Gallegos and Foreman head for rematch in New Mexico House District 52

LAS CRUCES ‒ The Nov. 8 contest for a New Mexico House seat representing a swath of Doña Ana County from Las Cruces south to Anthony is a rematch between incumbent state Rep. Doreen Gallegos, a Democrat first elected in 2012, and Republican challenger John Foreman.

Gallegos has held the House District 52 seat at the Roundhouse since her predecessor, Joseph Cervantes, ran for state Senate that year. Gallegos is also executive director of Mesilla Valley CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which assists foster children.

Foreman is the superintendent of the private Mesilla Valley Christian School and a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, who first ran for the office in 2020. Like Gallegos, he ran unopposed in his party's primary.

In 2020, Gallegos won the district with 65 percent of the vote to Foreman's 35 percent, but Foreman is back to offer District 52 a conservative alternative and said he came to his second run with more experience running a campaign and an easier time raising money: "I think you almost have to run once to learn how to run."

Foreman makes second run

An educator himself, Foreman named the state's historically underperforming education system as a priority, arguing that New Mexico is infusing plenty of money into its schools but without the expected results. Meanwhile, he criticized the time and focus spent on what he called "somebody's social agenda" and argued that teachers should allocate their time to raising achievement in core subjects.

Foreman also said he would be an advocate for vocational schools as an option for students: "They come out with a diploma, plus job skills; and if you talk to any employer, they're just desperate right now for good employees, especially with skills. I think it could help lower the unemployment rate which has gotten very high; it could decrease high school dropout rates; and keep our young people here in New Mexico."

With the state anticipating high revenues from oil and gas production to work with in next year's legislative session, Foreman spoke of being a steward and investing in infrastructure, noting the extensive needs in rural parts of his own district. He also spoke of making New Mexico more attractive to business investment to boost revenue and keep employment low, and in particular to minimizing restrictions on the oil and gas industry on which New Mexico depends for billions of dollars in annual revenue.

As another priority, Foreman spoke of crime from vandalism to international narcotics and human trafficking through the U.S.-Mexico border, which has been a recurring theme among Republican campaigns challenging Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision this summer ending a federal right to abortion, Foreman supported putting the question to voters while describing his own position as staunchly "pro-life,"

Gallegos seeking sixth term

For Gallegos, with a background in social work, the story behind crime in her district is a need for behavioral health and social services, and early childhood education.

In her fifth term, Gallegos was a sponsor of legislation that created a new Early Childhood Trust Fund, and she said that in a sixth term she hoped to be involved in planning how to direct the fund's proceeds to expanding services and education while mitigating the social costs of abuse and neglect.

With the project revenues from oil and gas and other industries, including the new cannabis excise tax established with the opening of legal commercial sales, Gallegos said one of her priorities would be to invest in healthcare, while also pointing to a track record of bringing funds home to local law enforcement agencies in her district for vehicles and other needs. She recognized law salaries for police officers in Anthony and said, "We've got to do better by them."

"We continue to have a deficit with health care professionals in our area," she continued. "I've done several bills regarding licensure to get people down here. I've done bills to make sure that there were tax breaks for nursing personnel, because to grow our economy and to grow the health of our constituents and citizens, we need to have a good healthcare system."

She also pointed to her work helping shepherd grants for a multipurpose space in Anthony, where plans include educational facilities for arts instruction, workforce training and continuing education, as the kind of development she envisioned bringing to her district, with an eye toward posterity.

"I want there to be a place down in Anthony that that they're proud of," she said, "so that's been the dream, to make sure that that's up and going before I'm out of office."

Election Day is Nov. 8: What you need to know about voting in 2022

Early voting for the Nov. 8 election opened on Oct. 11 at the Doña Ana County Government Center at 845 North Motel Boulevard. On Oct. 22, early voting will open at more locations in the county through Nov. 5. With same-day voter registration in effect, residents can register before voting early or even on Election Day.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Gallegos and Foreman head for rematch in New Mexico House District 52