Democrat's mysterious tangled love life: Fake wedding photos… a new fiancée 'cover up'... and couple's eyebrow-raising timeline

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 20:46, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 20:46, 18 June 2026 Gabe Vasquez, a second-term New Mexico congressman, has tried to keep his personal life away from prying eyes in the nation's capital. Now the Daily Mail can reveal that what appeared to be a splashy wedding never actually resulted in a legal marriage, and that Vasquez is now engaged to another woman who has deep ties to Democratic political circles. His current fiancée, Nikki Santos, is a divorced Biden-era political appointee who previously worked at the Center for Native American Youth, a project of the Aspen Institute.  His campaign confirmed he is in a 'loving, committed relationship with his partner and fiancée.' When Vasquez served on a local city council in 2017, he listed a different woman - Maria Fatima Batres, a teacher - as his fiancée on official paperwork. In September 2018, the pair held a lavish ceremony at the Akiin Beach Tulum Weddings venue in Mexico, where events cost between $30,000 and $90,000.  Friends and family attended and shared photos on social media under the hashtag #OnCloudVasquez - but it was not long before the pair separated. Despite pictures of the seemingly happy couple dressed in a suit and white dress still being up online, including one of them holding up what appears to be a marriage license, no legal records of marriage or divorce between the two exist. Congressman Gabriel (Gabe) Vasquez, a Democrat who has represented New Mexico's 2nd congressional district since 2023 Though a photo of Vasquez and Maria Fatima Batres documents a wedding in September of 2018, the Daily Mail was told they were not in fact married Vasquez listed Batres as his fiancée on an emergency contact form in 2017 shortly after his election to the Las Cruces City Council Politicians in both parties often make their family life a central part of their image, both on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill.  For elected officials, keeping your private life under wraps creates mystery, and often a ripe environment for rumors to permeate, although being open about your family life doesn't necessarily stop whispers either. Especially when it looks like you celebrated nuptials.   A campaign spokesperson for Vasquez told the Daily Mail that despite the pomp and circumstance on that day, 'the two participated in a private commitment ceremony but were never legally married and eventually separated.' Vasquez's mother, Hortencia Banuelos, shared photographs with her son - including Batres alongside other family members - from holiday gatherings in December 2018 and December 2019.  But by Christmas Eve 2020, Batres was absent from a photograph Banuelos posted of herself and her son with their dog, tagged '#NewLife.'  This photo captures Vasquez holding up what appears to be a marriage certificate on the day of his Tulum wedding to Batres A December 2018 holiday post by Banuelos which includes Vasquez and Batres, which she captioned #sonandwife A picture from Vasquez's mother, Banuelos, featuring Gabe and Batres in Juarez on Christmas in December 2019, indicating they were still together  A photograph Banuelos posted of herself and her son with their dog, tagged '#NewLife' on Christmas Eve of 2020, with no mention of Batres Santos appeared on Vasquez's 2023 FEC report, reimbursed for a rental car, and features in Federal Election Commission records linked to a $300 campaign dinner in Washington. By Thanksgiving 2021, she had already appeared alongside Vasquez in a family Instagram post captioned 'Time well spent with family.' The timeline is significant. In divorce proceedings, Santos claimed she and ex-husband Joshua Pitre separated on December 22, 2021 - a date Pitre disputed, placing their separation on January 2, 2022.  A divorce judgment was filed in November 2022, with both parties ultimately agreeing on the later date. Santos and Pitre married in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana in December 2014 and have a daughter born in March 2017. On January 2, 2023, exactly one year after the agreed separation date, Banuelos posted a photograph of a dinner party at Circa in DC's Navy Yard, Santos among the guests, held ahead of Vasquez's swearing-in as a freshman congressman. Nikki Santos, in an image posted to her LinkedIn page A photograph of Santos posted on her last day in the Biden-Harris administration as a political appointee. Santos is seen with Vasquez, former President Joe Biden, former First Lady Jill Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff  The circumstances of Santos's departure from the Aspen Institute, where Vasquez was a fellow in 2022, remain unclear.  Native American news site Indianz.Com reported that Santos took roughly three months' leave from the Center for Native American Youth and the Aspen Institute between June and September 2024, against a standard three-week annual entitlement.  One source said at the time: 'It sounds like Aspen is trying to cover something up.' Santos herself said she believed 'it was my time' to 'step aside to allow the next leader to carry the work further.' Vasquez is seeking re-election in November.  His New Mexico 2nd congressional district seat is rated Leaning Democratic by the Cook Political Report. No comments have so far been submitted. 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