Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson will visit Albuquerque Wednesday to campaign for fellow Republican Greg Cunningham, a retired Marine and Albuquerque Police Department detective who’s challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) in the Nov. 3 general election.
Cunningham’s campaign announced the visit Monday morning and said the pair will join “New Mexico law enforcement leaders to discuss public safety, border security, and the cost of crime on New Mexico families and small businesses.”
Johnson joined President Donald Trump in endorsing Cunningham in April.
At the time, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, to say that Cunningham has the “Wisdom and Courage required to Defend our Country, Support our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
In a joint statement at the time, Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain said Cunningham “is a patriot who will help us continue to deliver safe streets, secure borders, lower costs, and peace through strength.”
New Mexico’s Congressional District 2, which includes much of southern New Mexico and stretches up to Albuquerque’s South Valley, is expected to be among New Mexico’s more competitive federal races.
Vasquez first won election to the seat by less than one percentage point in 2022, when he ousted then-Rep. Yvette Herrell. Although Vasquez won re-election in 2024, Trump defeated Kamala Harris in this district.
In a statement about Johnson’s visit provided to Source NM, Vasquez campaign manager Patricia Socarras Santiago said Cunningham “is once again bending the knee to MAGA extremists, and this week they’re coming to Albuquerque in droves to buy his loyalty. He already accepted $403,000 from Trump loyalists; he’s endorsed by Speaker Johnson and Yvette Herrell; and he has said himself his number one priority is doing Trump’s bidding. Greg Cunningham is showing us his priorities – supporting MAGA’s tariffs, ICE raids, and healthcare cuts – not New Mexico.”
Cunningham’s campaign earlier this year narrowly raised more money than Vasquez’s, though campaign finance reports showed that Vasquez’s campaign had a sizable cash-on-hand advantage.
