible overall outcome of national elections, there are bright spots for Democrats. She mentioned the fact that Sarah McBride won as a senator in Delaware. McBride is the first openly transgender person to win a seat in the U.S. Congress.
She also mentioned the fact that the U.S. Senate will now have two Black women serving at the same time, which has never happened before. Democrat Andy Kim also won a New Jersey House of Representatives seat, which also broke a barrier for Korean-Americans.
“I think we have to think about the movement building we’re doing as generational even though we don’t know the outcome of the overall elections tonight and we’re not sure how things are going to turn out,” Stansbury told NM Political Report.
Jones said through text message that he congratulated Stansbury and told her that she “ran a clean and solid race.”
“It was good to meet you on the campaign trail. Have a good term,” he said through text.
In the 3rd Congressional District, U.S. House of Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández defeated her Republican opponent, Sharon Clahchischilliage, Diné, by carrying 55 percent of the vote to Clahchischilliage’s 45 percent of the vote with 504 precincts partially reporting.
Leger Fernández said through a news release that she is grateful to win a third term to Congress and that she promises “to keep taking [New Mexico] voices, stories and struggles to Washington, D.C., where together we can address the issues we face and the dreams we seek.”
“I believe that every American owns a little piece of the American dream. We build the American dream when we work together to build each other up. We build the American dream when we recognize we are part of something bigger and work to make it better,” she said through the release.
Clahchischilliage’s daughter, Joy Natani, said through text message that Clahchischilliage could offer no comment at this time.