Las Cruces Congresswoman Torres Small holds money edge, hires new campaign manager

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Democratic U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small is maintaining a money edge in a critical U.S. House race in southern New Mexico that Republicans hope to recapture.

Federal campaign records show the Las Cruces Democrat raised nearly $796,000 from mid-May to June 30 and had $3.9 million cash-on-hand. Her campaign coffer has more than 10 times the amount of Yvette Herrell, her GOP challenger.

Records show Herrell raised more than $395,000 during the same period following a grueling GOP primary. The former state lawmaker reported having $379,000 cash-on-hand.

Meantime, a new campaign manager for Torres Small is facing attacks from Republicans for once working on behalf of a gun control group funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Torres Small recently announced she had hired Emma Caccamo to help her win re-election. Caccamo previously served as deputy political director for Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonpartisan advocacy group that pushes for gun control.

Michael Horanburg, campaign manager for Herrell, says the hire reeked of hypocrisy from the congresswoman who shot a rifle in a 2018 campaign ad.

Torres Small defeated Herrell by less than 4,000 votes in 2018 to flip the traditionally Republican-leaning district along the U.S.-Mexico border.