The last time a Democrat held the Rio Rancho area’s House District 23, it included Corrales. So, it was a lot bluer back then, even though its voters came out about evenly for the two major parties. After redistricting in 2021, voters in the newly drawn district elected Republican Rep. Alan Martinez by about 7 percentage points. Now, Democratic challenger Frank Smith is trying to flip the district back against the odds.
Smith said he has personally knocked on thousands of voters’ doors across Rio Rancho.
"It’s the one place where I have an advantage over my opponent, is that I’m out canvassing” he said. “That’s my only path to victory.”
Martinez has raised more than double what Smith has brought in. He also has prominence beyond his one term in Santa Fe as the House minority whip.
“I was not looking for a leadership position,” he said of quickly ascending to leadership. “I was looking on how best to serve my district and share some of my experience with the caucus, because I spent 15 years as the chief policy director for veterans.”
Martinez worked at the Department of Veterans Services.
Smith argued Martinez’s role as whip does his constituents a disservice.
“His job is to get all the Republicans to vote the same way, and I don’t think that that is healthy,” he said.
Smith said he will have more independence to vote his conscience rather than along party lines.
Martinez refuted that he is hyperpartisan, describing himself as “a conservative that’s not afraid to talk to Democrats.”
“I’m not always going to hold the Republican line,” he said. “But I do have certain values and I’m going to stick by those values.”
Gun Policy
Those values include being personally against abortion, though Martinez said the government should not be involved in the issue, and defending the right to bear arms.
“I don’t think taking my gun away is going to make anybody safer,” he said.
While he calls Second Amendment rights “absolute” on his website, Martinez said he does believe the state should “take guns away from bad actors.”
Smith, a fellow veteran and gun owner, also supports the Second Amendment. But, he said most residents he has talked with are OK with "reasonable restrictions.”
“No right is absolute,” Smith said. “People are very concerned about some kid next door that has access to a military-style assault weapon.”
He said he supports the state’s safe storage and red flag laws.
Crime Policy
Both candidates said combating crime is a priority for the district’s voters, even though it is a relatively safe area.
Earlier this year, Martinez carried a couple of successful bills to boost recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers statewide.
“There was a lot of debate on ‘do we want more police officers?’ And I think we do,” he said.
One proposal he co-sponsored with Democratic leaders allowed retired officers to return to the force while maintaining their pensions. He said keeping some oldtimers around can help rookies become more effective, trustworthy cops.
“The more experienced officers teaching the younger guys, ‘Don’t get out of your car and the first thing you do is put your hand on your gun. You get out of your car and you engage with that person,’” he said.
Smith also supports more police presence, along with increasing penalties for violent crimes.
“However, this is a situation we cannot incarcerate our way out of,” he said. “We have to address the underlying issues, otherwise it’s never going to improve.”
He said those include poverty, education and substance abuse.
Education Policy
Education is also a key issue in the race. Martinez supports “school choice” policies that allow parents to put their tax dollars toward private education instead. Smith said he agrees families should have a choice, but not at the expense of public school funding, which he’d like to see increase.
“If you choose to go a private route, you’re choosing to go a private route,” he said. “If you want private security on top of the police department, you pay additionally for your private security.”
Martinez said he is also open to the idea of dismantling the Public Education Department to cut down on what he described as ineffective and burdensome bureaucracy.
