Yvette Herrell (R), incumbent candidate for the U.S. House seat in New Mexico's District 2, criticized her opponent, Gabe Vasquez (D), for deleting certain tweets.
Vasquez deleted tweets in which he supported the Green New Deal and opposed the fossil fuel industry, according to CNNPolitics. He also deleted tweets that called America under President Donald Trump's administration "AmeriKKKa" in reference to the Ku Klux Klan and called out people of color who do not "think like us." Vasquez has since contradicted the comments made in his deleted tweets.
"The more we learn about Gabe Vasquez's true beliefs, the worse it gets," Herrell said on Twitter. She attached the CNNPolitics article on Vasquez to her post.
Vasquez is "running as a moderate," CNNPolitics reported. The candidate in a November 2020 tweet called the fossil fuel industry "extremely toxic" and expressed his opposition to fracking. The deleted tweet read: "To my fellow Dems, let's avoid playing to the R's talking points and playing on their field! It's OK to oppose fracking, OK to support the Green New Deal, OK to support Medicare for all, OK to talk about progressive immigration reform, OK to stand for what you believe. #StayStrong"
Another deleted tweet from Vasquez read: "Investing in oil and gas is irresponsible." He added a link to an opinion/editorial piece that called the industry "moribund."
CNNPolitics reported that New Mexico's 2nd congressional district, where Vasquez is running, is one of the top sources for the fossil fuel industry, as it is home to part of the Permian Basin.
"I think the oil and gas industry is incredibly important to New Mexico," Vasquez told the Carlsbad Current-Argus since deleting the tweets, according to CNNPolitics.
Vasquez seemed to support the so-called defund the police movement in 2020, CNNPolitics reported. He supposedly said, "It's not just about defunding police, it's about defunding a system that privileges white people over everyone else," in an interview where he wore a mask and did not give his name.
Vasquez also deleted a tweet from May 2020 that CNNPolitics said suggested he supported the riots that occurred after George Floyd's murder: "The tip of the spear of a white supremacist system ends in state-sanctioned, cold-blooded murder of Black individuals. There is so much to undo, to unravel this system and shift power structures to fundamentally change this country. That's why the cars and buildings are burning."
"I have been clear all along: I do not believe defunding the police is a path toward a fair criminal justice system," Vasquez told CNN since deleting that tweet.
Another deleted tweet read: "The pardoning of white, wealthy men who should be in prison is a damning reflection of how justice is served in this country. The white and privileged escape justice, while the poor, black, Indigenous, and people of color are disproportionately targeted, sentenced, and jailed. #AmeriKKKa"
A similar, now-deleted tweet read: "Pendejos. MAGA racists defrauded, Trump's army of con men will likely get pardoned, miles of private border wall will fall from erosion, and racial tensions will continue to escalate. No one will take responsibility. Trump's AmeriKKKa. What a disgusting mess."
Vasquez deleted a tweet that blamed the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on white nationalism, according to CNNPolitics. It read: "We're seeing the monster that is white nationalism physically manifesting on the steps of the nation's capitol [sic]. It has always been there, but it's been hidden in legislation, in congressional offices, and in courtrooms. We've always known it's there. Today we see its many faces."
Another deleted tweet read: "It's not just about electing POC to elected positions, it’s about electing POC that think like us. There's plenty of vendidos out there clamoring to be part of the white establishment." Vasquez was referring to "people of color" who are vendidos, meaning "sell-outs," CNNPolitics reported.
The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) posted an article regarding the deleted tweets highlighted by CNNPolitics.
"Gabe Vasquez is an extremist who would be an absolute nightmare for New Mexico families in Congress," Cally Perkins, press secretary for CLF, said. "Vasquez is trying to pull the wool over voters' eyes, but his radical record speaks for itself."