Rubio elected to third term in New Mexico House

LAS CRUCES – Democratic Rep. Angelica Rubio won the Nov. 3 General Election with 61% of the votes for her third term as state representative for House District 35.

Rubio was challenged this election by businesswoman Richelle Ponder.

HD 35 consists of the Downtown Main Street, Elks Club and Amador areas.

“I am grateful for each and every one of you who made your voice heard by not only putting your faith in our democracy and getting out the vote …, but to once again uphold a mandate that we are here to serve every single person, especially those living on the margins and who have been silenced,” Rubio wrote in a Facebook post. “Your faith in me, and sending me back to Santa Fe to continue to represent you, also means that you stand for values that prioritize people over profit, equitable investments in our communities, and leaving absolutely no one behind.”

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Rubio first took office in 2017. Since her first election, she bikes up to Santa Fe for the legislative sessions in January in an effort to connect the southern and northern portions of the state.

Ponder thanked the people who voted for her, as well as Rubio, for running a positive campaign. This was her first experiencing running for a political office, and she said she was not sure at this point whether she would run again.

“We're going to take a couple of days off and kind of regroup and just contemplate what the universe has in store for us next.”

Leah Romero is a fellow with the New Mexico Local News Fund and can be reached at lromero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.