New Mexico In Depth

Republican gubernatorial candidate, Duke Rodriguez, said his campaign is rooted in what he calls “the true New Mexico experience.” From growing up in a rural community and graduating at New Mexico State University to becoming the Chief Operating Officer of Lovelace, one of the largest healthcare companies in the state, to founding the cannabis company Ultra Health, Rodriguez says he has a debt to pay to New Mexico.

Sam Bregman has spent more than three decades working as an attorney in Albuquerque, and now serves Bernalillo County as district attorney. Bregman is now running as a Democrat for New Mexico governor. Bregman says his campaign for governor is shaped by his experience in the courtroom and in public office, arguing that his work has given him insight into the challenges facing everyday New Mexicans.

Former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima’s campaign for governor exceeded New Mexico’s contribution limits by more than $125,000 in in-kind support last year. He hopes to get on the fall ballot as an independent. When asked about it, Miyagishima said he received guidance from a staff member of the Secretary of State (SOS) that made him believe the amounts were allowed. In-kind contributions are goods or services provided to a candidate, rather than monetary donations.

Ken Miyagishima served as mayor of Las Cruces from 2007 through 2023, becoming the longest-serving mayor in the city’s modern history after winning four consecutive four-year terms. A Democrat for decades, he previously served on the Las Cruces City Council and the Doña Ana County Commission, building a 30-year record in municipal leadership. Now, the former Las Cruces mayor is seeking higher office as governor, but with a new political approach.

This analysis was originally published in New Mexico In Depth’s MidWeek newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter here. Lawmakers passed major changes to the state’s Medical Malpractice Act on Tuesday night, reforms they hope will curb lawsuits and limit the punitive damages doctors and hospitals can face. The theory is straightforward: reduce liability exposure, insurers lower malpractice premiums, doctors feel less besieged, and perhaps fewer leave the state.

A bill that would require lobbyists in New Mexico to publicly disclose which legislation they are working to influence and whether they support or oppose passed its final House committee a week ago, but has since lingered, waiting for a House floor vote before it can move to the Senate. Meanwhile, the legislative clock is ticking, with just five full days remaining. But its sponsor is optimistic. ‘I’m excited and ready to have my colleagues vote on this bill and send it to the Senate,” said Rep.

This article was reported and edited as part of the Local Investigations Fellowship, a New York Times program where local reporters produce investigative work about their communities. After years of missed deadlines, New Mexico is demanding that theEnergy Department expedite the cleanup of so-called legacy nuclear and hazardous waste at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, state environmental regulators announced on Wednesday.

At the end of January and into February, Democratic Rep. Sarah Silva said she received a flurry of emails from some of her constituents that appeared to be against reforms to the state’s medical malpractice laws. The messages appeared to come from the same email address, she said, but were from different people.

A new statewide study adds fresh data to whether New Mexico has a healthcare workforce shortage, a question hanging over debates at the Legislature as lawmakers grapple with a number of policy changes to help the state keep medical professionals. Hard numbers on the size of the state’s workforce of physicians and nurses and other medical professionals have proven difficult to pin down. But a recent survey of New Mexico residents finds widespread difficulty accessing care.

This analysis first published in our Midweek newsletter, which runs each Wednesday. Since 1996, the Legislature has met for 25 special sessions, including the most recent one on Monday. I’ve lived in New Mexico since 2000 and remember most of these sessions. Most weren’t emergencies. They often came from the tension of divided government — Republican governors fighting with Democratic lawmakers — or from governors pushing lawmakers on a pet policy issue.