2020 New Mexico Primary: State House Endorsements

By Richard Barish, Rio Grande Chapter Political chair

Endorsements are listed only for candidates in contested primary races in June. Candidates who do not have a primary opponent are not listed. We’ll have our full slate of endorsements in the fall Sierran.

Please support these candidates. The safest way to vote is by mail, but you must request a ballot. A request form will be mailed to you by the Secretary of State, but you can also request a mail ballot (also called an absentee ballot, but available to all New Mexico primary voters) at nmvote.org.

District 13: Rep. Patricia Roybal-Caballero
For years, Rep. Roybal-Caballero has championed legislation to make solar energy affordable and accessible to everyone. She perseveres to see progressive legislation through to the finish line. Her record shows a commitment to standing up for New Mexicans’ health and resources.

District 14: Rep. Miguel Garcia
Rep. Garcia, who has been representing Bernalillo County in the Legislature since 1997, has an exemplary voting score of 96 percent from Conservation Voters New Mexico. He is consistently supportive of climate and justice issues.

District 17: Rep. Debbie Armstrong
Rep. Armstrong chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee and believes that a healthy environment is key to a healthy state. She is a longtime health-care advocate serving her third term in the state House and has worked for 10 years with Presbyterian Medical Services in Santa Fe. Prior to serving as Secretary of New Mexico’s Aging and Long-Terms Services Department, she oversaw the department’s Consumer and Elder Rights Division.

District 27: Rep. Marian Matthews
Rep. Matthews proudly voted for legislation important to the climate and wildlife in her first legislative session this year, re-establishing the residential solar tax credit and enacting the Energy Grid Modernization Roadmap. As a legislator she’ll fight to ensure that state government responds effectively to climate change.

District 40: Roger Montoya
Roger Montoya was named a CNN Hero in 2019 for his role in co-founding Moving Arts Española. “I share our rural and Native communities’ deep connection to what’s most important ­— our land and water,” Montoya told us. He showed a strong commitment to stewarding our resources for future generations.

District 42: Kristina Ortez
Ortez has been a conservation advocate for nearly 17 years, starting as a wilderness advocate for the California Wild Heritage Campaign and then working in New Mexico for the Sierra Club to expand outdoor recreational and learning opportunities for children and youth, with a focus on communities of color. She serves now as Taos Land Trust executive director.

District 45: Linda Serrato
Serrato worked on natural resources for U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján. Her campaign refuses fossil-fuel funding, and Serrato believes we must diversify our state’s revenue, defend our land, air, and water and end the false choice between a good education and a sustainable future for our working families.

District 50: Rep. Matthew McQueen
For Rep. McQueen, conservation has been a lifelong organizing principle. He is a standard-bearer for health, climate and air and water protections in the state House. As an attorney, he frequently represents nonprofits (his legal specialty is conservation easements), and he chairs the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee.

District 65: Rep. Derrick Lente
Rep. Lente, serving Sandoval, Rio Arriba and San Juan counties, is a staunch advocate for his constituents and for conservation. He listens to everyone and governs in a thoughtful, civil manner. He has been a strong ally in the community effort to protect Greater Chaco families and resources from the damages of oil and gas fracking.

District 70: Anita Gonzales
Gonzales is running for the San Miguel County-area seat vacated when Rep. Tomas Salazar retired. An acequia commissioner, Gonzales values community and culture and promises to preserve our lands and resources. She supported the Energy Transition Act, emphasizing that the law help address the impact our needed energy transition has on communities.