Digital Assignment Editor
KOAT Action 7 News and the Partners for Impact at the Albuquerque Journal and News Radio KKOB have teamed up to bring the candidates vying for the Congressional District 1 seat to debate the issues important to New Mexico.
Republican candidate Ndidiamaka Okpareke and Democratic candidate Melanie Stansbury are both vying for the spot to represent New Mexico’s first congressional district in Washington, D.C.
Question 1: What do you feel is the number one issue facing CD-1 Constituents
Stansbury: “Well, it is very clear that the number one issue is the fact that New Mexicans are struggling right now. As a native New Mexican born and raised in a working family right here in our community, I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet and our people right now are hurting. They can’t put a roof over their head, food on the table, and gas in their tank. We need to end this war, end the tariffs, end the disastrous economic policies of the current president and we need to make investments in our communities. That’s why I’ve been bringing home millions of dollars for housing, food assistance, fighting against the cuts to your Medicare and Medicaid and food assistance, and fighting every single day for New Mexico and bringing resources home so that every New Mexican can thrive.”
Okpareke: “It’s very interesting that our current congresswoman touts the fact that she has poured millions of dollars into our district. It’s unfortunate because there’s not one single family that can say that they’ve seen the difference from federal dollars in our district right now. Right now, families are struggling, including mine. As a business owner and a mother, I’ve gone through my own trials and tribulations. But the thing that we need most is something that is going to use their voice and advocate for every single family right here in the district. Advocate for our healthcare, advocate for economic security, job creation, and affordability.”
Stansbury: “It’s very clear that New Mexicans are struggling, and we know that federal programs are vital to our economy. Whether that’s our scientists and our military who serve here at Kirtland Air Force Base or whether that’s New Mexicans who depend on Medicaid and Medicare to access healthcare. These aren’t handouts; this is how people survive in our communities, and I’m here to stand strong and defend our people against the disastrous policies of this president and the GOP.”
Question 2: What would you do to bring down the price of gas?
Okpareke: “Well, I’m so thankful that everyone in this district, we made it through the terrible Biden administration where inflation reached upwards of 20-21%. We made it through, you guys; that means that we’re champions. But we still have a long way to go, and the way to overcome the current crisis that we are facing is by putting more money in your pocket. The way that we do that is by cutting taxes. The way that we do that is by creating jobs and giving you economic opportunity. We open up the industry. For example, we could have pharmaceutical manufacturing plants right here in New Mexico where we make the medication that we consume.”
Stansbury: “Well, the most immediate way that we end this disastrous inflation on our communities is by ending the illegal and unconstitutional war in Iran, which is driving up the cost of gas and food all across New Mexico and harming our communities. We also have to end the tariffs, reverse the disastrous cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and food programs, and we have to continue to bring home generational investments in education, economic development, rebuilding our infrastructure, and investing in our young people because that is how we chart a future for our state.”
Question 3: Are New Mexico’s policies hurting our students? What’s the solution for digging out of this academic deterioration?
Stansbury: “As a native New Mexican and a proud graduate of Cibola High School and APS schools K-12, I know that public schools can change lives, as they’ve changed mine. What I also know is that we have to be investing in our students from early childhood education through their entire academic careers. And that is why I was proud as your congresswoman to carry the federal legislation to make generational investments to make New Mexico the first state in the country to guarantee free childcare and early childhood education and have brought millions of dollars home for K-12 schools, early education, colleges, and for trade programs because that is how we change courses by investing in our people and in our kids.”
Okpareke: “Everyone at home, please listen to me clearly. The job of a congresswoman is to create laws. Right now, we have a congresswoman who has created absolutely no laws. What is she doing in Washington? It’s very easy to say that you’ve secured federal dollars for the district, but we are 50th in education. That’s not a misnumber and not anything that you or I don’t understand. We know that it’s very important for our children to be global leaders. In order to have that happen, we need to have serious people in Congress who are effective leaders and will create the change that we need to see. No more rhetoric, no more gaslighting; just let us know if you can do the job or not, and her record shows that she cannot.”
The candidates also discussed a range of other topics, including which states New Mexico should look to as models for improving education. Okpareke said New Mexico should follow Mississippi’s lead in restoring a focus on the fundamentals of education, while Stansbury highlighted legislation she helped pass in Congress to make New Mexico a national leader in early childhood education, saying the state is leading the nation in that area.
Other topics included whether enough has been done to release the Epstein files, changes to Medicaid set to take effect in January and what the candidates would say to people who could lose coverage, and how the federal government should respond to allegations of DEA involvement in “fentanyl walking.”
The candidates were also asked whether they would commit to going without pay during another government shutdown, shared their positions on the use of artificial intelligence, and discussed what federal economic or workforce policies they would support to address the root causes of food insecurity.
See the full debate with all topics discussed here.
