Xochitl Torres Small (D-02)

Xochitl Torres Small represents New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, the largest non-at-large district in the entire country and even larger than the entire state of Florida.  It stretches from the Gila Wilderness in the west to the Permian Basin in the east, and from the southern tip of Bernalillo County to our nation's southern border in the Boot Heel.

Xochitl grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico the daughter of a school teacher and a social worker who later became a bus driver. After graduating from college in just three years to minimize her student debt, she returned home committed to serving the community she loves and the people who have given her and her family so much.

Her career began in the office of U.S. Senator Tom Udall.  As his first field representative in southern New Mexico, Xochitl was responsible for ensuring local communities’ visions and concerns were heard and addressed in Washington.  She worked on issues with local stakeholders ranging from rural broadband and health care access to economic development and border security.  One issue that she was particularly drawn to was water, the lifeblood of southern New Mexico.  While working as a field representative, she helped plan Sen. Udall’s first statewide water conference and brought stakeholders together to find the best ways to use and conserve this vital resource.

Inspired by her work on water, Xochitl went to law school at the University of New Mexico where she concentrated on water and natural resources law.  After graduating, she worked for US District Court Judge Robert C. Brack, who hears thousands of cases per year related to our southern border.  She saw firsthand there the challenges facing our border, and more importantly, the need to address immigration, border security, and economic development in tandem.  Most recently, she was an attorney focused on water and natural resources issues. In addition to her legal work, Xochitl served on the board of a local co-op and provided pro bono counsel at a homeless shelter.

Now in Congress, she is committed to tackling the unique issues facing rural communities like those in southern New Mexico including health care accessibility, infrastructure development, and job growth.  Most importantly though, she is committed to bringing the voices of those who live and work in New Mexico to Washington.

Xochitl lives in Las Cruces, in the home she grew up in with her husband, Nathan, and dogs, Chula, Beso, and Gozar.