EXCLUSIVE — The New Mexico Fraternal Order of Police slammed Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) in a letter after he used a mailer to tout its endorsement of legislation he introduced despite the organization’s endorsement of his Republican challenger.
Vasquez, who is in a tough reelection battle, recently sent out a franked mailer, which is taxpayer-funded, touting the FOP’s support of legislation he introduced. The mail included the FOP logo next to a description of the legislation, but the group promptly denounced Vasquez’s use of the logo, according to materials obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Largest police union endorses Vasquez’s bill to combat crime,” the mail reads in large letters.
The New Mexico FOP wrote back that while it backs the bill, it does not support Vasquez and instead backs his opponent, Greg Cunningham, a former Albuquerque police officer.
“Although the NMFOP supports the bill, we did not endorse Mr. Vasquez for congress nor did the NMFOP have knowledge or approve the use of the NMFOP emblem on the mailer,” the letter FOP reads.
“Mr. Vasquez has a long history of anti-law enforcement and has strongly advocated for defunding the police,” it continued. “In May of 2026, during National Police Week, Vasquez voted against a resolution expressing support for law enforcement officers.”
Vasquez continued to acclaim his legislation and his work with the police organization in response.
“Congressman Vasquez has always and will always fight to keep our communities safe from criminals and cartels,” Vasquez campaign manager Patricia Socarras Santiago told the Washington Examiner. “He was proud to work with the FOP on this bipartisan legislation to combat criminal drone use, which the FOP endorsed, and to bring home more than $7 million in public safety funding to combat violent crime, crack down on drug trafficking, and invest in local police departments.”
Public safety and crime have been hot-button issues for Vasquez since he first ran for Congress in 2022. That year, a local news interview resurfaced from after the 2020 George Floyd protests, in which Vasquez, wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask, called for defunding the police.
“We need serious police reform in this country,” Vasquez, who was serving on the Las Cruces City Council, said at the time. “It’s not just about defunding police, it’s about defunding a system that privileges white people over everyone else.”
He has since tried to move back to the center on the issue of policing, and his bill is the latest attempt. The legislation that the FOP backed aims to update drone and counter-drone technologies to help law enforcement agencies combat border cartels and track public safety threats.
“Bad actors are rapidly innovating and increasing their use of drones to chip away at our public safety and national security,” Vasquez wrote in a press release. “But we won’t let them win. I’m proud to be introducing this bill to equip our law enforcement officers with the tools and authorities they need to keep pace.”
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The New Mexico FOP still decided to back Cunningham during a June meeting.
“Mr. Cunningham is a candidate who calls for law and order across our great State of New Mexico, and at the same time, will protect our law enforcement officers,” the letter concludes. “No one knows the dangers and the difficulties faced by today’s police officers better than another law enforcement officer.”