NM Native Vote Endorsements

Veronica Krupnik is running in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 24. Krupnik currently works as Leadership Analyst for the Office of House Majority Leader Representative Gail Chasey. Previously, she worked as Program Coordinator for CASA, Lead Community Facilitator for Tewa Women United’s Tribal Youth Program, and as a Data Use & Capacity Workgroup Consultant for Casey Family Programs.

Her volunteer and leadership experience includes serving as Vice President for CASA’s board, Co-founder of CASA’s Young Professional Philanthropists Initiative, Chair of the Young Democrats of Santa Fe County, and as a volunteer for the Santa Fe Indigenous Center. She also served a 3-year term on the National Foster Youth and Alumni Policy Council, where she advocated for children navigating immigration status.

Krupnik is motivated to run for Senate District 24 by her lived experience as an Indigenous Commit leader and profound commitment to advocating for the rights and resources of children and families. She is also focused on addressing the historical underrepresentation of American Indian/Alaskan Native communities in elected offices, and is motivated by her first hand experience with the foster care system in New Mexico.

Her priorities include transitioning New Mexico to fully renewable energies, increasing pay for educators across the state, and establishing a tribal education fund. Additionally, she would focus on immigration policies that move us away from detaining immigrants and towards more human centered policies. She also supports LGBTQ2S+ liberation, working families, and a 32-hour work week. She has a track record of providing essential context and policy support on education, healthcare, and issues and priorities relating to the protection of children and families in New Mexico, specifically those system-impacted by child welfare, and also worked on the Dignity Not Detention Act (SB145). She supports the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program through HUD, and is committed to making significant investments in holistic community safety beyond policing.

We recommend Veronica Krupnik for Senate District 24 based on her community organizing experience, policy work, and lived experience.

Angel Charley is running in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 30, which is currently an open seat. 

Charley is currently the Executive Director of IllumiNative, and previously worked as Executive Director for Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. Her volunteer experience includes serving on the boards of the Laguna Federation of Democratic Women, Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence, Albuquerque Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) Collaborative, City of Albuquerque’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Commission, and as Board Chair for Native American Professional Parent Resources, Inc. She is also a graduate of Laguna High School and the University of Hawaii. 

Charley’s track record in improving the lives of rural and Native/Indigenous New Mexicans is well known, including working to pass the Indian Families Protection Act in 2022, supporting COVID-19 pandemic response measures for tribal communities, and her efforts on New Mexico’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Task Force. She has also testified in front of Congress as an expert on MMIW and is a member of the White House Trilateral Working Group. 

Her priorities include expanding access to community health centers, updating the Renewable Portfolio Standards to include New Mexico’s Tribal communities, increasing infrastructure investment in rural and tribal communities, and direct assistance to help those facing housing crises through measures like rent control or down payment assistance for homebuyers. She also supports the modernization efforts around reforming New Mexico’s legislature so that working people and full-time parents can not only run for office but also interact with lawmakers more effectively. 

We highly recommend Angel Charley for Senate District 30 based on her experience in community organizing, nonprofit management, public health and healthcare access, and advocating for Indigenous New Mexicans.

Christopher Brian Hudson is running against incumbent Patricia Lundstrom in the Democratic Primary for House District 9.

Hudson works as Coordinator for the McKinley Community Health Alliance, and previously worked in public health and community outreach with Strong Families New Mexico. His volunteer experience includes community organizing for Somos Gallup and We Own It, serving as a board member for NM Alliance of Health Councils, as a lead for the NM Together for Healthcare campaign, and a founding board member of the NW NM Indigenous Women’s Resource Council. Hudson is a UNM graduate, Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient, and was also named 2019 Rural Health Star by the Center for Health Innovation.

Hudson is motivated to run for HD9 because of his passion for community organizing, public health, and serving rural areas of the state. His priorities include increased healthcare and behavioral health access, protections for workers and their families, protections and equitable access for LGBTQ2s+ community members, increased investment in and options for affordable housing, and modernizing the legislature to ensure all New Mexicans are able to serve.

Additionally, Hudson supports active and inclusive consultation with tribal governments and nations, increased investment in renewable energy, protecting clean air and water, and a just transition away from oil and gas industries.

We recommend Christopher Hudson based on his track record of advocating for healthcare access and education, and for his experience in public outreach and community organizing for House District 9.

Greg Seeley is running against incumbent Representative Marian Matthews in the Democratic Primary for House District 27. Seeley is a veteran in the U.S. Air Force who served on active duty for 11 years, including a year-long deployment to Afghanistan for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service and US Air Force Combat Action medals. Seeley was medically retired honorably from active duty in December 2016 and began working for the New Mexico Veterans Integration Center, a non-profit serving Veterans & Military Families.

