Melanie Stansbury
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's 1st district
Assumed office
June 14, 2021
Preceded byDeb Haaland
Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
from the 28th district
In office
January 15, 2019 – June 14, 2021
Preceded byJimmie C. Hall
Succeeded byPamelya Herndon
Personal details
Born
Melanie Ann Stansbury

(1979-01-31) January 31, 1979
Farmington, New Mexico, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationSaint Mary's College of California (BA)
Cornell University (MS)
WebsiteHouse website

Melanie Ann Stansbury (born January 31, 1979)[1][2] is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from New Mexico's 1st congressional district since 2021.[3] The district includes most of Albuquerque and most of its suburbs. A Democrat, Stansbury was formerly a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from the 28th district.[4]

Early life and education

Stansbury was born in Farmington, New Mexico, and raised in Albuquerque.[5] After graduating from Cibola High School in 1997,[6] she earned a Bachelor of Arts in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary's College of California in 2002.[7][8] She then earned a Master of Science in development sociology with a minor in American Indian studies from Cornell University in 2007,[9][7] where she was a PhD candidate.[10][11]

Early career

Stansbury began her career as an ecology instructor at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. As a White House Fellow, she worked as a policy advisor on the Council on Environmental Quality. She was a consultant at Sandia National Laboratories and later served as a program examiner in the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. She worked on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and as an aide to Senator Maria Cantwell.[12] Since 2017, she has worked as a consultant and senior advisor at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center of the University of New Mexico.[9]

New Mexico House of Representatives

Stansbury ran unopposed in the 2018 Democratic primary for the 28th district of the New Mexico House of Representatives. In the general election, she defeated Republican incumbent Jimmie C. Hall, who had held the seat for seven terms.[13][14]

Stansbury was again unopposed in the 2020 primary. She defeated Republican Thomas R. Stull and Libertarian Robert Vaillancourt in the general election.[13]

In the House, Stansbury introduced legislation to improve the state's energy conservation and water resource management.[15][16] She served as the vice chair of the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee.[17]

Upon Stansbury's resignation from the state legislature, the Bernalillo County Commission appointed Pamelya Herndon as her replacement.[18]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2021 special

After Joe Biden announced Deb Haaland as his nominee for United States Secretary of the Interior, Stansbury announced her campaign for the special election to fill the seat.[19] In the first round of voting by the state Democratic committee, Stansbury placed second after State Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and automatically advanced to the runoff.[20][21] In the second round of voting, she defeated Sedillo Lopez by six votes.[22] As no Republican had represented the district since 2009, The Santa Fe New Mexican labeled her "a heavy favorite".[23]

She defeated State Senator Mark Moores and former Public Lands Commissioner Aubrey Dunn Jr. in the June 1 election in a landslide.[24] Her margin of victory was slightly larger than President Biden's 23-point victory in the district in 2020, and significantly larger than Deb Haaland's in 2020 for the House.[25]

Tenure

On August 12, 2022, she voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.[26]

Stansbury was among the 46 Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[27]

During the 117th Congress, Stansbury voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.[28]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

In a questionnaire created by the Adelante Progressive Caucus, Stansbury pledged support for Medicare for All legislation, a federal assault weapons ban, the D.C. statehood movement, canceling student loan debt, federal marijuana legalization,[9] and several other progressive policies.[30] She was endorsed by abortion rights group Voteprochoice.[31]

Electoral history

Year Office[32][33] Party Votes for Stansbury  % Opponent Party Votes %
2018 New Mexico House of Representatives Green tick Democratic 7,335 53.7 Jimmie C. Hall (inc.) Republican 6,326 46.3
2020 Green tick Democratic 8,908 52.6 Thomas R. Stull[lower-alpha 1] Republican 7,252 42.8
2021 U.S. House of Representatives Green tick Democratic 79,837 60.4 Mark Moores[lower-alpha 2] Republican 47,111 35.6
2022 U.S. House of Representatives Green tick Democratic 156,462 55.7 Michelle Garcia Holmes Republican 124,151 44.2

