2026 Catholic Voter Guide

New Mexico

Where the candidates stand on the issues Pope Leo XIV has raised, in their own words and votes. Every position links to its source.

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Same-day voter registration is available. Absentee ballots must be returned to the county clerk or a polling place by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Official source ↗

How to use this guide. For each race, open an issue to see what Pope Leo XIV has taught and what each candidate has said or done, side by side. Where a candidate has served in office, we add their recorded votes on the same key bills for everyone in that chamber, linked to the official roll call. We summarize; we do not score or endorse. Candidates are listed alphabetically. Where we could not find a public position, we say so. Click any bracketed source to read it yourself. New to Catholic voting principles? Start with our national guide to Faithful Citizenship.
New Mexico · 2026

U.S. House, District 2

23, 2026, via 270toWin).

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Greg Cunningham
Republican · Challenger
Retired Marine and former Albuquerque police detective.
Campaign website ↗
Gabe Vasquez
Democrat · Incumbent
U.S. Representative since 2023; former Las Cruces city councilor.
Campaign website ↗
War & PeaceIran, Gaza, Ukraine, war powers›
Pope Leo XIVLeo invited citizens of every country involved in the war with Iran to contact their leaders and members of Congress “to work for peace and to reject war and violence.”Remarks at Castel Gandolfo, Apr. 7, 2026 (Vatican News via The Good Newsroom)
Greg Cunningham
No public position found.
Gabe Vasquez
Calls for ending “this reckless war in Iran”; voted for Iran war powers resolutions and the Ukraine Support Act (2026).
[1] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews[2] Roll call 85 (2026): Iran war powers resolution[3] Roll call 207 (2026): Ukraine Support Act
Voting record
AI & the Dignity of WorkAI rules, unions, workers displaced by automation›
Pope Leo XIV“No one can be reduced to productivity, to cognitive performance, or to mere data.”Magnifica Humanitas presentation, May 25, 2026
Greg Cunningham
On data centers, says communities should decide and contracts must fit local water and power needs: “not my job to tell them what to do.”
[1] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews
Gabe Vasquez
Supports the PRO Act; called for a moratorium on a proposed Socorro data center and led legislation requiring data centers to pay for their own electricity.
[1] Vasquez campaign: Issues[2] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews
Voting record
The Poor & the Safety NetMedicaid, SNAP, health care, wages›
Pope Leo XIVThe preferential choice for the poor is “a source of extraordinary renewal both for the Church and for society.”Dilexi Te, Oct. 4, 2025
Greg Cunningham
Praised the 2025 law’s no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and senior deduction as “working-class things that we need.”
[1] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews
Gabe Vasquez
Voted against the 2025 reconciliation law, which added Medicaid work requirements and SNAP changes, and for a three-year extension of enhanced ACA premium tax credits (Jan. 2026).
[1] Roll call 190 (2025): H.R. 1 final passage[2] Roll call 11 (2026): H.R. 1834, ACA tax credit extension[3] Public Law 119-21 text (2025 reconciliation law)
Voting record
Life of the UnbornAbortion, IVF, assisted suicide›
Pope Leo XIVAbortion “cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life.”Address to the Diplomatic Corps, Jan. 9, 2026
Greg Cunningham
No public position found.
Gabe Vasquez
Says he will “oppose any attempt” to ban access to abortion or birth control; voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (2025) and the 2026 pregnancy-center funding bill.
[1] Vasquez campaign: Issues[2] Roll call 27 (2025): Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act[3] Roll call 37 (2026): H.R. 6945, pregnancy centers
Voting record
The Death PenaltyCapital punishment›
Pope Leo XIVSomeone who opposes abortion but favors the death penalty “is not really pro-life.”AP via PBS NewsHour, Sept. 30, 2025
Greg Cunningham
No public position found.
Gabe Vasquez
No public position found.
Immigrants & RefugeesDeportations, enforcement, asylum, citizenship›
Pope Leo XIV“Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants.”Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the United States, June 25, 2026
Greg Cunningham
Says people who enter illegally and commit crimes must be identified and prosecuted; opposes New Mexico’s effort to ban ICE detention contracts, citing Otero County’s support for its facility.
[1] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews
Gabe Vasquez
Supports border security, deporting violent criminals, protecting Dreamers and a path to legal status; backed a state ban on ICE detention contracts. Voted against the Laken Riley Act (2025).
[1] Source NM: CD2 candidate interviews[2] Vasquez campaign: Issues[3] Roll call 23 (2025): Laken Riley Act
Voting record
Religious Liberty & EducationConscience, school choice, Catholic schools and charities›
Pope Leo XIVReligious freedom is “the right of every person to worship according to conscience.”Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the United States, June 25, 2026
Greg Cunningham
No public position found.
Gabe Vasquez
Voted against the 2025 reconciliation law, which created a federal tax credit for donations to K–12 scholarship-granting organizations.
[1] Roll call 190 (2025): H.R. 1 final passage[2] Public Law 119-21 text (2025 reconciliation law)
Voting record
Care for CreationClimate, energy, environment›
Pope Leo XIV“We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, while despising his creatures.”AP, Oct. 1, 2025
Greg Cunningham
No public position found.
Gabe Vasquez
Voted against repealing Inflation Reduction Act home-electrification rebates (2026) and for overturning California’s Advanced Clean Cars II waiver (2025).
[1] Roll call 78 (2026): Homeowner Energy Freedom Act[2] Roll call 114 (2025): disapproval of California clean-car waiver
Voting record
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