Yvette Herrell's Bad Start

In 2018, Democrat Xochitl Torres-Small beat Republican Yvette Herrell for the Congressional seat Republican Steve Pearce had long held.

Herrell and many Republicans screamed fraud. The unprecedented numbers of absentee ballots for Xochitl in her home county, Doña Ana, meant the count continued into the next day. Republicans still sneer at our county (without evidence) as if everyone knows elections here are corrupt.

Xochitl tried hard to represent all CD-2 citizens. Never extremely progressive, she angered some local progressives with moderate votes and statements on oil-and-gas, guns, immigration, and other issues, while working diligently on modest improvements. She angered Democrats by her long delay before advocating Mr. Trump’s obviously warranted impeachment, and angered Republicans by ultimately voting to impeach. How much of this was based on her own views and how much was compromise to mute conservative distrust, only she and her advisors know.

Probably the moderates and conservatives she won over outnumbered the progressives who stayed home, because 2020 wasn’t a year to stay home.

Nevertheless, In 2020, Herrell unseated Congresswoman Torres-Small.

Ironically, Republicans again yelled, “Fraud!” although they didn’t attack the local county clerk. They attacked the Capitol. Literally.

Had 2020 been an off-year, Torres-Small might well have won again. In CD-2, Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by 12%. Herrell prevailed by 8%. (Locally, Trump lost by 18%, Herrell by 22%.) Although Herrell won comfortably, Torres-Small outperformed the top of the ticket.

Herrell did NOT immediately try to represent all of her constituents, but hollered “Voter fraud!” despite the absence of evidence. Scores of court cases (in most of which fraud was not even alleged) rejected the claims. Trump’s own advisors and Trump-appointed judges rejected the claims. Herrell persisted. A Trump-inspired mob (which he betrayed by not joining them as promised) upped the pressure on Congressfolk by marching to and into the Capitol, overwhelming police and shouting about killing public officials. Both parties made a great show of returning to the House Chamber when it was safe and certifying the vote. Many Republicans who’d shouted fraud were chastened by the violence the repeated lies had inspired (and by Trump’s conduct), and voted to certify. Herrell persisted.

That is, when a significant number of extremist Republicans played to Trump’s base by voting against certification, Herrell did too. The violence made no difference to Herrell. Had these Republicans prevailed, voting for purely political reasons to overrule the people, with no supporting evidence, they’d have ended our cherished free elections. Instead of the people electing presidents, Republican office-holders would. That made no difference to Herrell. (In fairness, while Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley are constitutional lawyers who clearly knew better, Herrell may have believed Trump’s nonsense.)

One of Herrell’s closest political allies, whose support she said she cherished above others, was “Cowboys for Trump” founder Couy Griffin. Griffin said, “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat,” and that some Black athletes should “go back to Africa.” Griffin faces criminal charges for his part in sacking the Capitol.

Herrell did not immediately renounce Griffin after the 6 January violence. Only when powerful Republican donors were so appalled that they suspended donations to Republicans did Herrell criticize Griffin. She also deleted his endorsement video from her website.

Tea Party stalwart Herrell seems to have served notice that she will be an extremist who cares little for facts, science, or fair play. However, I’ve invited her to share her perspective on radio.

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[The above column appeared this morning, Sunday, 24 January 2021, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, as well as on the newspaper's website on the newspaper's website and KRWG’s website. A related radio commentary will air during the week on KRWG (90.7) and KTAL-LP. (101.5 – http://www.lccommunityradio.org/), and is available on demand on KRWG’s site.]

[After I sent in the column, I read in the Sun-News that in Monday’s meeting the Las Cruces City Council will consider a resolution condemning Representative Herrell’s vote against certification of the Presidential Election results in Arrizona and Pennsylvania. The meeting is at 1, airing both on U-Tube and on Channel 20, as well as from the City’s website. The resolution would have no legal force or impact, but would put the council on record defending democracy against any repetition of the Trump-Cruz-Herrell attack on it.

Herrell says the council should stick to city business, and that the resolution has no legal force. It doesn’t; but this IS city business, and the vote seems a fair warning to Herrell that she should emulate Xochi by making a sincere effort to represent all of her constituents. But Xochi genuinely cares about people, not rigid ideology. ]

[Meanwhile, Couy Griffin remains in a D.C. jail, yelling at jailers and enjoying solitary confinement because he refused to take a COVID test. ]