New Mexico
2024 Primary Election Guide: N.M. House of Representatives – Valencia County News-Bulletin
Tanya Mirabal Moya
Tanya Mirabal Moya (I)
Age: 49
Occupation: Physics teacher at Belen High School
Education: Bachelors of Science in health and wellness from Kaplan University (Purdue Global); Master of Science in sports management; athletic administration and coaching from Liberty University
Previous elected political offices: Current state representative for District 7
Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony or DWI in New Mexico or in another state? “No.”
- What in your experience, education, etc., makes you qualified for this position?
“It’s been too long for people who have never worked in a classroom to make decisions about how we educate our students. As a current teacher, I am that greatly needed voice in our state roundhouse for our students, educators, and our education system throughout the state of New Mexico.
- What do you hope to work on, or see passed, at the Legislature to address safety issues in our community?
“Going after criminals and not law-abiding citizens who are trying to protect themselves. By mandating tougher penalties for convicted felons who commit a crime with a gun, along with bail reform that would help keep violent criminals behind bars instead of on our streets.”
- Every municipality and county struggles with paying the high cost of infrastructure projects. How should the state address growing and costly infrastructure needs?
“The state should address the rising cost of infrastructure projects by making it easier to do business in New Mexico. This includes reducing or eliminating the state’s GRT (I have put forward a bill to do so for small businesses), as these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers.”
- What can the Legislature do to help address the teacher shortage in New Mexico?
“Create a licensure program that allows experienced individuals to teach higher level classes part-time, so they don’t have to leave their high paying jobs. Create a fourth tier in the teacher license that is for a master teacher, who manages several classrooms and teachers in their department.”
Brian G. Baca
Brian Baca (I)
Age: 53
Occupation: Educator
Education: BA, MA University of New Mexico
Previous elected political offices: N.M. House of Representatives
Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony or DWI in New Mexico or in another state? “No.”
- What in your experience, education, etc., makes you qualified for this position?
“I have served three sessions in the N.M. House of Representatives. I serve on the education committee, which sets policy for our pre-k through higher education institutions. I serve on the House appropriations committee which sets the budget and funding for the entire state of New Mexico.”
- What do you hope to work on, or see passed, at the Legislature to address safety issues in our community?
“We need to make tougher laws for violent and repeat offenders. We need to end the catch and release practice that puts criminals back on the streets. Finally, we need to adequately fund our first responders in our communities to recruit and retain personnel.”
- Every municipality and county struggles with paying the high cost of infrastructure projects. How should the state address growing and costly infrastructure needs?
“As a member of the House appropriations we have worked to address this serious need. We need to invest a larger portion of our budget surplus to infrastructure and needs of our community (roads, health care, police and fire departments). This investment will bring a higher return on our investment and impact the lives of all citizens.”
- What can the Legislature do to help address the teacher shortage in New Mexico?
“As an educator and a member of the education committee, I am on the front lines of funding our schools and improving education. As a member of the House appropriations committee, I advocated to put back the funding that had been cut to support the educator fellows and teacher residency programs that were created specifically to address our teacher shortage.”
Michelle Paulene Abeyta
Michelle Paulene Abeyta
Age: 40
Occupation: Lawyer
Education: B.A. in Native American Studies and Geography from University of New Mexico, J.D. with certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Previous elected political offices: To’hajiilee Community School Board of Education
Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony or DWI in New Mexico or in another state? “No.”
- What in your experience, education, etc., makes you qualified for this position?
“As a lifelong resident of District 69, I know what it’s like to drive 100 miles for basic needs. My public service includes the To’hajiilee Community School Board of Education, National Native American Bar Association Board, and more I hold a J.D. with a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy.”
- What do you hope to work on, or see passed, at the Legislature to address safety issues in our community?
“I want to see paid family and medical leave pass through the Legislature. I will support legislation that will provide critical improvements to District 69’s infrastructure, help with projects like uranium cleanup efforts, and bolster educational opportunities for children and adults alike.
- Every municipality and county struggles with paying the high cost of infrastructure projects. How should the state address growing and costly infrastructure needs?
