Teague grew up in an impoverished family of sharecroppers and lived the first nine years of his life in rural central Oklahoma without running water. His family moved to Hobbs, New Mexico when he was nine years old. He attended Hobbs High School but dropped out at the age of 17 to work in the oil fields to support his sick parents.[1][2] He is married to Nancy Teague and has two children and five grandchildren. Teague is a small business owner of a company that now employs 250 people and is a member of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association.[3]
Early political career
Teague was elected as a Democrat to the Republican-controlled Lea County Board of Commissioners. He served on the Board for eight years, and was elected chairman by his fellow Board members for three and a half of those years.[4]
In 2008, Republican incumbent Steve Pearce of the 2nd congressional district declined to run for re-election, instead unsuccessfully seeking the U.S. Senate seat left open by the retirement of Pete Domenici. Teague ran for the Democratic nomination against Bill McCamley, winning with 52 percent of the primary vote. The winner of the five-way Republican primary was Edward R. Tinsley, a Capitanrancher and the owner of the K-Bob's Steakhouse restaurant chain.
Although the 2nd has historically been the most conservative district in New Mexico, polls showed the race to be very competitive. Ultimately, Teague won in the general election with 56 percent of the vote to Tinsley's 44 percent. He received strong support from the western side of the district, as well as from its large Latino population. Teague and the Democratic Party outspent Tinsley and the Republican Party by over $3 million in the 2008 campaign.
His victory returned the 2nd to the Democrats for the first time in 28 years.
November 2, 2010, Teague lost the midterm election to former Republican congressman and business owner Steve Pearce, with Teague receiving 45% of the vote, and Pearce receiving 55%.[5]
On January 28, 2009, the House agreed to an amendment, proposed by Teague, to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The amendment requires the Recovery.gov website to have links to job information at public agencies receiving funding under the bill and at private firms contracted to perform work under the bill. Later that day, the House voted, 244-188, to pass the Act.[6]
Teague was one of 39 Democrats in the House to vote against the Affordable Healthcare for America Act and he also voted against the reconciled bill from the Senate language on March 21, 2010.[7]
In June 2009, Teague voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.[8] At a meeting that occurred following the vote, a group of Tea Party activists disrupted the meeting because they were upset that Teague was meeting with constituents on a one-on-one basis, and to express their frustration with the vote.[9][10] A 2009 Pew Environment Group poll had found that 69% of voters in New Mexico's 2nd district would support an energy bill that mandated electric utilities to generate 20% of their electricity from renewable sources and reduce carbon emissions.[11]
In 2020, Teague endorsed Republican Yvette Herrell in the congressional race for his former seat, over Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small.[12] Herrell ultimately defeated Torres Small in the general election.
