State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, a Democrat from Silver City, won’t seek reelection in the general election in November, leaving SD 28, a swing district, an open race.

Correa Hemphill has represented SD 28, which includes Catron, Grant and Socorro counties, since 2021. She defeated former state Sen. Gabe Ramos, then a Democrat and also of Silver City, in the 2020 primary. Ramos was one of the seven Democrats who sided with Republicans to kill the bill in 2019 that would have repealed the New Mexico 1969 abortion ban on the senate floor. Almost all of those seven Democrats lost in primary elections in 2020. Correa Hemphill was a part of a progressive shift in the legislature that led to the 1969 abortion ban repeal that the state enacted in 2021. 

The abortion rights group, Emily’s List, endorsed Correa Hemphill for the upcoming race earlier this spring. Correa Hemphill’s Republican opponent in 2020 lost by 386 votes. Ramos is running to take back the seat in 2024 as a Republican.

Related: Emily’s List endorses seven candidates for Legislature

Correa Hemphill told NM Political Report that she has not stepped down yet, but that she will do so after the primary election on June 4. Her name will still appear on the primary ballot. She does not face an opponent in the primary race. 

The Democratic Party of New Mexico will decide who will replace her to run in the general election in what will then be an open race.  

Daniel Garcia, spokesperson for the New Mexico Democratic Party said that a volunteer committee of Democratic Party members within the district will decide who will be the best person to represent the district as a Democrat in the November race. 

Correa Hemphill, who was a part of the group of female legislators advocating to professionalize the legislature, said that she is resigning from office because she needs to return to the workforce. She said her husband’s income and benefits are her family’s sole means of support and, currently, their economic future is uncertain.

Correa Hemphill said she is disappointed that she had to make this decision. 

“We don’t have the resources in our legislature to really support legislators, which is a problem. It prevents us from having a diverse legislature that can represent a full spectrum of issues,” she said.

Correa Hemphill, who was frequently vocal on reproductive rights issues during her time in the legislature, became a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committees’ Committee. The Senate Finance Committee oversees legislative appropriations and the state budget. The Senate Committees’ Committee decides which committee to send bills for hearings during the legislative sessions. 

Correa Hemphill also served, either as a member or advisor, on several interim committees, including as vice chair to the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee.

Correa Hemphill said the lack of pay for legislators is not the only problem. The lack of a staff is, as well. She said having a staff to help with constituent services would also make a difference, especially for legislators representing rural districts where there is a lack of infrastructure.

“Having a staff to help with constituent services would have been really helpful in allowing me to feel like I could serve my constituents in an equitable way,” she said. 

She said that the time legislators spend representing their districts is not made up of only the 30 or 60 days the legislature meets every year. There are also interim committee hearings throughout the year, funding requests in addition to constituent services, and the travel time required to drive to Santa Fe. 

“It’s an unfortunate situation for the community, for the state and certainly for our family to be put in a position where I have to withdraw due to financial concerns,” she said. 

Correa Hemphill, who is a school psychologist, said that her signature issue was disability rights because one of her sons was born with a rare genetic disorder and is disabled.

“I’ve always been a strong supporter for the disability community, advocating for resources for those most vulnerable within our state,” she said.