ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Ahead of the special election for the First Congressional District of New Mexico, two candidates looking to replace Democrat Deb Haaland in Congress participated in a debate Monday, May 10 on Fox New Mexico.

The two candidates gave a spirited debate Monday evening. They answered questions on immigration, crime in the Duke City, and topics related to the workforce such as the minimum wage.

Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury and Republican Senator Mark Moores are among the candidates vying for the position to represent New Mexico’s Congressional District 1, as now former Congresswoman Deb Haaland is serving as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Both Stansbury and Moores are state lawmakers, with Moores having served in the Roundhouse since 2013 and Stansbury having held her position since 2019.

A Republican, Moores is a New Mexico businessman originally from Washington D.C. He is a co-owner of a Roswell-based medical diagnostic testing firm called Pathology Consultants of New Mexico. He has a B.A. in political science and a master’s degree in business from the University of New Mexico.

Democrat Melanie Stansbury is a scientist originally from Albuquerque. In recent years, she worked for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Senate in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Stansbury has a B.A. in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary’s College in California and a master’s degree of science in development from Cornell University.

During the hour-long debate, there were no opening statements and candidates got a minute and 30 seconds to answer the questions. Each candidate was also given a minute to make a closing statement. This was the fourth debate for Congressional District 1 candidates.

Meet the Candidates

Voters across central New Mexico will choose Haaland’s replacement through the special election on June 1, 2021. Early voting started on Tuesday, May 4 with additional early voting locations opening on May 15. The last day of early voting is on May 29.

To register to vote, update voter registration, or request an absentee ballot visit the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website.