A 2021 video of Rep. Gabriel Vasquez calling for limits on natural gas and fossil fuel use has resurfaced as the New Mexico Democrat campaigns for a third term on an "all-of-the-above" energy platform — a reversal that puts roughly $7.5 billion in annual state general fund revenue squarely at the center of one of the country's most competitive House races.
From Fossil Fuel Phase-Out to 'All of the Above'
In a 2021 interview recorded while Vasquez was running for the Democratic nomination to challenge then-Rep. Yvette Herrell, he outlined a vision centered on electrifying government fleets, residential developments, and commercial properties while explicitly calling for limiting natural gas and other carbon-based fuels. He acknowledged at the time that a workforce transition in Permian Basin communities would need to happen over an indeterminate timeline — not in five to ten years, but eventually.
His current campaign website reads differently. Vasquez now says he supports oil, gas, and clean energy together, frames the position around affordability, and describes himself as a champion of energy workers in the Permian Basin. When his campaign was asked whether those stances conflict, spokesperson Patricia Santiago said Vasquez stands by his current position and his record on clean energy, clean air, and clean water.
The Fiscal Weight Behind the Policy Shift
The pivot isn't purely political branding — it reflects the arithmetic of New Mexico's state budget. The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association puts total industry revenue in the state at $13.1 billion. Of that, the state Department of Finance and Administration says approximately $7.5 billion flows to New Mexico's general fund, funding schools, roads, and public services.
Vasquez's Republican challenger, Greg Cunningham, a former law enforcement agent, has made that fiscal dependency a cornerstone of his attack. Cunningham argues that Vasquez spent years disparaging the industry whose revenue underwrites state government, telling Fox News Digital that politicians cannot cash the check while trashing the people who wrote it. He added that energy will remain the lifeblood of New Mexico.
Competitive District Sets the Stakes
Vasquez's district is among the nation's most contested. He won his 2024 re-election against Herrell by a margin of 52.1% to 47.9% — a spread that leaves little room for defection among voters tied to the Permian Basin economy. The resurfaced video lands as Democrats broadly recalibrate their energy messaging toward affordability, making Vasquez's district a live test of whether that recalibration holds in communities where oil and gas employment numbers in the hundreds of thousands.