Rep. New Mexico Democrat Gabriel Vasquez is projected to defeat Republican challenger Yvette Herrell, retaining her seat for a second term.

Vasquez and Herrell previously faced off in the 2022 election cycle, when Vasquez won by less than 1%.

Vasquez has represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Las Cruces and a portion of southern Albuquerque, since 2023. The race was considered an upset, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identifying the district as vulnerable in defeat against the Republicans. the challengers of this electoral cycle.

Vasquez promoted expanding the economy, protecting access to abortion, fighting climate change and passing “comprehensive” immigration laws as campaign platforms.

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Rep. Democrat Gabe Vasquez and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell (Reuters | Getty)

The congressman was criticized by conservatives in the run-up to the election, including for his previous comments supporting the financing of the police.

Vasquez appeared on a local news station apparently dressed in disguise during the George Floyd unrest in 2020 and said: “This isn’t just about defunding the police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges white people over everyone else.”

Vasquez previously pledged to “fully support” cutting the police budget in half in Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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Rep. Gabe Vasquez speaks during a press conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 3, 2024. (Anna Padilla/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement and will not stop short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and the people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50 percent cut in the Las Cruces Police Department budget.

Since then, he has said he opposes defining the police.

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Vasquez served on the Las Cruces City Council from 2017 to 2021 before launching her career in the US House.

Reps. James Comer and Yvette Herrell tour the Johnson Ranch border wall near Columbus, New Mexico on April 12, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Herrell campaigned on a border security platformdefeating the “Washington political class” that “forgot about America’s working middle class,” building the economy and “putting New Mexico first.”

Former President Trump endorsed Herrell earlier this year when he won the Republican primary.

“A successful entrepreneur, Yvette knows how to expand our economy, fight inflation and create Good paying jobs,” Trump wrote. “She will work hard to lower gas prices, support our vets, strengthen our military, secure our border, and defend the Second Amendment.”

Herrell served in the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and in Congress from 2021 to 2023.

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Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.