Sen. Jim Townsend
District 34

Thankfully, we have passed the halfway point. When I came to Santa Fe this year, I thought the message that I was hearing from my constituents and others across the state was clear; (1) fix the medical malpractice issue and stop the bleed of the doctors leaving our State, (2) stop the crime epidemic and the catch and release problem that all of our law enforcement enforcement agencies keep begging us to do. (3) support small businesses and creat jobs and opportunities. (4) try to stop the partisan politics, like we see in Washington and address the needs of the people. So, with hat in hand, that was exactly my plan but the progressive forces were out trying to raise taxes, impose devastating regulatory burdens on businesses and the overwhelming push was to Trump-proof New Mexico in any way they could regardless of the loss of jobs and harm it caused to New Mexicans.

Immediately after arriving it was clear my job had turned to defending my constituents much more than anything else. The House quickly introduced and subsequently passed HB9, named the Immigrant Safety Act. This Bill was not at all about protecting immigrants because it through them into an unknown abyss. Near Chaparral, New Mexico which is in my District. Otero County had built a facility years ago with approved Bond money and leased the facility to a company MTC, Management and Training Corporation, who runs an Immigration Facility there. The facility has a superior rating, based on inspections and processes they use processing 4 immigration courts processing immigrants. I have been through the facility and was impressed. When I was there immigrants from 93 countries. The facility employees about 300 people and the average time an immigrant is in the facility is about 14 days. From there they are either released into the United States, deported or if they known to be criminals incarcerated, processed, and deported. There are three similar facilities in New Mexico, one in Otero County, one in Cibola County and one in Torrance County, together these facilities employee about 1000 people and pay millions of dollars in taxes. HB 9 attempts to kill those facilities at the cost of those jobs and with absolutely no protection to where the immigrants will be detained or how they might be treated. So, the idea that it was a Bill providing protection to immigrants is a complete farce, it does no such thing. It was an anti-Trump Bill at the cost of 1000 jobs in New Mexico and the loss of tens of millions in taxes to our State. The Bill, introduced by three Albuquerque legislators and two from Las Cruces. Not one was from either of the counties affected. Unfortunately, the Governor has signed this Bill, and I am sure this will wind up in court and hopefully overturned.

But the trouble did not stop there, SB 17 began fast tracking through the Legislature. This Bill was titled “Relating to Firearms; Enacting the Stop the Illegal Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act. It will prevent a law-abiding citizen from buying many commonly used and coveted firearms in New Mexico. It is a direct attack on our Second amendment rights. It did not do one thing removing any weapon from any criminal. It will prohibit a law-abiding citizen from buying many weapons for hunting and protecting themselves in the future. It does not make it illegal for you to own or have, you or the criminal, you just cannot BUY it in New Mexico. So, this bill kills jobs, ends employment opportunities, and reduces taxes. It restricts and harms the law-abiding citizen while doing absolutely nothing to reduce crime. It does not make having the weapon a crime, it only restricts the ability of gun stores in New Mexico. Senator Cervantes, the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, was a sponsor on the HB 9 Biill mentioned earlier and he supported this SB17 Bill in committee, where he could have helped us kill the Bill, but when it got to the Senate floor he voted against it. IT passed 21/17 with three democrats voting with the republicans with four senate members absent.

But the worst Bill of the Legislature is before us, SB 18 The Clear Horizons Act sponsored by Senator Mimi Stewart. It is opposed by all significant businesses and business associations across New Mexico yet supported by the clan of progressive democrats in the Legislature and unless the people speak up it too will become law. This Bill is an integral part of the Green New Deal that has plagued America. Electricity cost are up 50-70% in New Mexico since the Energy Transition Act passed in 2019. The projected impact of SB18 will raise electricity prices another 50%. It forces utilities to retire low-cost, dispatchable generation sources and drives utilities away from natural gas. It does not just affect utilities it affects every business in New Mexico driving up their costs which will be felt by everyone of us at every store in New Mexico. It will have a disproportionate effect on low-income families. It will reduce New Mexico’s competitiveness in all respects. It will shrink the tax base that funds education, healthcare, and infrastructure. This is the worst Bill before the legislature. The only people I have met supporting SB18 are the special interest groups, the radical environmental groups, and the progressive democrats and of course the folks selling solar panels and wind turbines which pay no taxes to speak of. New Mexico has never had a weaker electrical grid as we do now. We have industries that have waited two years for power in southeast New Mexico. We have had more brownout and blackout conditions than ever before. These part time power sources are inconsistent and expensive raising the cost of living across our State. We are better than this and should expect more.

When people say that their vote does not count and they are way too busy to vote, this is the cost, poor governance, and a lower standard of living.

Sen. Jim Townsend represents District 34, which covers portions of Eddy and Otero counties.

Jose Garcia

After eight years of Michelle Lujan Grisham’s governorship, New Mexicans are aware of the bleak reality: the state still ranks last or near last in many categories of well-being. Lujan Grisham’s signature policy issue, children’s well-being, so far looks like a failure. Scandals involving abuse of children surfaced in the Children, Youth and Families Department under her watch. CYFD received a “not meeting critical performance expectations” grade in the Legislative Finance Committee report card last year, a scathing commentary about a top initiative that gobbled up gigantic sums of taxpayer dollars. In education, highway maintenance and health care, similarly strong evidence exists of poor performance during her watch. These failures would normally make 2026 a year in which a Republican candidate for governor, even in a solidly Democratic state, should have a strong opening.

