{"id":49734,"date":"2026-10-23T13:20:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=49734"},"modified":"2026-10-23T13:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:20:27","slug":"as-election-day-nears-nmif-examines-the-races-for-cd1-and-sos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/as-election-day-nears-nmif-examines-the-races-for-cd1-and-sos\/","title":{"rendered":"As Election Day Nears, NMiF Examines the Races for CD1 and SOS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We\u2019ve reached the sprint to the end of our month-long election coverage here on New Mexico in Focus, with early voting already well underway and Election Day less than two week out. Tonight\u2019s episode marks the second-to-last before that fateful Tuesday, Nov. 3, and we\u2019re spending our waning moments before results roll in diving into the remaining two congressional races \u2014 CD1 and CD3 \u2014 and the contest to replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who\u2019s served as New Mexico Secretary of State for the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First up this week, we dive deep into the race for the 1st Congressional District \u2014 a seat that Democratic U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury has held since a special election back in 2021. Since then, the Congresswoman has earned prominence at home and in D.C. as a visible and vocal critic of the Trump Administration, maybe most notably for demanding the full and timely release of the Epstein Files. She\u2019s up against Republican challenger, Rio Rancho-based pharmacist Ndidiamaka \u201cDidi\u201d Okpareke, who\u2019s brand new to the political scene. And while an Albuquerque Journal poll earlier this month had Stansbury 18 points ahead, Okpareke has garnered considerable praise from local politicos and excitement among her base as of late, thanks in large part to her performance at a debate on KOAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While my conversation with Stansbury kicks off with questions about her record serving on the Oversight and Natural Resources committees, I begin my interview with Okpareke discussing her preparedness to serve in Congress. I spend the rest of my time with each candidate seeking to better understand their platforms and priorities. You\u2019ll hear some significant differences in how they view Medicaid and SNAP, President Trump\u2019s \u201cBig Beautiful Bill,\u201d solutions to the affordability crisis, and more. That said, Okpareke breaks with her party\u2019s leaders on several key issues, including the war in Iran and AI regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politics Correspondent Gwyneth Doland helps us round out this week\u2019s program with the Democratic candidate for New Mexico Secretary of State, Amanda L\u00f3pez Askin. Harkening back to how I began this letter, we\u2019re running out of time to preview this year\u2019s races, so we had to make some tough calls. Until now, we\u2019ve presented both candidates for each race in the same show. We couldn\u2019t do that this time. But rather than scrapping the SOS race completely, we decided to air our candidate interviews across two episodes. So, this week you\u2019ll hear from the Do\u00f1a Ana County Clerk, who\u2019s up first because of her sizable lead in both polls and fundraising. Next week, you\u2019ll get to know her Republican opponent, Ramona Goolsby \u2014 a political outsider who\u2019s spent years challenging state and local elections systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with Goolsby next week, we\u2019ll close out our month of candidate interviews with the politicians vying for New Mexico\u2019s Congressional District 3. And that\u2019ll be a wrap on NMiF election coverage 2026! Until results post just days later, of course, and we\u2019re back at the table to unpack it with you. But let\u2019s not get too far ahead of ourselves \u2014 with 11 days till Election Day, we\u2019ll see you tonight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ufeff-Nash Jones, Host<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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