New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District: Melanie Stansbury

Incumbent Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D) is running for reelection against Steve Jones (R) to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District — which encapsulates central New Mexico, including parts of Bernalillo County. Born in Farmington, Stansbury was a New Mexico state representative from 2019-21 until she ran for her current position.

Here’s where she stands on key issues.

Education

If reelected, Stansbury would push for more educational opportunities for children; increased pay for teachers; and investments in education, community support and wraparound services, according to her campaign website.

During her time in the New Mexico legislature — because much of the University of New Mexico’s funding goes through the state — Stansbury worked with UNM leadership and students to address security issues, she told the Daily Lobo.

“UNM is like a little city unto itself,” Stansbury said.

In March, Stansbury and others introduced the Postsecondary Student Success Act, which would provide grants for evidence-based programs to support postsecondary participation, retention and completion.

Crime

The crime epidemic in New Mexico is largely driven by drug trafficking and drug addiction, according to Stansbury. She worked to bring millions of dollars to New Mexico to invest in local, state and federal law enforcement, she said. Stansbury also said she has used her community-based funding in Congress to invest in new clinics to help people struggling with addiction and address behavioral health issues associated with drug use.

“I helped build a new veterans housing and homeless and addiction recovery center over by the airport,” Stansbury said. “I'm expanding the behavioral health programs through Health Care for the Homeless. They're building a new behavioral health clinic, and I'm helping support building a new behavioral health clinic in the International District with First Nations.”

Gun policy

Stansbury supports “common-sense gun legislation” and is a co-sponsor of legislation that includes an assault weapons ban, a gun buyback program, universal background checks and regulations on untraceable “ghost guns,” she said.

She said this legislation has yet to be held to a vote in Congress.

“Part of what's really important right now is that we have leaders who are not going to be beholden to the gun lobby, that are going to make brave policy decisions and that are going to fight for our communities,” Stansbury said.

Economy and jobs

Stansbury helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which invests millions of dollars into manufacturing solar and wind; a bipartisan infrastructure law, which builds broadband, roads and water infrastructure; and the CHIPS and Science Act, which modernizes national labs and builds the tech industry, she said.

“New Mexico is literally one of the largest beneficiaries of all of those and as a result, it's creating thousands of jobs,” Stansbury said. “And in fact, we have more jobs than people right now here in New Mexico, and that's a direct result of the legislation that I voted for and helped pass.”

Environment and energy

The Inflation Reduction Act invested $60 million in the Rio Grande Basin for water conservation and drought resilience, according to Stansbury’s website.

“One of the areas that I spend a lot of my focus is on what we call a just transition, which is, ‘How do you help communities who — especially their lives — will be impacted by the big energy and economic transition as we face a carbon-neutral future? How do you help those communities get through and thrive?’” Stansbury said.

Abortion

Codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law is Stansbury’s day-one priority if she is reelected to Congress, she said.

“Two-thirds of American women are living under abortion bans,” Stansbury said. “There are women bleeding out in parking lots and emergency rooms. There's young women who have experienced rape and sexual violence who can't get access to abortion, and so it's all fine and good for politicians to say, ‘This is a state's rights issue’ when it's a human rights issue and it should be protected in federal legislation.”

Stansbury said the ability to make decisions about one’s own body — including when it comes to abortion — is a human right.

Border and immigration

Stansbury said she thinks the border needs to be secured from illicit drug trafficking and human trafficking, and there needs to be a safe and humane immigration system that helps support people who are in the United States to make a better life for themselves.

To secure the border, Congress should fund greater Border Patrol staffing and ensure sufficient technology for detecting fentanyl, Stansbury said.

“Had it not been for (my Irish immigrant ancestors’) ability to come to this country and raise their families and find opportunity, I wouldn't be sitting here as a congresswoman today,” Stansbury said. “We need fair and just systems that help embrace and support the families who are coming here and seeking asylum.”

War in Gaza and surrounding regions

On Jan. 18, Stansbury released a statement calling for a bilateral ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The statement also encouraged combating the rise of antisemitism and anti-Arab and Islamaphobic hate and violence in the U.S. prompted by the war.

Stansbury said she believes the U.S. has a responsibility to use every active diplomacy to stop the violence.

“I believe that means that we should make sure that American-made weapons are not being used for offensive uses, and our responsibility is to help lead the way in getting a pathway to a long-term peace that secures the sovereignty, the self determination and the dignity and rights of both the Palestinian and the Israeli people,” Stansbury said.

Lily Alexander is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @llilyalexander

Nate Bernard is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @natebernard14

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