Albuquerque homeowner says Republican candidate doesn’t live at contested address 

Republican candidate for New Mexico House of Representatives District 27 Jahnelle Garcia has repeatedly listed her address as a home on Walnut Creek Road, which sits in the middle of the district in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. She’s listed that address in at least four campaign finance filings this year, most recently in early July.

But Daniel Olufemi, an education professor at New Mexico Highlands University’s Rio Rancho campus, told Source NM in an interview outside the home this week that he’s lived there for more than a year, which county property records confirm. He said he recently recognized Garcia’s name from campaign advertisements as the person whose mail he still receives, he said. 

“The letters come in here, and I pick them up, and I just put them back in the mailbox,” Olufemi said.

Abby Foster, a lawyer and the Democrat running against Garcia, sued Garcia, who owns several healthcare-related businesses, in the Second Judicial District Court on Monday. The lawsuit argues that Garcia violated state law that requires candidates to live in the district they hope to serve if elected. 

The lawsuit alleges, citing property records, that Garcia actually lives about 30 miles away in Los Lunas, along with her husband.

Garcia did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week from Source NM, including phone calls and text messages, and she has not yet responded to the lawsuit in court. Her campaign treasurer also did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

The lawsuit urges a judge to remove Garcia from the ballot in one of the most competitive state House races in the Nov. 3 general election cycle. Of the roughly 23,000 registered voters who live within the 6.5-square-mile district, 40% are Democrats, 34% are Republicans and 27% are “other,” according to New Mexico Secretary of State data.

Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Chair Jacob Trujillo told Source NM that he ranks House District 27 as one of the top three races this year in Bernalillo County that Republicans hope to flip. Even if Garcia were to win, however, Democrats would maintain a sizable majority in a chamber where Democrats currently outnumber Republicans 46-26.

Foster and Garcia both won primary elections this June in the only state House race that featured primaries in both Democratic and Republican races. Foster narrowly bested Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque) in the only primary legislative race in which an incumbent lost. 

Garcia also narrowly defeated her challenger, Robert “Bob” Godshall, by fewer than 100 votes in a race where 2,251 were cast. 

Godshall told Source NM on Thursday morning that he was unaware of any discrepancies in his former opponent Garcia’s address when the pair faced off in the months-long primary, though he said he will keep tabs on the lawsuit as it proceeds. 

Officials from the Republican Party of Bernalillo County, as well as the state House Republican caucus, did not respond to Source NM’s requests for comment this week.

Incumbents mostly win in contested New Mexico legislative races

New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office Deputy Secretary Sharon Pino told Source NM in an email that her office first learned of the lawsuit Wednesday and “is in the process of reviewing it” with the office that processed Garcia’s campaign filings, which is the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office. The clerk’s office did not respond to Source NM’s inquiries about whether Garcia’s initial campaign filings raised suspicion. 

Foster told Source NM earlier this week that she hopes Second Judicial District Judge Joshua Andrew Allison rules quickly on removing Garcia from the ballot, given that the Nov. 2 general election is only a few months away. 

“It goes to our values as New Mexicans,” she said. “We take pride in our well-run elections, and by running in a district that she doesn’t live in, she’s making a mockery of the system.”