“Children on school buses shouldn’t have to drive on roads with potholes so big I can sit in them. Community members have been advocating to fix these roads for years. District 69 needs a voice that will prioritize critical infrastructural improvements to positively and tangibly change our quality of life.”
- What can the Legislature do to help address the teacher shortage in New Mexico?
“We need to provide top-notch benefits, competitive pay, safe working environments, and additional support in the classroom for teachers wherever needed. As a member of my local school board, I helped secure millions in funding to improve our community school. I’ll bring that same level of advocacy to the Legislature.”
Stanley E. Michael
Stanley E. Michael
Age: 55
Occupation: Coal miner
Education: High school graduate
Previous elected political offices: None
Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony or DWI in New Mexico or in another state? “No.”
- What in your experience, education, etc., makes you qualified for this position?
“I am a strong advocate of the community. I have served 10 years in corrections, three years as director of Adult Community Corrections program, one summer at CYFD, three summers at the state highway department, 11 years in 4-H, and 15 years coaching youth, middle school, and high school baseball, basketball and football.”
- What do you hope to work on, or see passed, at the Legislature to address safety issues in our community?
“Above all, a three strikes law to reduce crime, followed by a way to keep criminals off the streets as they await trial. We need to do better at screening immigrants to keep criminals out of New Mexico and we need to improve rehabilitation efforts.”
- Every municipality and county struggles with paying the high cost of infrastructure projects. How should the state address growing and costly infrastructure needs?
“Two federal laws have already passed to help with infrastructure. They are the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which support communities by entering contracts and agreements on projects that would help to support our communities. Since New Mexico has a surplus, we should be able to provide matching funds to get more done.”
- What can the Legislature do to help address the teacher shortage in New Mexico?
“Talk to and listen to our educators. Really listen. They will be the best experts on what can be done and what is needed in our classrooms. They should be able to provide ideas on how to attract and retain educators to our state.”
Editor’s note: Incumbents N.M. Reps. Gail Armstrong (R-District 49) and Harry Garcia (D-District 69) are both running for reelection but did not return their answers to the Valencia County News-Bulletin’s questionnaire.
VOTING INFORMATION
Absentee by mail
The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the June primary election is Tuesday, May 21. Absentee ballots can be requested by visiting nmvote.org
If they are not returned by mail, absentee ballots can be returned in person at the following locations by 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 4:
- Valencia County Clerk’s Office, 444 Luna Ave., Los Lunas
- Any of the early in-person or alternate early voting locations.
- Any of the 15 Voting Convenience Centers open on Election Day throughout the county.
- Any of the three secure absentee ballot drop boxes
- Belen Community Center, 305 Eagle Lane, Belen
- Bosque Farms Public Library, 1455 W. Bosque Loop, Bosque Farms
- Valencia County Administration Building, 444 Luna Ave., Los Lunas
Early, in-person voting
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Friday, May 17, Monday through Saturday
Valencia County Administration Building, 444 Luna Ave., Los Lunas
Alternate, early voting
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 18, through Saturday, June 1, Monday through Saturday
- Belen Community Center, 305 Eagle Lane, Belen,
- Bosque Farms Public Library, 1455 W. Bosque Loop, Bosque Farms
- Pueblo of Isleta Veterans Center, 4001 N.M. 314, Isleta
- Valencia County Administration Building, 444 Luna Ave., Los Lunas
Voting Convenience Centers
7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 4
- Ann Parish Elementary, 112 Meadow Lake Road, Meadow Lake
- Belen Community Center, 305 Eagle Lane, Belen
- Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave. Belen
- Bosque Farms Public Library, 1455 W. Bosque Loop, Bosque Farms
- Century High School, 32 Sun Valley Road, Los Lunas
- Del Rio Senior Center, 351 Rio Communities Blvd., Rio Communities
- Don Jose Dolores Cordova Cultural Center, 426 Jarales Road Jarales
- El Cerro Mission Community Center, 309 El Cerro Mission Road, El Cerro
- Logsdon Hall, 19676 N.M. 314, Los Chavez
- Los Lunas Schools Administration, 119 Luna Ave., Los Lunas
- Meadow Lake Community Center, 100 Cuerro Lane, Meadow Lake
- Pueblo of lsleta Veterans Center, 4001 N.M. 314, Isleta
- Tomé Adelino Fire Department Valley Station, 2755 N.M. 47, Tomé
- Town of Peralta Town Hall , 90A Molina Road, Peralta
- UNM-Valencia Workforce Training Center, 1020 Huning Ranch, Los Lunas
The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a locally owned and operated community newspaper, dedicated to serving Valencia County since 1910 through the highest journalistic and professional business standards. The VCNB is published weekly on Thursdays, including holidays both in print and online.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
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The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
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About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
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SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether any Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law when pills reached New Mexico streets.
