New Mexico's 1st Congressional District: Steve Jones

Steve Jones (R) is running for election against incumbent Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D) to represent New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District — which encapsulates central New Mexico, including parts of Bernalillo County. Born in Cisco, Texas, Jones is an army veteran with experience as a certified public accountant and a chief financial officer in the energy industry. In 2020, he ran as an Independent for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District and lost.

Here’s where he stands on key issues.

Education

Jones believes high school graduates should have more opportunities to gain skills through a partnership between industry and government, he told the Daily Lobo. Besides the military, Jones said there is “no such thing” for people who want to develop a specific skill.

“The people who choose to go on to more academic training — they can go and come to (the University of New Mexico). It’s built in,” Jones said.

Crime

Jones said the issue of crime in New Mexico should be addressed by leadership in the state government rather than the federal government. He has considered the concept of a “safety net” that would allow the Department of Justice to step in if states are not following the United States Constitution when addressing crime, he said.

Gun policy

Jones believes the Second Amendment is a “cornerstone of American freedom,” according to his campaign website. He said he does not want any leader to have the opportunity to interpret its meaning.

“The Second Amendment, to me right now, has all the support from the symptom side of saying, ‘Wow, this is atrocious. Kids getting shot with these weapons; that’s horrible,’” Jones said. “And it is, but the consequence of letting that be a factor in the challenge outright to an interpretation of the Second Amendment is worse to me.”

Jones said solving the issue of gun violence does not begin with guns. If elected, he would hire a sociologist to his staff to address the “sociological crisis” that he said gun violence is a symptom of.

He said he supports red flag laws — which allow courts to order the seizure of firearms from people who are at risk of harming themselves or others, according to The Guardian.

Economy and jobs

If elected, Jones will advocate for balanced budgets, lowered taxes and reduced government spending, according to his website.

Jones supports a federal minimum wage, he said. He believes $15 per hour is too low, but said he would consider whatever number would pass in Congress.

“I would have to go to the speaker of the house and say, ‘I really feel strongly about this. My people in New Mexico have the lowest per-capita income of any state, and one of the devices to increase that number is giving everybody a minimum wage,” Jones said.

Environment and energy

Jones wants to focus on expanding artificial intelligence, which requires a lot of electricity, he said. Hence, he said he wants to tap into nuclear energy and further develop the oil and gas industry in New Mexico.

Jones also said he would “love to see” lower greenhouse gas production, but does not necessarily think that burden should be on New Mexico.

“If you gave that just a single vote … to say, ‘Would you like to have your per capita income increased, or maybe even have a negative income tax?’ Put that question versus ‘Do you want to be part of the worldwide solution for the man-made portion of the climate change thing?’” Jones said. “I don’t think that too many people would vote altruistically.”

Abortion

Jones said he believes abortion access should be left up to the states to determine, which became the case when Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

“As a citizen in New Mexico, I accept majority rule,” Jones said. “As a congressman, I would vote against any legislation that begins to present this as a national issue. It is not a national issue.”

Border and immigration

If elected, Jones said he would propose the creation of a “special” visa for immigrants from Mexico and South America who come to the U.S. for economic development.

“We shouldn’t be enemies over the border,” Jones said. “We should basically look for areas of cooperation.”

Jones said he wants more cross-border education and medical treatment. He also wants to propose a trade relationship between New Mexico and Mexico.

“A wall is a joke,” Jones said.

War in Gaza and surrounding regions

The U.S. has a responsibility to defend Israel, Jones said. While he does not support violence committed against civilians, Jones said a ceasefire will not solve the problem, as it “allows the boot on the throat of Hezbollah, etc., to be taken off.”

Jones said he supports students' right to peacefully protest, including the pro-Palestine protests held on campus.

“I love it when I meet people who stand for something and they're vocal about it, and they protest and they haul signs out and try to exert influence on the decision makers,” Jones said. “That's excellent. And our society sorely needs that.”

The federal government should only be involved in political protests on campus when university administrators do not adhere to the civil rights of all of their students, Jones 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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