Cadena and Wendler again the candidates in District 33 race
LAS CRUCES - A two-term state House member will again face a retired teacher and school administrator in the fight to represent southeastern Las Cruces.
Charles "Chuck" Wendler (R) is challenging incumbent Micaela Lara Cadena (D) in the race, which covers everything south of East Idaho Avenue, including New Mexico State University and Mesilla, and stretches to the Luna County line.
Cadena and Wendler faced off in 2018 after long-time State Representative Bill McCamley resigned to take a cabinet secretary position in the governor's office. Cadena pulled in 65 percent of the vote in that contest.
In 2020, Wendler challenged Carrie Hamblen (D) for a state senate seat, but the results were not in his favor.
Meanwhile, Cadena began rising through the New Mexico House of Representatives ranks. In 2019, Cadena was appointed to the Agriculture & Water Resources Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Now, Cadena sits on the Taxation & Revenue Committee and vice-chairs House Judiciary Committee, two powerful committees in the House.
As the two face off for a second time, here's where they stand on some key issues.
What role, if any, do you believe the government should have in a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy?
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, a slew of states with Republican governors and legislatures, including Texas, enacted measures restricting or criminalizing abortion.
Cadena, who said she'd spent her professional life trying to improve access to medical care, including abortion, said it comes down to believing in people.
"Fundamentally, I trust people to make their own private decisions, and don't I believe that politicians or government should be interfering in these sacred decisions," Cadena said.
Cadena cosponsored a bill that repealed a derelict ban on abortions in New Mexico in 2021. Cadena said repealing the ban — which was not enforceable at the time because of protection created by the Roe v. Wade decision — is a point of pride.
Wendler, who described himself as pro-life, said that he doesn't think the government should be involved but added, "you do need some kind of a mechanism in place that protects life."
"So, how do you do that? Well, we go back to every person is responsible for the decisions that they make," Wendler said. "I don't think we have enough of accountability across the board. And I'm including myself, of course, too."
The state is planning to increase tax revenue from the oil, gas and cannabis industries. How do you believe the state should spend this money?
A boom in oil prices and the legalization (and taxation) of cannabis has created a cash windfall for New Mexico. Cannabis sales alone are expected to make $22 million in revenue for the state.
Wendler says that money should go back to the taxpayers through tax cuts.
"Why do we have to get caught up in spending money all the time?" Wendler asked rhetorically. "Shouldn't we also ask the question about how can we conserve this money? Maybe some of that can be turned back to the taxpayers?"
Specifically, Wendler pointed to reducing income tax rates and reducing permit and licensing fees.
"I'm more about let's see how we can conserve this surplus, in some reduction, some relief to taxpayers," he said.
Cadena said her seat on the Taxation & Revenue Committee provides access to deciding how the money is spent.
"I'm proud of the investments we've made in education," Cadena said.
Cadena added that it's important to save some of the money to prepare for a future economic downturn. Cadena said that funding projects that tackle big challenges in the state, including health care access, childcare access, and public schools, was equally important.
"We're going to spend it in some ways, but we're also going to create different kinds of environments for New Mexico's small business owners — using tax policy and other mechanisms — to give them more room to invest in those businesses and hold space for really critical services that they provide," she said.
Should the legislature enact rebuttable presumptions into the law to allow judges to hold people accused but not convicted in jail? Why or why not?
In 2016, New Mexico voters overwhelmingly voted to eliminate the state's cash bail system.
Under the premise that cash bail unfairly harmed poor people accused of crimes and advantaged wealthy people accused of crimes, New Mexico installed a system designed to hold the most dangerous defendants in jail while allowing everyone else to wait for their case's resolution outside the jail.
Critics of bail reform say it's responsible for a jump in the rate of property crime and a jump in murders in parts of the state. However, a study conducted in Albuquerque showed that most people accused of a crime do not commit new crimes while their cases are pending. The study hasn't stopped critics from calling for an end to the reforms.
While ending reform would require amending the state's constitution, critics proposed altering language within the reforms would allow holding people in jail more frequently.
Cadena said she sees the moves to undercut bail reform as politically motivated.
"We know that measures that sound good on the 10 o'clock news aren't going to fix what our families are struggling with," she said. "And frankly, I don't know the solution that could fix things tomorrow."
Cadena said she sees New Mexico's crime problem as generational. As such, it'll take generations to turn things around.
"That's why I'm proud that we're doing things like investing in early childhood, trying to talk more about affordable housing, trying to talk about fixing our schools in a way that has been desperately needed for a long time," she said.
Wendler said that the current system aligns with values enshrined in the phrase "innocent until proven guilty."
"If there is some kind of extenuating circumstances that would make a judge or law enforcement person suspicious that they pose an imminent physical harm to themselves and others, then there might be a reason to hold them," Wendler said.
Is there any specific election law policy you would support implementing/abolishing in New Mexico? Name and explain the most important one to you.
Disproven claims of election fraud have led many to believe American elections contain fraud.
Wendler suggested requiring an ID when voting as one way to ensure fair elections. He also pushed back on criticism that voter ID laws make it harder for impoverished people to vote because they're less able to obtain an ID.
However, Wendler said that it's on election officials to maintain objectivity and integrity when running elections.
Cadena said that moving the state toward an open primary system would create rippling benefits in the electoral system. New Mexico does not currently allow independent voters to participate in primary elections. In New Mexico, only registered Democrats can vote in Democratic primaries, and only registered Republicans can vote in Republican primaries.
Spaceport America was built with taxpayer money on the promise of a space tourism industry for southern New Mexico. What are the most critical next steps for this facility, and what laws/regulations will you support to ensure that vision?
Neither Cadena nor Wendler was thrilled about the state of the spaceport.
"We've seen a lot of problems with the leadership of the spaceport," Cadena said. "We need more leaders from southern New Mexico in those decision-making positions so that we can keep a closer eye on what's happening there."
Candena added that there needed to be "a really honest conversation about what the spaceport is used for and what it isn't."
"The answer is just to scrap it," Wendler said.
After promises were made and, in Wendler's opinion, not kept, the time has come to cut losses and move on. He suggested repurposing the spaceport for everything from a commercial airport to a drag strip.
House members can allocate a certain amount of capital outlay toward a project in their home district. What's one project that has your support?
Every session, senators, and representatives are given a pot of money to fund smaller projects across the state. The total amount of money depends on several factors, but it often tops well over a hundred thousand dollars.
In District 33, New Mexico State University can draw a large chunk of the change. Cadena said that she'd previously used the money to help fund a behavior health position at NMSU.
"Believe in access to mental health and behavioral health," she said.
She said she'd anticipate sending more money their way to help fund research and further support the university.
Wendler pointed to supporting infrastructure across the state.
"There are lots of things like roads, bridges, infrastructure, particularly, and that's one of the primary jobs of a government," he said. "You got to have a sound infrastructure because that's how your economy moves."
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Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Cadena and Wendler again the candidates in District 33 race
