A House Democrat’s dirty eating habits could jeopardize the Democrats’ narrow path to the majority in 2026.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D., N.M.) recently posted about fishing from the Anacostia River in D.C., a body of water so polluted that D.C. health authorities “advise[] the general public to limit consumption of fish from all DC waters.”
While posing with his catch, Vasquez suggested that he prefers to regularly eat dirty fish as opposed to “fancy dinners.” That may be ill-advised, according to the D.C. health authorities.
“The Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) has recently completed a tissue study of fish caught in DC waters,” the DOEE recently noted. “Results of the study indicate that persons who eat fish caught in the District of Columbia’s Potomac and Anacostia Rivers need to consider eating less of those fish.”
Further complicating matters for Vasquez is that he may not have a valid license to fish in D.C. at all. Vasquez did not respond to the Washington Reporter’s inquiry about whether he possesses a fishing license, which is required.
Even if eating contaminated catfish proves fine for Vasquez, he will still have to contend with being one of the Republicans’ top targets in 2026, and Republicans are likely eager to relitigate other fishy parts of his background.
Vasquez, for example, had a series of altercations with law enforcement; police records show that he once threatened to “kill” and “bury” his fellow student at New Mexico State University.
When Vasquez was a city councilor, he appeared at an anti-law enforcement rally where he told a local news affiliate that “we need serious police reform in this country. It’s not just about defunding the police. It’s about defunding a system that privileges white people over everybody else.”
Vasquez was wearing a mask, and he appeared under a chyron with someone else’s name, prompting outlets like the Washington Free Beacon to note that Vasquez “us[ed] a fake name to trash cops.”