The Senate District 9 seat, which covers Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, is up for grabs after the incumbent Democrat, Brenda McKenna, decided not to run again.
Republican Audrey Trujillo is facing Democrat Cindy Nava, who stands to become one of the first DACA recipients elected to public office. Nava came to the U.S. with her parents when she was 7 years old.
Trujillo is not a new face to New Mexico politics after an unsuccessful run for Secretary of State in 2020.
Trujillo said she pivoted to run for the New Mexico Senate because District 9 has been her home for the last 35 years. It includes Bernalillo, Placitas and Sandia Pueblo and Trujillo says that for her, crime is a huge issue.
“I know our community is safer if we have public safety officials that are doing their job, judicial systems that actually have consequences for violent crimes,” said Trujillo.
When it comes to the teacher and health care worker shortages, Trujillo said New Mexico must look at taxes and inflation and develop a strong and sustainable economic plan.
“Our wages aren’t as high as other states but we definitely are taxed everywhere we turn around,” Trujillo said.
Her opponent, Democrat Cindy Nava, returned home from the White House, where she worked in the Housing and Urban Development Department, to run for office.
As one of the 600,000 DACA recipients in the country and a Latina, she said she wants to be a voice for those who are often underrepresented in politics.
Trujillo points to her own community involvement over the decades she has lived in the district andsaid that Nava is less present.
“She traveled quite a bit, she just came back, she’s not in touch with her community. I feel that it’s more than having titles and doing certain things. I feel like she really is still learning,” said Trujillo.
However, Nava said she understands the state’s health care problems and said it’s especially acute for rural communities.
“Ensuring that we have affordable health care access but that we’re also keeping health care professionals in our state. And as someone who was in need of a major life threatening surgery, I am very aware of the fact we need more health professionals here,” said Nava.
Nava said her time with HUD also showed her the need to bring a world class education system to New Mexico.
“Education is the foundation in which everything trickles down. And also leading to housing, housing opportunities, affordable housing, and also increasing opportunities for first-time home buyers,” said Nava.
Nava said that her being a former DACA recipient and seeing the struggles her parents went through because of their own immigration status allows her to not just represent District 9, but bring these types of voices to the decision making table.
“I think that’s how you create impact and that’s how you change rhetoric,” she said.”To ensure that we are opening pathways and creating more opportunities for folks who have always been told they can’t do such things.”.
According to Source New Mexico, Nava has been the biggest fundraiser among all Senate candidates with about $76,000 to spend before the election, while Trujillo has almost $39,00 in comparison.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