There is precedent for this in recent New Mexico history. After eight years of Democrat Bill Richardson, for example, voters, including myself, turned to Republican Susana Martinez in 2010. In 1994, after four years of Bruce King, voters elected Republican Gary Johnson to be governor. In 1986, after four years of Toney Anaya, Republican Garrey Carruthers was elected governor. This despite New Mexico being a solidly Democratic state. Voters tire of the jargon, habits, failures and pretensions of the majority party and give the other side a fair crack at it.

But this year, the advantages Republican gubernatorial candidates might enjoy from this voter fatigue disappear because of what we might call the 2026 Trump effect.

Two features of the Trump administration limit the potential success of a Republican candidacy for governor this year. First, the sweeping lawlessness and deliberate cruelty of the masked paramilitaries in Minneapolis and Chicago have forced the political class in New Mexico to imagine what might happen should the Trump administration decide to Minneapolize Albuquerque. In Chicago, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, working with the mayor, local law enforcement and protesters, helped to limit the scope and duration of the attack on that city. What would it be like with a Republican governor in New Mexico should Trump decide to send in the ICE men? My guess is that the political class in the state, unhappy as it may be with Democrats, will opt for the reassuring familiarity, however imperfect, of the Democratic candidate for governor.

Second, there is the question about elections. Statements and actions within and around the Trump administration – taking 2020 ballots in Georgia, Steve Bannon’s call for ICE to surround voting places this November, strong hints from the president himself, etc. — have forced voters to imagine what might happen with a Republican governor in New Mexico should the Trump administration interfere in the electoral process in 2028. My guess is that Democrats otherwise open to a change of governors will circle the wagons and opt to stick with the familiar, as a hedge against this not so far-fetched risk.

Donald Trump has become the 800-pound gorilla in this year’s election cycle. And it isn’t confined to the governor’s race. The 2nd Congressional District, miserably gerrymandered, provides a potential opening for a strong Republican candidate for that seat. But it takes a willingness of many Democrats to cross over, and it seems difficult this year to imagine this happening given Trump’s poor performance in polls, and other polls showing Democrats have a strong chance of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The same logic applies to state House elections this year. If you are unhappy with your Democratic legislator, will you vote for a Republican, given that it might change the composition and power of the state Republican Party at a time when Trump seems to find ways to enlist local Republicans for his projects, such as Project 2025? Local and national politics under Trump have become intertwined.

The Republican Party in New Mexico since 2010 has been poorly organized, strategically challenged, and its relevance diminished. It wasn’t always this way; previously, the GOP was a vibrant element in the governance of the state. But this year, thankfully, the Trump effect will pressure Republicans in New Mexico to define themselves to voters as the electoral cycle unfolds. And, like it or not, elections this year in New Mexico are not just about the direction of state government. They are also about the future of constitutional rule in the United States. They are relevant to the future direction of the nation at large. And they will help shape the kind of country we will be. All of this assumes the questionable notion the elections in 2026 will be free and fair.

There is still a long road ahead in this election year, and a lot can happen in the next few months. This is just an early take. New Mexicans would be wise to keep imagining possibilities.

Dr. Jose Z. Garcia is a former New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education, retired University PhD professor of political science, is active in state politics and a columnist for El Rito Media. He lives in Las Cruces and also frequently spends time in Santa Fe where he maintains a residence.

City of Artesia

Election season is officially underway in Artesia. Candidates have filed their paperwork, lawn signs have gone up, and ads are all over the radio. This election will mark a big change for our city, as voters will decide on five council seats and a new mayor.

While local elections may not seem as glamorous as voting for President, they’re still important. Often times, decisions made by our city council can have more of an impact on your day-to-day life than decisions made in Washington, D.C. Recent impactful decisions from our council include the approval of money for housing incentives and new developments, the change to flag football for 5th and 6th graders, the acquisition of the Landsun Theater, and approval of maintenance work for our roads and waterlines.

Beyond voting for the mayor, all four districts will vote on a four-year council seat. District 4 will also vote on a two-year council seat in addition to their four-year council seat. The races for mayor, and the four-year seats for districts 2, 3 and 4 are all contested.

To find out more about each candidate, you can attend the Artesia Chamber of Commerce’s Mayoral Town Hall on Feb. 19. This will be a moderated question-and-answer period with the two candidates for mayor. There will be an afternoon session at noon at the country club, and another that same day at 5:30 p.m. at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center. City council candidates will also be at these events so you can go up and speak directly to the candidates running in your district.

According to data from the Eddy County Clerk’s office, 1,512 votes were cast in our 2022 Mayoral election. This compared to our 7,489 eligible voters means that only 20% of eligible voters participated. We would love to see a higher turnout percentage in this election. We want everyone to feel represented in this process, instead of having these decisions made by only one-fifth of our registered voters.

Election Day is March 3. Polling locations on election day will be the Senior Center at 202 W Chisum, and Faith Baptist Church at 401 S 20th St. If you can’t make it to the polls on March 3, you can take advantage of early voting which is happening now. Early voting began Feb. 3 and will go until Feb. 28. While there are multiple polling locations for election day, early voting will only take place at city hall. City hall is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. We will have Saturday voting available only on Feb. 28.

Local elections matter. Big things are happening in Artesia, and we want everyone to have a say in what happens in our community. Don’t sit on the sidelines and let others make these decisions for you. No matter who you intend to vote for, we encourage everyone to get out and vote in this upcoming election.