New Mexico voters are on the verge of making history during this year's election following the possibility of sending an all-female, all-colored U.S. House delegation to Congress

According to multiple reports, women are seeking nominations in all six of New Mexico's primary races for the seats in Congress. There is at least one Latin or Native American candidate running in each of the three races. 

The primary contests were said to be one of the most diverse political campaigns in the United States. The candidates also include women who have been among the largest fundraisers in the races. 

Women's Party

In 2013, New Hampshire achieved a national milestone after sending a Congressional delegation composed of all-female members. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, the delegation included Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte as well as Representatives Ann McLane Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter. 

In 2017, Delaware's Democratic Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester helped the state gain an all-female of color House delegation. Rochester is a member of the black community. 

New Mexico could follow suit this year should it elect a delegation where the members are all women or women of color. If it happens, the delegation would be the largest all-women or all-colored women delegation in the country's history.

Jean Sinzdak, associate director of Rutgers University's political unit, claims the record number of women running for a seat is unusual and exciting. 

Who's Running?

In the state's 3rd Congressional Democratic Primary, a lawyer who was trained at Stanford University named Teresa Leger Fernandez is among those hoping to represent the northern region. She will be joined by former CIA operative Valerie Plame. Both candidates hail from traditional Hispanic and Coastal Liberal pasts. 

Navajo Nation member and businesswoman Karen Bedonie is set to run for the Republican side. She has been campaigning for the GOP nomination while observing isolation. Her campaign features her in traditional Navajo garb and as a mother of eight. 

Democratic Representative Deb Haaland currently holds the state's 1st Congressional District. She made history when she became one of the nation's first Native American congresswoman. 

Hispanic and Republican retired law enforcement officer Michelle Garcia Holmes is set to challenge Haaland for the seat representing Alburquerque.

In the 2nd Congressional District, oil exec Clair Chase will be competing against former lawmaker Yvette Herrel. Chase is the first female chair of the state's oil association, while Herrel is a member of the Cherokee Nation. Both candidates aim to unseat Democrat Xochitl Torres Small, known as the granddaughter of Mexican migrants. 

2020 U.S. Elections 

According to the Center for American Women and Politics, more than 490 women have filed as electoral candidates for seats in Congress this year. The number surpasses 2018's record-breaking midterm elections where 476 women ran for House seats. 

The number is expected to grow as many states have yet to pass filing deadlines. 

Local elections are also seeing more female candidates. In 2019, votes in Tucson, Arizona, elected Regina Romero as the city's first Latina mayor.

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