New Mexico Republicans blame Trump's election lies for low GOP turnout in special election

Republicans went down in flames during the New Mexico special election to replace Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

The GOP in New Mexico is pledging to win the seat back after state Sen. Mark Moores lost. "There were a number of reasons why Moores lost," the statement read. "Low voter turnout was a big factor. Republican voters were angry from 2020—many questioned election integrity—and stayed home."

Republican Party of New Mexico blames Republican voters questioning election integrity for low turnout in #nm01 in… https://t.co/sl9l3V8VkW

— Matthew Reichbach (@fbihop) 1622741295.0

Ironically, the excuses from the New Mexico Republicans don't exactly add up, according to Washington Post reporter Dave Wagel.

He compared Republican Mark Moores's GOP turnout with the special election for the Texas 6th Congressional District where so few Republicans turned out for the primary election it was outright embarrassing. "THAT was a low-turnout election," said Wagel. "This was pretty normal special election turnout, comparable to the 1997 NM race that Rs famously won thanks to a Green spoiler."

Moores got nearly as many votes as every Republican combined in #TX06. THAT was a low-turnout election. This was p… https://t.co/Ro63cQUk3H

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) 1622745545.0