Ad
Rebecca Dow (R), recently elected as the State Representative for District 38, has felt welcomed by the residents of Socorro County. As she explores the area, she has taken the time to meet and connect with community members, listening to their concerns and learning about their needs.
Last weekend, her exploration took her to Water Canyon.
“We went all the way to the top. I saw the observatory and then the planned expansion for the larger facility. We talked about everything from UFOs to how many dimensions there are. It was really fun,” Dow said, “Even before I got elected because I planned on winning, it was just to get to know as much of the community as possible. So I’ve been down in the Bosque, and then been going on campus tours, and I’ve met with the county manager and city manager.”
On a Sunday, she makes a point to attend different churches in the community. She believes the more conversations she can have with locals, the better she understands the district and funding needs.
“People think about capital outlay, which is a pretty small amount for the way it goes, a third to the governor, a third to the Senate and a third to the house. And if the trend is true, it’s less than 3 million, I’ll get to have discretionary funding divide that between three counties,” Dow said, “You can’t really fully fund a project, so I have been spending in preparation of being back in office, my time still working with the minority office and learning and understanding the budget, because it’s a ten billion budget.”
She supports creating policy changes with CYFD, education, and economic opportunities, especially for the Socorro area.
“I’ve been digging in on the housing initiatives. There are quite a few that are available to make sure that homes that exist are healthy, safe and secure. There’s funds to remodel and to revitalize communities,” Dow said.
She said she has been volunteering at the Forget Me Not Veteran’s Park in Socorro and, last year, was able to write and secure them a grant of $375,000.
“I am trying to figure out my office space and get in there and make sure I listen to people and am responsive to their needs. We’ve already been able to work on constituent services. That’s a huge part of it,” Dow said.
On the education front, she said studies show that the strength of family is the number one indicator of student success.
Ad
“You can be in an awesome school district and have a failing student. You can be in a failing school district and have an awesome student. Parents are the number one indicator of student success,” Dow said.
For that reason, she is invested in prevention and intervention. For her, the Socorro County RISE program is good example of reducing recidivism rates and strengthening families.
“Everything is so tied together,” Dow said.
Santa Fe
In Santa Fe, she feels the representation is slanted to the left, with more progressive values than Socorro, but she works across the aisle and has a close relationship with Gail Armstrong.
“Gail and I came in as freshmen together, and you know, I was the caucus chair before she became caucus chairman, I left, and now that she’s Minority Leader, I’m caucus chair again,” Dow said.
She said almost every bill she has passed has had a Democrat co-sponsor.
“I work really hard to build relationships and find common ground so I can get stuff across the finish line,” Dow said.
She said being accessible is important to her and can be contact via cell phone, social media and email.
“I want people to know that whether they voted for me or not, I’m the representative they can come to,” Dow said, “I’m pretty easy to get a hold of; just call me.”
Dow assumed office on January 1, 2025.
She served as the state representative for District 38 from 2017 to 2022 when the district was Grant, Hidalgo, and Sierra counties.
Dow left the legislature in 2022 to run for governor, losing in the Republican primary. The same year, Tara Jaramillo (D) beat Republican Sandra Hammack to secure the House District 38 seat.
Dow reclaimed the district by a narrow 422 against incumbent Jaramillo. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Although in 2022, she ran for governor, Dow confirmed she won’t being running again.
“I chose to go back to the House because I hope to see a Republican governor, and I’ll do everything I can to help them, and they’re going to need at least a change. If we have a Republican governor, and the numbers are the same in the House as they are right now, they will get to be a veto governor. But if we can pick up more seats and we can have more balance, more caution, more debate, more deliberation, and only good bills pass, then they can be a reformer, and New Mexico can move from last in the nation.”
