On Aug. 26, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) came to Albuquerque to campaign for former detective Greg Cunningham running as a Republican with hopes of flipping Rep. Gabe Vasquez’s (D) seat in November.
Johnson’s attendance at a private fundraising event and a separate press conference at Rio Bravo Brewing this week signal a new phase in the highly anticipated race that could play a huge role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
Even though Vasquez has held the seat since 2022, Trump carried a slim majority in his district in 2024. During the press conference, Johnson agreed with reporters that ticket splitting in this district last election cycle is what puts this district “in play” for House Republicans.
At the press conference, Johnson passed along some choice quotes about Cunningham from a phone call he’d had with Trump, including that he “loved” Cunningham and that he was “straight out of central casting.”
Republican’s big bet
Cunningham has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Johnson, other national Republicans, and Yvette Herrell, who previously held the seat from 2021-2023.
According to FEC filings, Johnson’s fundraising operation has funneled at least $233,000 to Cunningham’s campaign so far — on top of the $3.8 million his Congressional Leadership Fund has spent on TV ads in the Albuquerque and El Paso markets.
Republicans looking to hang on to their majority in the House are doubling down on Cunningham, a former Albuquerque police detective and who has twice failed to win the same state Legislature seat.
Based on polling and recent redistricting from 2021 that favors Democrats, the seat currently leans in Vasquez’s direction.
Trump is polling at record low approval ratings in New Mexico, and nationally Johnson is right behind him.
Vasquez’s campaign manager, Patricia Socarras Santiago, shared this statement with Courier New Mexico: “Greg and Speaker Johnson have a few things in common: working to take healthcare away from New Mexicans, supporting tariffs that hurt our farmers and ranchers, and serving as Trump’s #1 ally.”
Protestors confronted ‘MAGA Mike’
Outside the brewery, dozens of protestors gathered to denounce Johnson’s leadership.
“ The people of this state oppose Mike Johnson and his hateful agenda,” organizer Grace Dukes told Courier New Mexico. “[We] organized today’s protest to show Mike Johnson how New Mexico welcomes MAGA extremists.”
Chants of “MAGA Mike has got to go” echoed distantly during the short press conference where Cunningham gave a short speech and didn’t take questions from reporters.
Several of the protesters criticized Johnson’s tenure as House Speaker, particularly his controversial handling of the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA). A huge sign was erected across the street from the brewery that read: “PEDO PROTECTORS NOT WELCOME.”
The EFTA, which released redacted files related to Jeffery Epstein’s vast sex trafficking operations, was passed last year after months of delay and mounting public pressure. Reps Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) and Ro Khanna (D-California) were forced to pass a discharge petition to put the bill to a floor vote last November to avoid it being stalled indefinitely.
Johnson claimed his criticism of the Massie/Khanna bill stemmed from protecting victim’s identities.
“ We have an Epstein class that’s ruling this country,” Sandra Stolberg, an organizer with Indivisible Albuquerque said in an interview with Courier New Mexico. “ We need people who have personal honesty and integrity and that are working for the entire country and not just a handful of rich people.”
