The New Mexico onAir Hub supports New Mexicans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.
New Mexico onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy. This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts. Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites. Key content on the New Mexico Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
New Mexico students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content. As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.
The base content in each post in this New Mexico onAir Hub has been updated as of 12/20/23. In addition to the eight posts on the home page, in depth posts on each US House member and posts on New Mexico government and elections have been started. These posts have been shared with the US onAir Hub and will updated in the US onAir automatically when they are updated in this hub.
If your university or nonpartisan organization (such as a government focused research center, citizen engagement program or a League of Women Voters chapter) is interested in assisting the US onAir network to help curate new issue posts or other posts on this Hub and moderate the forums in each post, contact Ben Murphy at Ben.Murphy@onair.cc.
We are also supporting college students to start an onAir chapter on the their campus to coordinate the curation and moderation of posts especially on state and local representatives and government.
Summary
The New Mexico onAir Hub supports New Mexicans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.
New Mexico onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy. This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts. Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites. Key content on the New Mexico Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
New Mexico students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content. As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.
The base content in each post in this New Mexico onAir Hub has been updated as of 12/20/23. In addition to the eight posts on the home page, in depth posts on each US House member and posts on New Mexico government and elections have been started. These posts have been shared with the US onAir Hub and will updated in the US onAir automatically when they are updated in this hub.
If your university or nonpartisan organization (such as a government focused research center, citizen engagement program or a League of Women Voters chapter) is interested in assisting the US onAir network to help curate new issue posts or other posts on this Hub and moderate the forums in each post, contact Ben Murphy at Ben.Murphy@onair.cc.
We are also supporting college students to start an onAir chapter on the their campus to coordinate the curation and moderation of posts especially on state and local representatives and government.
About
All hub content in onAir hubs is free to the public. Hub ontent is under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license which permits content sharing and adaptation by nonprofit organizations as long as proper attribution is given to its author(s) and is used for non-commercial purposes. Content and moderation guidelines reinforce our commitment to fact-based, comprehensive content and civil and honest discourse.
To participate in aircast and post discussions, email usdemocracy@onair.cc and include your first name last name, and zipcode. Your real name and any other profile information will not be displayed unless you choose to do so. Your personal information is not shared with any other website or organization.
Hub membership will enable you to:
Participate in issue and interview aircasts (student-led livestreamed discussions);
Interact directly with post authors and curators giving them feedback, content suggestions, and asking questions;
Ask questions, make suggestions, and give endorsement to representatives
Current Position: Governor since 2019 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative from 2012 – 2018
Lujan Grisham served as the state secretary of health from 2004 to 2007 and as a Bernalillo County commissioner from 2010 to 2012. Lujan Grisham is part of the prominent Lujan political family in New Mexico, many of whose members have served in elected and appointed positions in government.
Lujan Grisham served as director of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. In 2004, Lujan Grisham was named New Mexico Secretary of Health and she served in the position until 2007.
Quotes: Our commitment to science-driven policies, our successful and efficient vaccine rollout effort, and our care for our fellow New Mexicans had real results – it saved lives. Thank you, New Mexico.
Current Position: US Senator since 2013 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative for NM-01 from 2009 – 2013 Other Positions: Vice Chair, Joint Economic Committee
After a brief stint doing mechanical drawings, Heinrich worked as an AmeriCorps fellow in New Mexico. From 1996 to 2001 Heinrich served as executive director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, a New Mexico nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people on natural science and the environment.
In 2002 he founded his own public affairs consulting firm. Martin Heinrich, in 2004 to 2008, served on the Albuquerque City Council, representing the 6th district. In February 2006 Governor Bill Richardson appointed Heinrich to be the state’s Natural Resources Trustee.
Quotes: Our National Labs are driving the energy transition forward every single day.
Current Position: US Senator since 2021 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative for NM-03 from 2009 – 2020 Other Positions: Chair, Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband – Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Ben Ray Luján served as a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from 2005 to 2008, where he also served as chairman.
Luján was selected as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2014 and led the Democrats to win a House majority in the 2018 elections. He was the first Hispanic to serve in this role. In his role as assistant House Democratic leader, Luján was the highest-ranking Latino in Congress.