Personal life

Stansbury lives in Albuquerque.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Libertarian Robert Vaillancourt received 780 votes (4.6%).[32]
  2. ↑ Independent Aubrey Dunn Jr. received 3,534 votes (2.7%) and Libertarian Chris Manning received 1,734 (1.3%).[34]

References

  1. ↑ Kassel, Matthew (March 16, 2021). "Haaland confirmation sets off mad scramble to claim her seat in Congress". Jewish Insider. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ Stansbury, Melanie [@MelanieforNM] (January 31, 2021). "Join us in wishing Melanie a very happy birthday!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Greenwood, Max (June 1, 2021). "Democrat Stansbury wins special election for Haaland's House seat". The Hill. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Legislator - New Mexico Legislature". www.nmlegis.gov. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ March, August (September 12, 2018). "News Interview: Setting a Course". Alibi. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ Boetel, Ryan (May 1, 2021). "Hard work, environmental advocacy shaped Stansbury". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Meet Melanie". Melanie for New Mexico. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Notable Alumni". Saint Mary's College of California. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Q&A: House District 28 Candidate Melanie Ann Stansbury". www.abqjournal.com. September 23, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Melanie Stansbury's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  11. ↑ Elliott, Christian (December 11, 2018). "From Development Sociology to the State Legislature – Alumna Melanie Stansbury wins big in New Mexico". Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  12. ↑ Akin, Stephanie (March 31, 2021). "Ex-Senate aide narrowly wins Democratic nod for Haaland seat in New Mexico". Roll Call. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "New Mexico House of Representatives District 28". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  14. ↑ Boyd, Dan (October 16, 2018). "House District 28 incumbent faces stiff challenge". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  15. ↑ Clark, Carol A. (February 20, 2019). "Rep. Stansbury Announces Critical Water Legislation". Los Alamos Daily Post. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Gov. Lujan Grisham, Rep. Stansbury announce climate and sustainability legislation bolstering plans laid out in executive order". The Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. February 16, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Melanie Ann Stansbury". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Pamelya Herndon appointed to NM House seat vacated by Rep. Melanie Stansbury". KOB 4. June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  19. ↑ Simonich, Milan (January 23, 2021). "An early contender emerges for Haaland's seat". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  20. ↑ "DPNM Announces Runoff in SCC Vote to Determine Democratic Nominee in CD-1". New Mexico Democrats. March 31, 2021.
  21. ↑ Mullan, Dillon (March 31, 2021). "Stansbury, Sedillo Lopez in runoff for Democratic nomination". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  22. ↑ Boetel, Ryan (March 31, 2021). "Stansbury chosen as Democratic nominee for special election". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  23. ↑ Simonich, Milan (April 2, 2021). "What a rally: Inside Stansbury's improbable victory". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Rep. Melanie Stansbury wins Democratic nomination for CD1 seat". KRQE News 13 Albuquerque - Santa Fe. April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  25. ↑ Cohen, Ethan; Janfaza, Rachel; Bradner, Eric (June 2, 2021). "Democrat Melanie Stansbury wins New Mexico special election for US House seat, CNN projects". CNN. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  26. ↑ "U.S. House passes Inflation Reduction Act". KOAT. August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  27. ↑ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  28. ↑ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Pelosi Announces Committee Assignments for Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury". speaker.gov. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Candidate Response Melanie Stansbury". Adelante Progressive Caucus. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Meet Our 2021 Candidates". #VOTEPROCHOICE. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  32. 1 2 "New Mexico House of Representatives District 28". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  33. ↑ "New Mexico election results". New Mexico Secretary of State. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  34. ↑ Wilham, T. J. (May 10, 2021). "Stansbury attacked from all sides in special election debate". KOAT-TV Albuquerque. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
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