New Mexico — 1st District

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports Medicare for All and universal care

Stansbury considers healthcare a human right and advocates for a Medicare for All system to fix America's healthcare structure. Her priorities include protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, lowering out-of-pocket costs, and expanding access across New Mexico.

• Supports Medicare for All and universal access to quality healthcare.
• Advocates for protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions and lowering out-of-pocket costs.
• Supported state-level legislation expanding access to healthcare and women's health services.

“Health care is a human right.”

“In Congress, I continue to work to fix America’s broken health care system. That means supporting Medicare for All and working to make sure that everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions, has access to quality health care”

Ndidiamaka Okpareke

Lowering pharmacy costs and expanding access

Drawing on her background as a pharmacist and pharmacy owner, Okpareke focuses on improving healthcare affordability and access. She emphasizes lowering costs at the pharmacy counter while protecting quality of care in underserved New Mexico communities.

• Focuses on reducing drug costs at the pharmacy counter for families.
• Pledges to expand access to care in communities that need it most.
• Leverages her professional experience as a pharmacist and compounding pharmacy business owner.

“She will use that experience to create healthcare that is affordable and accessible for every New Mexico family, protecting quality of care, lowering costs at the pharmacy counter, and expanding access in the communities that need it most.”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports minimum wage increase and investments

Stansbury advocates for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and making investments in local businesses and public infrastructure. She emphasizes economic resilience for working families based on her own experience growing up in Albuquerque.

• Supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
• Advocates for investments in infrastructure, including roads, broadband, and water systems.
• Supported pandemic economic relief and local business assistance during her state house tenure.

“That is why I support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. I believe everyone should have the opportunity to provide for their family with a meaningful job with a living wage.”

Ndidiamaka Okpareke

Promotes business growth and federal investment

Okpareke focuses on fostering business growth, raising paychecks, and bringing federal investments to New Mexico to stimulate the economy. She frames her agenda as promoting prosperity over poverty.

• Pledges to advocate for federal investments and programs that create local jobs and raise paychecks.
• Focuses on supporting businesses and local workers to foster economic prosperity.
• Highlights her personal perspective as a local small business owner.

“Didi will fight for New Mexico's businesses and workers, advocating at every turn to bring federal investments and programs here that create jobs, grow paychecks, stimulate the economy. Prosperity instead of poverty.”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports campaign finance reform and transparency

Stansbury advocates for getting big money out of politics and maintains a strict personal policy against accepting corporate PAC contributions. In Congress, she voted against the Republican-backed SAVE Act requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections.

• Maintains a strict policy refusing corporate or corporate PAC campaign contributions.
• Advocates for campaign finance reform and government transparency.
• Voted Nay on the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) regarding federal election registration proof of citizenship.

“It has been my policy since I first ran for office in the 2018 cycle to not accept funds from corporations or corporate PACs.”

Ndidiamaka Okpareke

Promises independent representation over party directives

Okpareke pledges to represent New Mexico families directly rather than adhering to Washington party leadership. She promises to base her votes on local community interests regardless of political opposition.

• Pledges independence from party leadership in Washington.
• Promises to prioritize New Mexico families in all congressional votes.

“Didi answers to the people of New Mexico, not party bosses in Washington. She will vote for what is right for our families and our communities, every single time, no matter who it upsets.”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports climate action and clean energy

Drawing on two decades of experience in water and natural resource policy, Stansbury supports federal legislation to tackle climate change, expand renewable energy, and protect public lands. She voted against the House Republican energy package, the Lower Energy Costs Act.

• Pushes for federal climate change legislation and renewable energy development.
• Focuses on water security, clean air, and public land preservation.
• Voted Nay on the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1).

“In Congress, I continue to fight to pass meaningful legislation to address climate change, develop more renewable energy, ensure our water security, clean air, and the preservation of our public lands.”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports humane reforms and citizenship pathways

Stansbury supports humane immigration policies that include pathways to citizenship and address the root causes of migration. In Congress, she voted against enforcement measures such as the Laken Riley Act and DUI deportation legislation.

• Advocates for humane immigration policies, family reunification, and paths to citizenship.
• Supports addressing root causes of migration in Latin America.
• Voted Nay on the Laken Riley Act (S. 5) and the DUI deportation bill (H.R. 875).

“Families must be reunited and we must provide a path to citizenship. In Congress, I support humane immigration policies that address root causes of migration and provide opportunities for immigration”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports early education and teacher pay

Stansbury prioritizes education funding from early childhood through higher education, including pay raises for educators. She supports expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit and establishing national paid family and medical leave.

• Advocates for higher teacher salaries and increased federal support from pre-K through college.
• Supports expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit and federal paid family leave.
• Co-sponsored state legislation establishing the Early Childhood Education and Care Fund.

“In Congress, I continue to make education and child-wellbeing a top priority. I will continue to push for more educational opportunities for kids, increase pay for teachers, and for investments in education and community supports”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports reproductive healthcare and gender equity

Stansbury pledges to defend reproductive healthcare access and protect insurance coverage for reproductive services. Her platform also highlights equal pay, LGBTQIA+ non-discrimination protections, and efforts to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.

• Pledges to protect legal reproductive healthcare access and insurance coverage.
• Advocates for equal pay for equal work and LGBTQIA+ protections.
• Helped pass state legislation creating the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force.

“I will always make sure that women have the right to make their own reproductive health care choices and protect reproductive health care coverage.”

Melanie Ann Stansbury

Supports behavioral health investment and cannabis reform

Stansbury approaches public safety by investing in healthcare and behavioral health services alongside support for first responders. She supports regulating recreational cannabis like alcohol and expunging records for non-violent drug offenses.

• Advocates for investments in behavioral health systems and first responders to address crime.
• Supports federal regulation of recreational cannabis like alcohol.
• Supports expunging records for non-violent drug offenders.

“I support expunging the records of non-violent drug offenders. I also support responsible recreational cannabis legislation that would regulate cannabis like alcohol and help to stimulate the economy.”