Quotes: A strong educator workforce will help students prepare for the future. I’m proud to join @TimKaine and my colleagues in urging Senate Leadership to invest $9 billion in the educator workforce to ensure that we have a well-prepared educator workforce.
Current Position: US Representative of NM-01 since 2021 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: State Delegate from 2019 – 2021 District: central area of New Mexico, including most of Bernalillo County, all of Torrance County, and parts of Sandoval, Santa Fe and Valencia counties. It includes almost three-fourths of Albuquerque. Upcoming Election:
Stansbury began her career as an ecology instructor at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. As a White House Fellow, she worked as a policy advisor on the Council on Environmental Quality. She was a consultant at Sandia National Laboratories and later served as a program examiner in the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. She worked on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and as an aide to Senator Maria Cantwell.
Since 2017, she has worked as a consultant and senior advisor at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center of the University of New Mexico
Current Position: US Representative of NM-01 since 2021 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: Member of the Las Cruces City Council from 2017 to 2021 District: southern half of New Mexico, including Las Cruces, and the southern fourth of Albuquerque. Upcoming Election:
From 2008 to 2011, he was the business editor of the Las Cruces Bulletin. In 2011, he was the executive director of the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. From 2013 to 2015, he served as a field representative for Senator Martin Heinrich.
In 2015 and 2016, Vasquez was the vice president of communications for First Focus, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization. From 2016 to 2018, he was the director of community relations for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. In 2018 and 2019, he was the deputy director of New Mexico’s chapter of the Wilderness Society. From 2019 to 2021, he worked as deputy director of the Western Conservation Foundation.
Current Position: US Representative of NM-03 since 2021 Affiliation: Democrat District: northern half of New Mexico, including the state’s Capital, Santa Fe. The district has a significant Native American presence, encompassing most of the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation, situated in the northwest corner of the state, and most of the Puebloan peoples reservations.[ Upcoming Election:
After graduating from law school, Leger Fernandez returned to New Mexico to work as an attorney, specializing in community-building and tribal advocacy. She was a White House Fellow during the Clinton administration and later served on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation during the Obama administration.
For 30 years, Leger Fernandez has operated Leger Law and Strategy, LLC in Santa Fe. The firm focuses on community development, tribal advocacy, civil rights, and social justice.[10] In 2017, she led a successful effort to implement ranked-choice voting in Santa Fe’s municipal elections.
Quotes: Our educators are right! We must develop other reliable revenue streams to fund our public schools – but we don’t have to do it alone. I’m working to ensure that states that rely on oil & gas revenues can transition without leaving any community behind.
The New Mexico Legislature is a bicameral body made up of the 70-member New Mexico House of Representatives and the 42-member New Mexico Senate. The New Mexico Constitution limits the regular session to sixty calendar days, and every other year it is thirty days. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, while the speaker of the House is elected from that body in a closed door majority member caucus. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.
The New Mexico district courts are courts of general jurisdiction.[4] They hear cases involving: tort, contract, real property rights, estate; exclusive domestic relations, mental health, appeals for administrative agencies and lower courts, miscellaneous civil jurisdiction; misdemeanor; exclusive criminal appeals jurisdiction; and exclusive juvenile jurisdiction.[4] There are thirteen judicial districts.[4]
The New Mexico magistrate courts are courts of limited jurisdiction.[4] They hear cases involving: tort, contract, landlord/tenant rights ($0–10,000); felony preliminary hearings; and misdemeanor, DWI/DUI and other traffic violations.[4] There are fifty-four magistrate courts.[4]
The New Mexico probate courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials.[4] There is one for each of New Mexico’s thirty-three counties.[4]
The New Mexico municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials.[4] They hear cases involving: petty misdemeanors, DWI/DUI, traffic violations and other municipal ordinance violations.[4]
The Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court is a court of limited jurisdiction of Bernalillo County.[4] It hears cases involving: tort, contract, landlord and tenant rights ($0–10,000); felony first appearances; misdemeanor, DWI/DUI, domestic violence, and other traffic violations.[4]
Local government in New Mexico consists of counties and municipalities. There are thirty-three counties, of which Bernalillo County, containing the state’s largest city Albuquerque, is the most populous. Counties are usually governed by an elected five-member county commission, sheriff, assessor, clerk and treasurer. A municipality may call itself a village, town, or city,[5] and there is no distinction in law and no correlation to any particular form (Mayor-Council, Commission-Manager, etc.). Municipal elections are non-partisan.[6] In addition, limited local authority can be vested in special districts and landowners’ associations.
