ALBUQUERQUE — President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Greg Cunningham, a Marine Corps combat veteran and former Albuquerque Police Department detective, in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District race, calling Cunningham his “complete and total” pick to unseat Democratic incumbent Rep. Gabe Vasquez in November.
Trump announced the endorsement on Truth Social, framing the contest as a choice between Cunningham and what he described as a far-left Democrat who voted to raise taxes and opposed border enforcement. The endorsement arrives less than two weeks after the Sentinel reported that Cunningham’s sole Republican primary opponent, Jose Orozco, withdrew from the race and directed his supporters to back Cunningham ahead of the June 2 primary.
Orozco’s name will still appear on the June 2 ballot, however. According to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s office, Orozco failed to file the required withdrawal paperwork in time, meaning Republican primary voters will see both names despite Orozco’s public exit from the race and endorsement of Cunningham.
Cunningham, 59, describes himself as a lifelong New Mexican whose career spans service in the U.S. Marine Corps — including combat deployments — and more than two decades as an Albuquerque police officer and undercover detective. His campaign website identifies him as a business owner and grandfather who has centered his pitch around border security, public safety, and tax relief.
He is no stranger to New Mexico politics, having run twice for state House District 29 on Albuquerque’s West Side — losing both times to Democratic incumbent Rep. Joy Garratt, though outperforming Trump in the district by four percentage points in 2024. His congressional campaign also carries the endorsement of former U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell, the Republican who previously held the NM-2 seat.
The 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from Albuquerque’s West Side through the oil patch and border communities of southern New Mexico, has flipped between the parties in each of the last three elections. The Cook Political Report has rated it a toss-up.
Vasquez, who narrowly won the seat in 2022 and again in 2024, defeating Herrell, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Cunningham, who is Hispanic, is among a broader field of Latino Republican candidates the party has sought to cultivate in competitive districts as the GOP has made inroads with Hispanic voters nationally. New Mexico Republicans are hoping Trump’s 2024 performance in the state — a six-point loss, the best showing by a Republican presidential candidate since George W. Bush won New Mexico in 2004 — translates into down-ballot gains in November.
