When Ben Ray was first elected to the Public Regulation Commission in 2004, some of us who did not know him well thought he just got elected because his father was Speaker of the House. Boy, were we wrong! Ben Ray immediately distinguished himself for his hard work, political skill, and concern for doing the right thing for the people of New Mexico.

These are traits that continue to this day. Ben Ray rose to be Assistant Speaker of the House of Representative, and in that position, he is the highest ranking co-sponsor of the Green New Deal. He has also championed the Clean Energy Standard Act, which would put the United States on a path toward net-zero emissions by the 2050’s.  Among his many actions to protect our public lands, he introduced the Antiquities Act to protect our national monuments from attack by the Trump administration, and he secured a one-year moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the greater Chaco Cultural Heritage Area to protect that sacred land from desecration.

Rep. Luján is giving up his House seat this year to run for the Senate seat of retiring Senator Tom Udall.  He deserves our support!

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It was a matter of great pride when we in the central part of the state elected one of the first Native American women to Congress. And Deb has done us proud. Deb has emerged as a leading voice on the urgent need to address the climate crisis.  She has pledged to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and to vote against all new fossil fuel infrastructure. Deb knows that we need to address climate to blunt the effect of climate on drought here in New Mexico and on other kinds of extreme weather events around the nation.

As a Native person, she understands that the fight for climate justice is also the fight for indigenous rights, and she is a fierce fighter for tribal nations in New Mexico and around the country.

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It’s pretty clear when you meet Xochitl Torres Small that she is a special candidate: She is deeply knowledgeable about a wide range of issues, she is energetic, she listens to everyone, but most of all, it’s clear that she truly cares about people.

The daughter of a teacher and a social worker, Torres Small grew up in Las Cruces, where she lives now. She worked her way through college and graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in just three years. Growing up in the desert, Torres Small knows that our future depends on protecting our drinking water. She emphasizes the importance of working together to find community-driven solutions.

Xochitl narrowly won her race in 2018 in this traditionally conservative district, and she is widely considered be one of the most endangered Democratic legislators in the House, if not the most endangered representative. It’s critical that all of our members and supporters in District 2 get out and vote for Xochitl!

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From attending Head Start as a little girl in Las Vegas, N.M., to her outstanding professional and educational achievements, Leger Fernandez understands the challenges and opportunities of her district. Growing up as one of eight siblings, she exemplifies the best of Northern New Mexico — rooted in the land that nourishes us, but dreaming of and achieving victories for poor and underserved communities, including pueblos. Leger Fernandez’s long history of community involvement spans such diverse issues as voting rights, housing, immigration, women’s issues and environmental matters. She was a commissioner of Las Acequias de Chupadero.

I first met Teresa at an anti-Trump rally very early in her campaign.  Dressed in a pair of jeans like the rest of us, Teresa was holding a big, homemade sign about the need to address climate change!  She made the trip to Albuquerque not so much to advance her own campaign, but to protest and express her own values, and prominent among those values was saving our planet.  Teresa is committed to the Green New Deal.

Teresa is running for the northern New Mexico seat being vacated by Ben Ray Luján. She deserves our support.

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