Rebecca Dow

Healthcare: Residents of rural New Mexico often travel significant distances for medical care and face shortages of doctors and other providers. What should the Legislature do to improve access to affordable health care in communities throughout District 38?

My priority is to put patients, not insurance companies, first. Rural New Mexicans should not have to drive hours for basic care or wait months to see a provider. The Legislature should strengthen rural hospitals and clinics, expand telehealth where it makes sense, and focus on recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses, behavioral health providers and other professionals in rural communities.

We should also reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers that make it harder to practice and provide care in underserved areas. New Mexico has made progress on insurance coverage, but having an insurance card does not guarantee access or affordability.

We need to focus on lowering the actual cost of care, increasing price transparency, and making sure public healthcare dollars are reaching patients and providers—not simply adding more layers of bureaucracy. Rural communities need solutions that recognize their unique challenges rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Affordability and the rural economy: What should the Legislature do to reduce the cost of housing, food, utilities and health care while creating more good-paying jobs in the smaller and rural communities of District 38?

We need to make it possible for people to live, work and raise a family in rural New Mexico. That means increasing the supply of affordable housing, including smaller homes and homeownership opportunities, while reducing unnecessary barriers to construction.

We should continue investing in rural infrastructure and support small businesses, local employers and workforce training that lead to good-paying jobs. State economic-development programs should be accessible to rural communities—not just the largest cities. Recent state programs have demonstrated that targeted training and local economic-development investments can support rural jobs and businesses.

Water and economic development: Communities throughout District 38 face limited water resources while also pursuing economic development, including proposed data centers and other large projects. What requirements should the state place on developments that require substantial amounts of water or energy, and under what circumstances should the state reject a project?

Economic development cannot come at the expense of New Mexico's water future. Any large project should have to demonstrate that it has a sustainable, legally available water supply, account for its full water demand, and demonstrate how it will affect the surrounding community and existing water users. Water conservation, reuse and efficiency should be part of the equation from the beginning.

The state already evaluates water demand and availability in development decisions; all projects should be subject to scrutiny. I would reject a project when the water supply is not sustainable, the project would threaten existing water users or communities, or the long-term public cost outweighs the demonstrated benefit. Economic development should strengthen rural communities, not leave them paying the bill.

Government accountability: What changes would you support to make state government and the Legislature more transparent and accountable, including disclosure of lobbying activity and the influence of organizations and businesses seeking to shape state policy?

One standard. Full disclosure. No special exemptions. If you are trying to influence public policy, the public has a right to know who is behind that effort. No loopholes, no special exemptions and no hidden influence. I support closing loopholes in our lobbying laws so there is one clear standard of disclosure—regardless of how an organization is structured or its tax status.

Lobbyists and organizations seeking to influence legislation should disclose who they represent, what bills or policies they are lobbying, what position they are taking, who is funding that lobbying and what is being spent. I also support making this information easy for the public to search, understand and track—not buried in paperwork. Transparency should not depend on whether someone is lobbying for-profit or through a nonprofit.

New Mexico has a large nonprofit sector, and nonprofits can play an important role in our communities. But nonprofit status should never become a loophole for political influence or a way to hide who is funding advocacy. We should also have clear safeguards around state contracts so public dollars are awarded based on qualifications and public benefit—not political connections or advocacy relationships. If an organization is influencing government, the public should be able to see it.

The Bulletin asked each Dona Ana County candidate four questions to allow voters to assess where the candidates stands on important issues heading into the election. The questions vary for each office, but are the same for every candidate running for the same office.