State Spotlight: The Unique Politics and Demographics of New Mexico
Years ago, I was lucky enough to drive through New Mexico on two cross-country road trips. I stopped in Albuquerque in one direction and Silver City in the other. I was awed by the open skies, progressive culture, 400 years of history, and connection with legendary figures like Billy the Kid.
What I didn’t appreciate was the state’s unique political structure and diverse residents. We asked Leanne Leith, the Political Director for the New Mexico House Democrats, to share her insights. Here’s what you probably don’t know about New Mexico, its people, and its politics:
- It has the last true citizen legislature. The representatives aren’t paid a salary. Campaigns tend to run on tighter budgets than in other states, and haven’t been able to invest much in technology.
- The constituent base is extremely diverse. They range from white, middle-class neighborhoods in suburban Albuquerque, to rural eastern New Mexico ranching communities, to underserved colonias on the Mexican border dominated by immigrants, to Navajo country where most voters don’t have physical addresses.
- It has the highest rate of PhDs per capita of any state. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and other government research organizations are based in New Mexico, drawing scientists to work there.
Why the New Mexico 2018 Elections Matter
New Mexico is one of TFC’s focus states for 2018. It’s a historically Democratic state, but has had a Republican governor for the last eight years. Progressive policies passed by the legislature have been vetoed at the governor’s desk. Democrats need to hold on to a 6 seat majority in the House and win the governorship to move forward on solving New Mexico’s issues.
“This year, we are strongly favored to elect a Democratic governor, and for the first time since 2010, we will have an opportunity to enact forward-thinking policies to help hard-working New Mexicans… but ONLY if we hold onto the state House. If we allow the Republicans to take the House (as they did in 2014), or we don’t have a robust enough majority, all progressive education, health, environmental, economic and other policies will falter in the House.”
Leanne Leith, Political Director for the New Mexico House Democrats
How Campaigns Work in New Mexico
The New Mexico House Democratic Caucus, like its siblings in other states, is a campaign body led by the speaker’s office. It’s the organization that connects all the Democratic incumbents and candidates across the state, with full-time staff that help organize, fundraise and plan for state legislative campaigns.
You’re scratching your head and thinking, “How is that different from the state Democratic Party?” The party has a wide purview, supporting Congressional, statewide, and state legislature candidates, and driving get out the vote for the entire ballot, but the Caucus is focused on the State House.
The New Mexico Democratic Caucus essentially has one job — maintain the Democratic majority in the State House.
TFC often partners with the caucus to provide support for campaigns throughout the state. These are two of the campaigns we’re gearing up to help right now:
- Dayan Hochman, running for House District 15: an accomplished lawyer, born and raised in Santa Fe and living in Albuquerque, Day is focused on economic growth, quality education, and crime abatement.
- Joanne Ferrary, running for re-election in House District 37: a longtime advocate for reducing DWIs, she is focused on early childhood education, affordable healthcare, jobs, and the economy. As a Representative, Joanne prides herself on her accessibility to her constituents.
Volunteering for New Mexico Campaigns is Rewarding
Although national races get all the attention, state legislatures have a much more direct impact on people’s lives. The legislature can expand (or restrict) voter access, protect the water and air, encourage investments in clean energy, improve healthcare and education outcomes, and enact sensible gun laws.
“All politics is local.” — Tip O’Neill, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
In New Mexico, because the state is so diverse, each race presents unique challenges in communicating with voters. Cookie-cutter campaigns simply don’t work here, but that makes each race unique and compelling, and the reward of victory all the sweeter — and equally interesting for the digital marketer or data analyst.
In many districts, voters can be hard to reach, making mail and phone campaigns completely ineffective. Strong digital persuasion programs are helpful in any campaign, but especially in districts such as the 4th, a Navajo district with no permanent addresses through the US Mail. But they do have mobile phones, so digital ads and texting GOTV projects similar to the ones TFC ran in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District can be extremely effective.
Technology can have an outsized impact on outcomes in New Mexico, but campaigns haven’t been able to invest heavily, and lack experienced staff to execute on digital marketing. That’s where TFC volunteers come in.
There’s lots of untapped potential. At the beginning of the legislative session, Democratic incumbents conducted online surveys, advertised to voters through Facebook.
“The incumbents all received overwhelmingly positive feedback from constituents who saw the ads for the survey, even if they didn’t take the time to fill it out. And the dialogue generated between those legislators and individual constituents who completed the survey was meaningful and productive.”
Leanne Leith, the Executive Political Director for the New Mexico House Democrats
If you’re like me and have spent most of your life on the East and West Coast, it’s easy to overlook the incredible middle of the country. One way to learn more about them is to visit (I do recommend driving cross-country if you can). Another is to work with the local political campaigns to support progressive campaigns. With its diverse population and roll-up-your-sleeves campaigns, New Mexico offers a unique opportunity for TFC volunteers. And you can help those incumbents can run much more effective digital campaigns and make a difference in New Mexico.