In addition to Seeley's time working with Veterans, he has also worked as Federal Funding Coordinator for the City of Albuquerque, Field Representative for US Senator Ben Ray Luján’s office, and Military Legislative Aide to U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland. More recently, Seeley served as the Federal Funding Coordinator for the City of Albuquerque and founded Guardian Consulting Group, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, where he is a consultant. 

Seeley's priorities include enhancing educational opportunities, supporting veterans, driving economic growth, ensuring healthcare accessibility, protecting the environment, and family support. He seeks increased funding for schools, more support for teachers, and investing in programs preparing students for various post-secondary opportunities. Additional priorities include supporting small businesses and investing in infrastructure to stimulate local growth along with measures to combat climate change and preserve natural resources. Additionally, Seeley supports the Paid Family Medical Leave and increasing investments in affordable childcare. 

We highly recommend Greg Seeley for House District 27 based on his diverse experience and commitment to passing a robust Paid Family Medical Leave policy along with his other priorities.

Michelle “Paulene” Abeyta is running against incumbent Harry Garcia in the Democratic Primary for House District 69. 

Abeyta is an attorney and member of the Navajo Nation from To’hajiilee, New Mexico. She holds a Juris Doctor degree with a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, and is also a graduate of the University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College. She serves on the To’hajiilee Community School Board of Education and the National Native American Bar Association Board. She previously served on the Woman, Infants & Children (WIC) Board for the Acoma-Canoncito-Laguna Service Unit, the Canoncito Band of Navajos Health Center, Inc. Board, and the National Native American Law Students Association. 

Abeyta’s desire to be a voice for the people, lived experience organizing for workers rights, and frustration with current representation are what motivate her to run for House District 69. Her priorities are education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, including access to reproductive health in rural areas via school based health centers and school nurses, increased investment in child care providers and early childhood educators, and shifting to jobs in clean and renewable energy through workforce development and training. She supports modernizing the state legislature so there is more fair compensation and staffing for legislators in order for a range of people to be able to participate. 

Abeyta also supports Paid Family Medical Leave legislation, increasing the state’s minimum wage to ensure a living wage, and more investment in funding for mental health and substance use disorder healthcare programs. With respect to affordable housing, Abeyta is in support of more affordable housing options including micro-housing communities in areas with minimal or no infrastructure. She also supports abolishing the rent control ban and increased protections for renters. Additionally, Abeyta is in support of LGBTQ+ rights and supports environmental protections, including reducing the state’s dependence on oil and gas, and closely consulting with tribal governments to ensure that natural resources and lands are respected and valued. 

We highly recommend Michelle ‘Paulene’ Abeyta based on her focus on education, policy/good governance, and healthcare, as well as support for LGBTQ+ rights and protections.

Anita Gonzales is running against incumbent Ambrose Castellano in the Democratic Primary for House District 70. 

Gonzales currently works as Deputy Director for New Mexico Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (NM MESA). Previously, she worked for NM Mesa as a Program Coordinator as well as the City of Las Vegas. Her volunteer experience includes serving as President for the San Miguel County Federation of Democratic Women, Vice Chair of the Sierra Club’s Rio Grande Chapter Executive Committee, President of Acequia de los Madres Vigiles, President of the Las Vegas Rotary Club, and on the boards of the NM Acequia Association and San Miguel County Family & Community Health Council. Gonzales was named a public Service Honoree by the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce and received the National Leadership in Expanding Diversity in Technology Award from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE). 

Gonzales is motivated to run for House District 70 because of her experience advocating for women and children, her passion for water and the role of acequias in Northern NM, and her desire to increase representation in science, tech, engineering and math fields. 

Her priorities include education, access to healthcare, investing in rural and small town infrastructure, and protecting public lands and natural resources. Among the specific initiatives she is proposing are increasing teacher salaries, adding STEM curriculum and pathways, investing in early childhood programs, expanding funding for healthcare and social services including mental health and addiction treatment programs as well as increased telehealth options, expanding the state’s rural healthcare tax credit, affordable housing through rental assistance vouchers and tax credits, promoting local agriculture and food production, restoring land and forests and ensuring traditional and agricultural uses of water, and establishing and funding a grant program to expand rural broadband. 

Additionally, Gonzales supports fair wages and safe working conditions, each person’s right to full control over their own reproductive healthcare decisions, full rights and protections for LGBTQ+ community members, and a just and humane immigration policy centered on community support, asylum processing, and humanitarian needs.

We highly recommend Anita Gonzales for House District 70 based on her track record across education, conservation, and the environment, along with her experience in community outreach and engagement.