House Democrats stretched their narrow majority to 220-211 after New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury strolled to victory in Tuesday’s special election to represent the state’s 1st Congressional District. The seat has been vacant since March, when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland left to join the Biden administration. According to the Associated Press, 42-year-old scientist Stansbury blew away Republican rival state Sen. Mark Moores by more than 30,000 votes. The Albuquerque-based seat has been held by the Dems since 2009, and Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump by 23 percentage points there last November. Celebrating her win, Stansbury said: “When the moment demands it, when our families and our communities demand it, when our country demands it, we step up and find the solutions for communities and we figure it out... That’s exactly what we did in this campaign and that is why I am standing before you tonight.”
