Southwest
New Mexico Democratic Rep. Gabriel Vasquez projected to beat Trump-backed GOP challenger
New Mexico Democratic Rep. Gabriel Vasquez is projected to defeat Republican challenger Yvette Herrell, holding on to his seat for a second term.
Vasquez and Herrell previously squared off in the 2022 election cycle, when Vasquez won by less than 1%.
Vasquez has represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Las Cruces and a southern portion of Albuquerque, since 2023. The race was considered a toss-up, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identifying the district as vulnerable for defeat against Republican challengers this election cycle.
Vasquez touted expanding the economy, protecting abortion access, combating climate change and passing “comprehensive” immigration laws as his campaign platforms.
PRO-DEFUND POLICE DEM IN KEY RACE ONCE THREATENED TO ‘KILL’ AND ‘BURY’ MAN OVER THE PHONE: POLICE RECORDS
Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez and Republican challenger Yvette Herrell (Reuters | Getty )
The congressman came under fire from conservatives in the lead-up to the election, including for his previous comments supporting defunding the police.
Vasquez appeared on a local news station seemingly dressed in disguise during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and said, “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges White people over everyone else.”
Vasquez previously vowed he would “fully support” cutting in half the police budget of Las Cruces, where he served on the city council, Fox News Digital previously reported.
BALANCE OF POWER: FIVE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IN NOVEMBER
Rep. Gabe Vasquez speaks during a news conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Oct. 3, 2024. (Anna Padilla/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget.
He has since said he opposes defunding the police.
VULNERABLE DEMS WON’T SAY WHETHER BIDEN SHOULD BE NOMINEE: ‘PRESIDENT CAN MAKE HIS OWN DECISIONS’
Vasquez served on the Las Cruces City Council from 2017 to 2021 before launching his career in the U.S. House.
Reps. James Comer and Yvette Herrell tour the border wall on the Johnson Ranch near Columbus, New Mexico, on April 12, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Herrell campaigned on a platform of securing the border, bucking the “political class in Washington” that has “forgotten about the hardworking, middle-class of America,” building the economy and “putting New Mexico first.”
Former President Trump endorsed Herrell earlier this year, when she won the Republican primary.
“A successful entrepreneur, Yvette knows how to Expand our Economy, Fight Inflation, and Create High-Paying Jobs,” Trump wrote. “She will work hard to Lower Gas Prices, Support our Vets, Strengthen our Military, Secure our Border, and Defend the Second Amendment.”
Herrell served in New Mexico House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, and in Congress from 2021 to 2023.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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