In a recent poll conducted by Cygnal, the race for the New Mexico attorney general has tightened with Republican Jeremy Gay polling at 41.4% of the vote against Democrat Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez at 42%.
Another 16.6% of voters were undecided. Earlier polls had showed Torrez at having a seven-point lead over Gay. Gay’s campaign attributes this jump to his statewide travels, advertising efforts and his endorsement from the New Mexico Fraternal Order of Police.
“Our campaign to restore law and order and end the violent crime wave plaguing New Mexico is clearly resonating with voters,” Gay said in a press release. “Families are sick of the inaction from politicians like District Attorney Raúl Torrez who declined to prosecute over 50% of violent felony cases. The time for talk and inaction is over. As attorney general, I will get justice for victims and I will ensure criminals are held accountable.”
The Cygnal poll was conducted from Sept. 27 to 29 and had a sample size of 400 with a margin error of ± 4.86%. Cygnal was rated as the most accurate Republican pollster in the United States by FiveThirtyEight and The New York Times.
As a United States Marine Corps officer and judge advocate, Gay would investigate and prosecute criminal offenses as well as advised and defended service members. He also managed a legal assistance office protecting current and former service members from consumer fraud and predatory lenders. He later became a special assistant United States attorney. Gay currently resides in Gallup with his family where he manages a private law firm.
Torrez has been the Bernalillo County District Attorney since 2017. Originally from Albuquerque, he was a federal prosecutor and senior advisor in former President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice and served as an assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney general and assistant district attorney.