I believe politicians should listen to and look like the people they represent. Being a woman of color from the Acoma Pueblo I have dedicated my career to making life better for working families and our most vulnerable citizens. The opportunities my community, state, and country provided me, I wish to help extend to everyone, as the next Congresswoman from New Mexico.

Like many New Mexicans, I grew up poor. I was a young, single mother, and I struggled to make ends meet. Unlike my opponents, I chose to stay in New Mexico. I have lived my entire life happily in New Mexico, close to my family, our culture, and in service to the communities I know need help.

With an extensive legislative career that bests all of my opponents, I am also a successful attorney and know the law well. In addition to being a skilled lawmaker, my lived experiences are like the people I will represent - more so than any of my opponents.

Regarding an executable plan to end fossil fuel extraction on public and tribal lands I support the Red Deal. Ultimately my goal is to end fracking and provide funding and incentives to implement renewable energy protects on public and tribal lands.

The complete transition to renewable energy is near, completely possible, and utterly urgent. For models of success, take for instance our neighbor Colorado. The city of Aspen has already transitioned to more than ninety percent renewable energy by using hydroelectric, wind and solar, and geothermal. Five other cities in the U.S. have bested Aspen and operate with nearly all renewable energy. For a tangible transition plan I look to the European Union’s Vision 2050 as a model for ridding our nation of the scourge of oil and gas dependence. As a Congresswoman I know the best way to accomplish this is to push for strong incentives for businesses and individuals to switch to using renewable energy, including incentives to capture remaining CO2 emissions with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

No, I do not have a plan other than to shut it down and return the prisoners to their homes. I fully support the closing of the U.S. detention center in Guantánamo Bay. Aside from the embarrassing avoidance of due process and violations of human rights and the Geneva Convention, Guantánamo should be shut down immediately due to the astronomical cost of imprisoning forty men there. It is estimated that the cost per prisoner is $13 million a year for a $540 million price tag to keep Guantánamo open. Furthermore, military agencies, including the NSA, have unanimously determined the predominately Muslim men incarcerated at the facility should be released. If President Biden will not shut down Guantánamo, then Congress should do their part to lift the unnecessary restrictions on transfer and release.

This year has been like no other in spotlighting inequalities faced by people of color vis-à-vis law enforcement. That is why I sponsored the New Mexico Civil Rights Act this year. It shatters the shield of qualified immunity - a loophole exploited by bad actors with badges - by prohibiting its use as a legal defense. I believe every American, regardless of their race or background, deserves fair and equal treatment. My law is elegant in its solution to increasing police accountability. By canceling qualified immunity the so-called bad apples will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It is my hope the Civil Rights Act will also deter those with violent or supremacist tendencies from joining law enforcement

We need a comprehensive plan, but funding, collaboration and commitment are key. We need to ensure that funding is available for tribes and rural governments not only to provide technical assistance and innovative ways for incentivized investments, but also to ensure that cultural sites are not disrupted. We need to work with the FCC, the BIA and other involved agencies to assess impacts and obtain recommendations for overcoming various administrative obstacles. Finally, we need to set benchmarks for success to ensure that broadband access and affordability becomes a reality and not just a plan on paper.

The war needs to end. Defense production is a scam that benefits the rich. Military recruitment is a scam that preys upon the poor. The defense budget, which comprises more than fifty percent of the U.S. discretionary budget, should be cut drastically. As the great Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” With more conflicts being conducted by drones, and new wave attacks pivoting to cyber and biological warfare, the time has passed for half our discretionary spending to be siphoned off to defense contractors like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin. 

Voter suppression efforts across the country have been revived with a new vigor following the 2020 Presidential election. In neighboring Arizona a new attack is alive, well, and being put forth legislatively. This proposed law would give the Arizona legislature the power to decide presidential elections by overriding the secretary of state’s certification of electoral votes. With Native American votes tipping the scale for Joe Biden and Democrats up and down the ticket last November, I believe an Indigenous woman is needed in Congress to continue the fight to protect and expand voting rights.