Democratic state Rep. Melanie Stansbury won the New Mexico House special election on Tuesday, securing the seat left vacant when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland joined the Biden administration this year.
A tally early Wednesday showed that Stansbury had secured just over 60 percent of the vote, defeating Republican state Sen. Mark Moores in the central New Mexico district, which includes most of Albuquerque, by more than 30,000 votes.
Stansbury’s victory over Moores in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District brings Democrats’ narrow House majority to 220-211.
Stansbury tied her bid for Congress to Democrats’ legislation on pandemic relief, infrastructure and efforts to curb climate change, which have been critical issues for President Joe Biden since he took office in January. Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in the district by 23 percentage points last year.
“When the moment demands it, when our families and our communities demand it, when our country demands it, we step up and find the solutions for communities and we figure it out,” Stansbury said from the Albuquerque stage celebrating her victory Tuesday evening. “And that is exactly what we did in this campaign and that is why I am standing before you tonight.”
The successful effort to retain Haaland’s seat ahead of 2022 midterm elections was also celebrated by DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY) late Tuesday.
“New Mexico voters chose a leader with the grit and determination to deliver results and rejected the tired Republican tactics of lies and fear-mongering,” he said.
