Will 2018 be the ‘Year of the Woman’ in New Mexico?

Albuquerque’s Melanie Stansbury decided this was the year to run for office. She filed as a candidate for state representative in Albuquerque, in House District 28 in the Northeast Heights. Republicans have held the seat for over a decade but the Democrat is running an energetic campaign and raising thousands of dollars in donations. Stansbury […]

Will 2018 be the ‘Year of the Woman’ in New Mexico?

Albuquerque’s Melanie Stansbury decided this was the year to run for office. She filed as a candidate for state representative in Albuquerque, in House District 28 in the Northeast Heights. Republicans have held the seat for over a decade but the Democrat is running an energetic campaign and raising thousands of dollars in donations.

Stansbury followed her sister’s lead, a county judge who almost a decade ago went through the Emerge New Mexico program, which trains Democratic woman to run for office.

Stansbury joked that she and her sister are the only “Emerge sisters to actually be real sisters in New Mexico.”

The two familial sisters aren’t alone. A growing number of women are running for office, nationwide and in New Mexico.

Two of the state’s three congressional races will likely send women to Washington D.C. It will be the first time in state history two women represent New Mexico districts in Congress at the same time.

And if Democratic gubernatorial nominee Michelle Lujan Grisham prevails over her Republican opponent, Steve Pearce, women will have stood at the top of state government for three consecutive terms, after Republican Susana Martinez.

Further down ballot, women prevailed in six out of eight state House primaries.

Stansbury’s road to electoral politics began in the 2017 Emerge New Mexico program.

She wasn’t the only one. She noted that EMILY’s List, a group that helps candidates who support abortion rights, heard from 900 women who wanted to run for office in 2016. Those numbers jumped exponentially after the 2016 election: 40,000 women wanted to learn about running for office in 2018.

Stansbury said the 2016 election “really shook people awake.”

“I think that the things that have unfolded with the #MeToo movement and everything that’s happened over the last couple of years has just made people so much more conscious of how critical it is that they get involved, not only in politics, but getting involved in their communities, stepping up to do volunteer work,” she said.

Stansbury has already been involved in public service. She worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget during the Barack Obama Administration, before moving to the Senate Energy Committee, where she notes she worked for ranking member Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington. In that position, she worked closely with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the committee chair and senator from Alaska.

“I think it really inspired me to realize that you can be a deeply thoughtful woman in leadership and bring something to the table,” she said.

NM Political Report reached out the Republican Party of New Mexico for more than a week, seeking interviews about the party’s efforts to elect more women, but did not receive a response.

Not the first ‘Year of the Woman’

“I don’t think we’ve seen this kind of surge since, the 1992 race [which] was also called the ‘year of the woman,’” Lonna Atkeson told NM Political Report.

Atkeson is a political science professor at the University of New Mexico who studies elections and gender politics.

Many women are running in response to the election of Donald Trump, who at least 19 women have accused of sexual misconduct, and the #MeToo movement that came after the accusations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

But she said also institutional changes have helped.

“There have been workshops across the country helping women to run,” Atkeson said. “And there have been large investors that have put money towards bringing female candidates to teach them how to run for office.”

She said these efforts grow the candidate pool, by teaching potential candidates, like Stansbury, what to expect when running for office.

As Atkeson noted, this isn’t the first time pundits and journalists have referred to a year as the “Year of the Woman” in politics. Some thought 1984 would be that year, when Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale chose New York Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. That ticket lost in a historic landslide to Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign.

And it wouldn’t be until 2008 that a woman was on a presidential ticket, when John McCain chose Sarah Palin to fill out the Republican ballot.

But in 1992, 19 women won House seats and four won U.S. Senate seats.

Dianne Feinstein and Patty Murray, both Democrats, are still serving in the U.S. Senate.

After elections in 2012, another year dubbed “Year of the Woman” by some, women held a record 20 seats in the U.S. Senate. And political experts told CNN that women were a key part of Barack Obama’s easy reelection campaign.

New Mexico has seen recent success in the past few decades, especially recent years, with women winning elected office. Martinez, the current Republican governor, easily won two terms. Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson served five full terms before leaving the seat for an unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate. And current Democratic gubernatorial nominee Michelle Lujan Grisham is in her third term as U.S. Rep. in the same seat.

