RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) - Two Republican candidates vying to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small for a crucial southern New Mexico seat have released dueling ads disparaging the other for being a fake supporter for President Donald Trump.
With more than a month to go before the June 2 primary, oil executive Claire Chase and former lawmaker Yvette Herrell unveiled this week television commercials that mock each other in their ongoing feud over who is a better Trump ally.
The Chase campaign on Thursday made public an ad that calls Herrell a “career politician” who worked to undermine Trump’s campaign in 2016.
“After taking a pledge not to raise taxes, she voted for a massive tax hike,” a voice says, referring to a vote Herrell took as a state lawmaker. “Herrell’s record of betraying New Mexico families and standing against President Trump must end. ”
The ad also cites a March 11 story by The Associated Press about Herrell making comments on a podcast about the Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration’s “lack of leadership” during Trump’s first two years in office. It then goes on the refer to Chase as the true “pro-Trump conservative” who supports building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Herrell responded by releasing two videos: one attacking Chase over old anti-Trump Facebook posts and another seeking to highlight Herrell’s connection to the Tea Party.
In the anti-Chase ad, a voice in a stereotypical cheerleader’s voice reads Chase’s 2016 rants against Trump, where she wrote he was “unworthy of the office of the president” and “beyond offensive.” The ad said Chase changed her views on Trump only after running for Congress.
“It’s an act. She’s never Trump, so we’re never Claire,” a voice says.
Claire, a former supporter of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida for president, has since apologized for her old posts and said she was wrong. Claire said she voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Another Herrell ad uses Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to promote Herrell as a tea party conservative. “I’ve known Yvette for years,” Jordan says in the ad. “She’s rock solid.” He then urged New Mexico voters not to believe the “special interest lies” about Herrell.
The Ohio Republican, a popular figure among conservatives, also is a polarizing figure for Democrats. Jordan has faced allegations from former wrestlers at Ohio State University, where he used to coach, that he knew a now-deceased team doctor inappropriately groped them. He has denied the claims.
Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys also is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Torres Small, who defeated Herrell in 2018 by fewer than 3,000 votes.
The sprawling, Republican-leaning district is home to a lucrative oil region but also has some of the most impoverished communities in the U.S. The district has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters in New Mexico, which is the state with the highest percentage of Hispanic residents.
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