FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 25, 2020

Contact: Ben Shelton, Political and Policy Director at 505.467.9480 | [email protected]

Conservation Voters Action Fund Endorses Large Slate of Pro- Conservation Candidates in the General Election

Santa Fe, N.M. – Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM), through its coordinated political action committee CVNM Action Fund, endorsed 53 conservation champion incumbents and challengers in the 2020 general election for the state Legislature.

The list includes 33 House candidates, for eight of whom this marks their initiation into legislative politics. Among the Senate candidates, five are new to the legislative electoral process.

“This is the largest group of endorsements CVNM Action Fund has ever made,” said CVNM’s Political and Policy Director Ben Shelton. “It is a testament to how important conservation and environmental issues are for New Mexicans. We are thrilled to endorse such a large slate of candidates, incumbent and new to the process, who embrace these issues.”

The large slate of candidates just endorsed joins four additional Conservation Champion incumbents that CVNM Action Fund automatically endorsed earlier this year, along with 15 candidates, both incumbents and newcomers, who were endorsed by the Action Fund and won their primary election.

“These endorsements build on the conservation majority that won seats in the 2016 and 2018 general elections,” Shelton, added. “With the Trump administration’s dismantling of environmental rules, failure to address the Covid-19 pandemic, and blatant embrace of racism, New Mexico needs to take charge of its future. We need a Legislature that reflects New Mexico’s diverse communities, supports equity and inclusion in decision-making, and reflects our shared values for protecting our air, land and water.”

CVNM Action Fund Endorsements for the 2020 General Election include candidates endorsed in the primary election (marked with an *) and four incumbents who were early- endorsed in January as Conservation Champions (marked with **).

State House of Representatives: HD 4 – Rep. Anthony Allison HD 31 – Julie Brenning HD 6 – Rep. HD 33 – Rep. HD 8 – Paul Kinzelman HD 35 – Rep. HD 10 – Rep. Andrés Romero HD 36 – Rep. HD 11 – Rep. Javier Martinez HD 37 – Rep. HD 12 – HD 38 – Karen Whitlock HD 13 – Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero ** HD 39 – Rep. Rodolpho “Rudy” Martinez HD 14 – Rep. Miguel Garcia ** HD 40 – * HD 15 – Rep. Day Hochman-Vigil HD 42 – * HD 16 – Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas HD 43 – Rep. HD 17 – Rep. Debbie Armstrong * HD 44 – Gary Tripp HD 19 – Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton HD 45 – * HD 20 – * HD 46 – Rep. HD 21 – Rep. Debra Sariñana HD 47 – House Speaker ** HD 22 – Jessica Velasquez HD 50 – Rep. Matthew McQueen ** HD 23 – Rep. HD 51 – Jeff Swanson HD 24 – Rep. Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson HD 52 – Rep. HD 25 – Rep. HD 53 – Rep. Willie Madrid HD 27 – Rep. Marian Matthews * HD 57 – Billie Helean HD 28 – Rep. HD 65 – Rep. * HD 29 – Rep. HD 68 – Rep. Karen Bash HD 30 – Rep. Natalie Figueroa HD 69 – Rep.

New Mexico State Senate: SD 3 – Senator Shannon Pinto * SD 21 – Athena Christodoulou SD 5 – Leo Jaramillo SD 22 – Sen. , Jr. SD 8 – Senator * SD 23 – Harold Pope, Jr. SD 9 – Brenda McKenna * SD 24 – Sen. SD 10 – Katy Duhigg * SD 25 – Sen. Majority Leader SD 11 – Sen. Linda Lopez SD 26 – Sen. SD 12 – Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino SD 28 – Siah Correa Hemphill * SD 13 – Sen. Bill O’Neill SD 30 – Pam Cordova * SD 14 – Sen. SD 31 – Sen. Joseph Cervantes SD 15 – Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto SD 35 – Neomi Martinez-Parra * SD 16 – Sen. SD 36 – Sen. SD 17 – Sen. * SD 37 – Sen. William “Bill” Soules SD 18 – Sen. Bill Tallman SD 38 – * SD 19 – Claudia Risner SD 39 – Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics SD 20 – Martin Hickey

Public Regulation Commission • Commissioner Cynthia Hall for the District 1 seat • Joseph Maestas for the District 3 seat

Grant County Commission • Grant County Commission, District 3 – Commissioner Alicia Edwards • Grant County Commission, District 4 - Marilyn Alcorn • Grant County Commission, District 5 – Commissioner Harry Browne

About CVNM Action Fund Conservation Voters New Mexico Action Fund, the connected state political action committee of Conservation Voters New Mexico, is a nonpartisan “coordinated” political action committee. CVNM Action Fund works to elect pro-conservation candidates and to defeat anti- conservation candidates at the state level. Through our work with CVNM Action Fund, we let voters know that who we elect matters for New Mexico’s air, land water and healthy communities. CVNM Action Fund does not endorse in uncontested races. For more information on our endorsement process, please read CVNM Action Fund Endorsement Policies.

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