In congress, Lujan Grisham will likely be replaced by a woman, either Democrat Deb Haaland or Republican Janice Arnold-Jones (Libertarian candidate Lloyd Princeton will also appear on the ballot). And Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce will see his seat filled by either Republican Yvette Herrell or Democrat Xochitl Torres Small.

To date, no woman has represented the state in the U.S. Senate and there is no candidate in the upcoming three-way general election for one of those seats.

As women win elections, it could lead to a snowball effect.

“I think the presence of strong female candidates across the board encourages other women to run,” Atkeson said. “Seeing people succeed who look like you and are like you make a difference to people. So I think those kinds of things absolutely make a difference.”

Correction: This story originally said House District 28 was int he southeast heights; it is the Northeast Heights. The story also previously said Melanie Stansbury worked as an intern in the Obama White House. She was an intern, but also worked as a career staffer.

Emily’s List says they have had contacts with over 40,000 women who inquired about running for office, and we previously used an older number.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

Equality New Mexico endorses 15 legislative candidates

A New Mexico-based LGBTQ rights organization endorsed 15 candidates for state House and Senate seats for the 2024 elections.  Marshall Martinez, executive director of…
Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Lujan Grisham pocket vetoes two bills

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pocket vetoed two bills the legislature passed this legislative session: one changing the Cybersecurity Act and the other concerning law…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

What consumers, farmers should know about the flu impacting dairy cows

Migrating birds appear to have caused a virus in dairy cattle that is causing reduced milk production. So far, the disease, which initially started…
Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republicans seek to limit national monument designations

Republican-backed legislation in the U.S. Congress would make it harder for the government to designate new national monuments. The proposed Congressional Oversight of the…
Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

Amid new graduation requirements, what do high schoolers want to learn?

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican The main things that bring Brayan Chavez to school every day: Seeing, talking to and engaging with…
Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

Special ed teachers hope lawmakers OK pay raises, admin changes

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican Brittany Behenna Griffith has a laundry list of adjectives to describe the ideal special education teacher:…
Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

Lawmakers must find consensus on competing education spending plans

By Margaret O’Hara, The Santa Fe New Mexican A challenging task awaits New Mexico lawmakers in the next 30 days: Reconciling three very different…
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission

Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by…
Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Lujan Grisham, Biden admin announce $10 million in federal funds for tribes, pueblos

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to six tribal nations and…
Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

Proposal to curb executive powers moves to House Judiciary

The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee discussed a potential constitutional amendment that seeks to limit the governor’s executive powers. The committee approved…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

At stake in mifepristone case: Abortion, FDA’s authority, and return to 1873 obscenity law

Lawyers from the conservative Christian group that won the case to overturn Roe v. Wade are returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday in pursuit…
Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Senators introduce legislation to aid abortion providers

Sen. Martin Heinrih and other Senate colleagues introduced abortion rights legislation into the U.S. Senate on Thursday. The Abortion Care Capacity Enhancement and Support…
New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid to cover cost of over-the-counter oral contraception

New Mexico Medicaid announced on Wednesday that it will cover the cost of Opill, the first oral contraception approved for over-the-counter use. It is…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…
San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

San Juan County, Navajo Nation settle redistricting case

The Navajo Nation and San Juan County reached an agreement Monday about commission districts after the tribe alleged that its members were not adequately…
MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

MIT ranks NM elections most well-run in the U.S.

New Mexico’s 2022 election was ranked most well-run in the country by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Election Data and Science Lab’s Elections Performance Index.…
Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Emily’s List, a nonprofit that supports women candidates and reproductive rights, endorsed seven incumbents facing general election opponents in New Mexico legislative elections. All…
Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Ex-GOP candidate allegedly hired people to kill witnesses in shootings of homes of Democratix politicians

Republican failed state house candidate Solomon Peña is facing more federal charges, this time on a murder-for-hire scheme.  Peña allegedly tried to hire two…
BLM announces final methane waste rule

BLM announces final methane waste rule

The federal Bureau of Land Management announced its final methane waste rule on Wednesday. These new regulations clamp down on the practice of venting…
U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

U.S. Supreme Court hears case to restrict access to medication abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case about the regulations around mifepristone, one of a two-step regime for abortion medication, on Tuesday. FDA v.…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report