ALAMOGORDO, NM – According to a new poll, Republican candidate for Congress Yvette Herrell holds a commanding 43-point lead against her potential opponents in the Republican primary for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. Herrell also holds a strong 13-point advantage over freshman Democrat Rep. Torres Small in a general election rematch.
In a potential GOP match-up between Herrell, Gavin Clarkson, Claire Chase, and Chris Mathys, Herrell is the clear favorite, with 50% of likely Republican primary voters choosing her as the party’s nominee. Meanwhile, each of her potential opponents fails to break single digits in support:
In a general election rematch between Herrell and Rep. Torres Small, Herrell surpasses the critical 50% threshold with 51% support from voters, compared to 38% for Torres Small:
“I’m very pleased with the strong support we have in both the primary and general elections as we launch our 2020 campaign,” Herrell said. “Voters see for themselves that Xochitl Torres Small’s liberal voting record is totally out of step with the values of our district, and I look forward to continuing our aggressive grassroots campaign through the primary season and into the general election.”
Additionally, Herrell maintains high general election name ID carried over from her 2018 campaign (65%) and receives positive marks from general election voters, with 37% viewing her favorably and only 28% having an unfavorable opinion. The other potential GOP primary candidates are mostly unknown to general election voters and have work to do to reach Herrell’s positive image. Seventy-four percent of general election voters have either never heard of Gavin Clarkson or have no opinion of him. Similarly, Claire Chase (84%) and Chris Mathys (82%) are mostly unknown.
Rep. Torres Small is starting her re-election campaign from behind. More general election voters view Torres Small unfavorably than favorably. A total of 43% have an unfavorable opinion of her, including 33% that say they have a very unfavorable opinion, driving Herrell’s 51%-38% advantage in the general election matchup.
In summary, this new poll demonstrates that New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District is fertile ground for a Republican challenger in 2020 – and that Yvette Herrell is best positioned to take on, and defeat, Rep. Torres Small.
This survey of 1,070 likely General Election Voters and 537 Likely Republican Primary voters was conducted January 23-27 by the Strategy Group Company on behalf of Yvette Herrell for Congress. It was collected via live and automated phone calls and online surveys. It is balanced by age, gender, ethnicity, party, and geography, and carries a margin of error of 4.1%.