mailingstate
NM
Occupation
Principal and Owner of Chavez Health Strategies, LLC
Filing County
Bernalillo
I bring more than 26 years of healthcare leadership experience, firsthand experience as a victim advocate, and a proven legislative record. I have sponsored and co-sponsored legislation addressing violent crime, protections for law enforcement, victims’ rights, healthcare access, provider shortages, and medical malpractice reform, including legislation signed into law. I understand the challenges families face with public safety, healthcare access, and rising costs. I will continue bringing practical experience, accountability, and a strong voice for the Northeast Heights to the Roundhouse.
My highest priorities are public safety, healthcare access, affordability, and CYFD reform. I will continue working to hold violent and repeat offenders accountable and support law enforcement while investing in prevention and rehabilitation. We must recruit and retain healthcare providers, lower barriers to care, and address costs affecting families and small businesses. I will also push for stronger oversight and accountability at CYFD, earlier intervention for families in crisis, responsible spending, and policies that make New Mexico safer and more affordable.
New Mexico needs an all-of-the-above approach to secure our future water supply without placing unnecessary costs on families. We should protect existing supplies while investing in infrastructure, conservation, reuse, storage, and new technologies. That includes responsibly treating brackish water and exploring appropriate uses of treated produced water to reduce pressure on freshwater. Long-term planning should balance the needs of families, agriculture, communities, and responsible economic development while protecting this limited resource for future generations.
Large projects should be evaluated on jobs, wages, long-term economic benefits, water and energy demands, infrastructure needs, and the return on taxpayer investment. We should ask whether a project strengthens our workforce, supports local businesses, and contributes to the community without shifting unreasonable costs to residents. New Mexico should welcome responsible investment and good-paying jobs, but incentives must be transparent, accountable, and provide measurable benefits while protecting taxpayers and our limited resources.
New Mexico must recruit and retain more healthcare providers and make care more affordable and accessible. I support eliminating the gross receipts tax on healthcare provider services, expanding loan repayment and provider recruitment programs, and reducing barriers to practicing in our state. I co-sponsored medical malpractice reform; HB99 and co-sponsored interstate licensure compact legislation to help expand our workforce. With more than 26 years in healthcare, I will continue working on practical solutions that keep providers in New Mexico and improve access to quality care.
mailingstate
Albuquerque, NM
Occupation
business owner, attorney
For 30 years, I’ve represented New Mexico families against powerful interests and built businesses that invest in people. The Northeast Heights is home: I graduated from Sandia High, UNM and UNM Law, raised four children here, coached their teams, and my parents still live in the district. I employ more than 20 people, many who have been with me for decades, and my second business restores historic Albuquerque buildings. I’ve also served as a special prosecutor in the case of a serial rapist, chaired the NM Commission on the Status of Women, and for 20 years led the L.K. Curtis Children’s Fund. I’ve seen NM’s potential and where our systems fall short. I know how to bring people together, solve problems and make our government work better.
Healthcare is in crisis. We can address the immediate primary-care physician shortage with better pay and reimbursement rates, and the long-term shortage by training, attracting and keeping providers. We should push Congress to expand residency slots and incentives to practice here, and tie medical-school tuition assistance to years of service in New Mexico. Education needs help: smaller classes, supported teachers, more STEM, skilled trades and community schools. AI data centers need a moratorium while strong water and power safeguards become law. We need stronger gun-safety laws and action on juvenile violence and drugs fueling violent crime. Finally, we need to invest in our people and move New Mexico out of survival mode.
Urgent action is needed to protect our water supply, especially as large water users like AI data centers want to come to New Mexico. The state projects approximately 25% less water will be available in our rivers and aquifers over the next 50 years. New Mexico needs federal drought relief, infrastructure funding and sustainable management to support local communities, farmers and ranchers —as Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury has advocated.
Large economic development projects can benefit New Mexico if they are sustainable and create good, long-term jobs. They must deliver real benefits without putting our water, electrical grid, environment or taxpayers at risk. Before approval, we need independent analysis, meaningful public input and transparency about costs, incentives, resource use and lobbying. Project Jupiter showed why this matters: communities deserve information and a voice before major decisions are made, not after. Commitments on jobs, water, power and taxpayer costs should be enforceable through permits, contracts or law—not promises.
Access to good healthcare is a right and my focus. We have a crisis, and we must protect patients and providers. As I stated above we can grow, attract and keep providers of all types. Paying tuition with a tie to years of service, cutting health insurance and corporate control of providers and patients. The new law on punitive damages should reassure physicians. And we need to start building a universal nonprofit healthcare option that businesses can buy alongside Medicare, Medicaid —based on the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model. Congress must expand medical-school and residency slots to address the national shortage long term. But New Mexicans can’t wait—we need state action now to improve access to care.
