New Mexico New Members 2019

Rep.-elect Deb Haaland (D-N.M.-01)

DATE OF BIRTH: Dec. 2, 1960
RESIDENCE:  Albuquerque, N.M.
OCCUPATION: Former state party chairwoman
EDUCATION: B.S., J.D., University of New Mexico
FAMILY: One daughter

Deb Haaland is making history as one of the first Native American woman in Congress.

A member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and a former chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, Haaland won election to the House from New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. She is keeping the seat in Democratic hands and replacing Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who ran for governor.

She beat five challengers in the primary and coasted to victory in the Albuquerque-area district. The National Republican Congressional Committee had picked the district as one of its top targets to flip, but in the general election Haaland defeated Republican Janice Arnold-Jones.

She previously ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014 before becoming the state Democratic Party chairwoman in 2015.

Haaland grew up in a military family with a father who was a Marine for 30 years and a mother who served in the Navy. 

Rep.-elect Xochitl Torres-Small  (D-N.M.-02)

DATE OF BIRTH: Nov. 15, 1984
RESIDENCE:  Las Cruces, N.M.
OCCUPATION: Lawyer
EDUCATION: B.A., Georgetown University; J.D., University of New Mexico School of Law
FAMILY: Husband, Nathan

Xochitl Torres-Small pulled off an upset victory to win New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, one of the largest districts in the country.

Torres-Small, a water rights lawyer who was born and raised in the southern New Mexico district, is now heading to Washington, D.C., after defeating state Rep. Yvette Herrell (R).

Her victory bucked political trends in a district that’s been represented by a Republican for all but two years since 1981. But changing demographics — the district is 52 percent Hispanic — and a hard-fought campaign helped Torres-Small flip the seat for Democrats.

Torres-Small attended Georgetown University, and the political newcomer said concerns about high student loan debt inspired her run. New Mexico has one of the weakest economies in the nation, and local salaries are often not high enough to repay loans.

Nathan Small, Torres-Small’s husband, is a Democratic legislator in the New Mexico House of Representatives.