In a statement, Lujan Grisham said, “make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities.”
The governor also shared a timeline from 2022 to 2025 that she said shows when she asked federal officials for help with New Mexico’s fentanyl crisis and violent crime.
Lujan Grisham said the first request came on June 21, 2022, when she wrote to then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and asked for 50 additional federal agents.
She said she wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 15, 2022, asking for more agents, resources and support for New Mexico law enforcement.
Lujan Grisham said she wrote Garland a second time on Aug. 8, 2023, with the same request.
What came next?
About a month later, Lujan Grisham said she sent Garland a third letter and said New Mexico needed more federal law enforcement to curb violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
She said her most recent request came on Sept. 4, 2025, when she wrote to former Attorney General Pam Bondi and again asked for additional agents and resources.
The governor’s statement says those requests span several years as she pressed the federal government for more help in New Mexico.
Full statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“I am appalled by reporting this week by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal that revealed federal authorities made a deliberate decision to let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills flood into New Mexico communities, despite knowing that fentanyl is so lethal the White House has designated it a weapon of mass destruction.
Let me say that again: the Drug Enforcement Administration watched as 74,000 fentanyl pills were delivered to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, and they did nothing. And that’s just one transaction. Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets.
There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were. Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.
If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise. New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.
Today, I wrote to Attorney General Raúl Torrez and asked him to investigate whether any federal agents broke state law when they allowed lethal drugs to remain on our streets, and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.
I have spent years working across two administrations — writing letters, traveling to Washington, meeting directly with President Joe Biden and his cabinet, pushing for accountability, asking for more federal agents to be deployed to New Mexico to help fight this crisis.
- On June 21, 2022, I wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, imploring the FBI to assign no less than 50 additional agents to New Mexico to stem escalating drug trafficking and violent crime.
- On September 15, 2022, I wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice provide additional federal agents, resources and support to New Mexico law enforcement. We asked the department to match the level of investigative, analytical, and technical resources the FBI had deployed in its Buffalo, NY surge.
- On August 8, 2023, I wrote again to Attorney General Garland, renewing my request that the DOJ expeditiously assign more federal agents to New Mexico.
- On September 7, 2023, I wrote to Attorney General Garland for a third time, reiterating my request once more federal law enforcement support to curb violent crime, drug and human trafficking.
- On September 4, 2025, I wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, once again requesting additional agents and resources.
I have declared the surge of drugs like fentanyl to be a public health emergency. I have deployed the National Guard to both Albuquerque and Española. While my administration was doing everything we could to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into our state, the federal government deliberately allowed it to flood in.
New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business.
I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”
The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
CLINES CORNERS, N.M. – The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
The fire is burning just east of Clines Corners, south of Interstate 40.
It forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 40 at Clines Corners on Tuesday night. I-40 reopened Tuesday night. I-40 is back open but smoke still affects visibility.
“We’re on the side of I-40 so drivers have to be pretty cautious. As far as our establishment itself we’re pretty isolated by the freeway itself as a nice fire break,” said Lincoln Tarantino, Clines Corner general manager.
The fire has burned around 852 acres, up from just 20 at this time Monday.
Crews say the fire is not contained and wind farms in the area are threatened.
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