Gabe Vasquez Faces Fresh Attacks Over 2020 Defund Police Remarks and 2026 House Vote
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 23
Gabe Vasquez Faces Fresh Attacks Over 2020 Defund Police Remarks and 2026 House Vote
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 23
Vasquez, a vulnerable New Mexico Democrat, is under renewed fire after 2020 comments urging police to be “deconstructed” and “defunded” resurfaced alongside his recent vote against a House pro-law-enforcement resolution.
The criticism cuts against his latest public stance: this week he wrote that officers “deserve thanks, support and funding” and highlighted $1.8 million he says he secured for local departments.
That funding included $250,000 for the Carlsbad Police Department, $1.06 million for Albuquerque’s Real Time Crime Center and $500,000 for Bernalillo County sheriff technology and training upgrades.
Republicans are using the contrast to target NM-02, a swing district seen as critical in a narrowly divided House, with GOP candidate Greg Cunningham casting Vasquez as anti-police despite his recent outreach.
Democrats argued the Police Week resolution was partisan because it also condemned sanctuary policies and praised Trump-era law-and-order policies, framing Vasquez’s vote as opposition to the measure’s politics rather than to police.
When a politician’s words and actions on policing conflict, which should voters weigh more heavily?
Is funding police technology a new form of reform or a retreat from deeper systemic change?