The New Mexico onAir Hub supports New Mexicans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.
New Mexico onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy. This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts. Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites. Key content on the New Mexico Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
New Mexico students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content. As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.
Current Position: Governor since 2019 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative from 2012 – 2018
Lujan Grisham served as the state secretary of health from 2004 to 2007 and as a Bernalillo County commissioner from 2010 to 2012. Lujan Grisham is part of the prominent Lujan political family in New Mexico, many of whose members have served in elected and appointed positions in government.
Lujan Grisham served as director of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department. In 2004, Lujan Grisham was named New Mexico Secretary of Health and she served in the position until 2007.
Quotes: Our commitment to science-driven policies, our successful and efficient vaccine rollout effort, and our care for our fellow New Mexicans had real results – it saved lives. Thank you, New Mexico.
Michelle Lujan Grisham’s speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
The New Mexico Legislature (Spanish: Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate.
Current Position: US Senator since 2013 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative for NM-01 from 2009 – 2013 Other Positions: Vice Chair, Joint Economic Committee
After a brief stint doing mechanical drawings, Heinrich worked as an AmeriCorps fellow in New Mexico. From 1996 to 2001 Heinrich served as executive director of the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, a New Mexico nonprofit organization dedicated to educating young people on natural science and the environment.
In 2002 he founded his own public affairs consulting firm. Martin Heinrich, in 2004 to 2008, served on the Albuquerque City Council, representing the 6th district. In February 2006 Governor Bill Richardson appointed Heinrich to be the state’s Natural Resources Trustee.
Quotes: Our National Labs are driving the energy transition forward every single day.
Heinrich Speaks on Importance of For The People Act with ABC News Live
Current Position: US Senator since 2021 Affiliation: Democrat Former Position: US Representative for NM-03 from 2009 – 2020 Other Positions: Chair, Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband – Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Ben Ray Luján served as a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission from 2005 to 2008, where he also served as chairman.
Luján was selected as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2014 and led the Democrats to win a House majority in the 2018 elections. He was the first Hispanic to serve in this role. In his role as assistant House Democratic leader, Luján was the highest-ranking Latino in Congress.
Quotes: A strong educator workforce will help students prepare for the future. I’m proud to join @TimKaine and my colleagues in urging Senate Leadership to invest $9 billion in the educator workforce to ensure that we have a well-prepared educator workforce.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico speaks at the Democratic National Convention
The US onAir Network will be working with volunteers from New Mexico universities, colleges, and nonprofit organizations to oversee the curation and moderation of posts, aircasts (online discussions), and in person events for the New Mexico onAir Hub … related to federal, state, and local elections and government.
Our first outreach will be to University of New Mexico partly because of its proximity to the state capital. We have identified many of University of New Mexico’s civic engagement, academic, internship and research programs related to making democracy and civic responsibility a focus of higher learning on their campus … for students, faculty, staff, and local community. This post, over time, will have similar information on other collaborating organizations in the state.
Contact ben.murphy@onair.cc for more information on how to involve your organization.
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States; its capital is Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México (itself established as a province of New Spain in 1598), while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States of the Southern Rocky Mountains, and shares the Four Corners region of the Western U.S. with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. New Mexico is also bordered by the state of Texas to the east-southeast, Oklahoma to the northeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest.
With a population of 2,120,220 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, New Mexico is the 36th largest state by population. With a total area of 121,590 sq mi (314,900 km2), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer arid climate; the Rio Grande and its fertile valley runs from north-to-south creating a riperian climate in the middle of the state, supplying central New Mexico with its bosque (gallery forest) and distinct Albuquerque Basin climate.