Yvette Herrell


Yvette Herrell is an American politician, businesswoman, and real estate agent who served as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from District 51 from January 18, 2011 until January 15, 2019. Herrell was the 2018 Republican nominee for the United States House of Representatives in New Mexico's 2nd congressional district. She was defeated by Democrat Xochitl Torres Small. Herrel again became the Republican nominee for the 2nd district in 2020, and will face Torres Small in the November general election.

Early life and education

Born on March 16, 1964 in Ruidoso, New Mexico, Herrell is a member of the Cherokee Nation. After attending Cloudcroft High School, Herrell earned a legal secretary diploma from the ITT Technical Institute School of Business in Boise, Idaho.

Career

Since graduating from the ITT Technical Institute, Herrell has worked as a realtor in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

New Mexico House of Representatives

In 2010, Herrell challenged incumbent District 51 Republican Representative Gloria Vaughn in the June 1, 2010, Republican primary. Herrell won with 846 votes against Vaughn, and went on to win the November 2, 2010, general election with 3,077 votes against Democratic nominee Susan Medina.
In 2012, Herrell was unopposed in both the June 5, 2012, Republican primary, which she won with 2,128 votes, and the November 6, 2012, general election, which she won with 7,750 votes.

2018 U.S. House election

In 2018, Herrell was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, and was defeated in a close race by political newcomer and Democratic attorney Xochitl Torres Small. The results were close on election night, with Herrell in the lead at the end of the night and some New Mexico media organization projecting that Herrell would win. The next day, more ballots were counted which narrowed Herrell's lead, and media organizations rescinded their initial projections. The counting of absentee ballots ultimately established Small as the winner. Without offering evidence, Herrell alleged possible election fraud before ultimately conceding the race.
A 2018 Associated Press review of Herrell's campaign finance disclosure records found that Herrell had failed to disclose that her real estate company earned $440,000 in contracts with two state agencies over a five year period. Herrell said that she had submitted all required paperwork and that the allegations against her represented "an attack on my moral character" orchestrated by one of her opponents in the Republican congressional primary.

General election results

2020 U.S. House election

Herrell is a candidate for the 2nd congressional district in the 2020 elections. In the Republican primary, Herrell faced businesswoman Claire Chase and businessman Chris Mathys. Harrell won the primary with 45.6% of the vote and will face Torres Small in the November general election.