Health concerns upend House bid, opens ballot to southern New Mexican Democrats

Thunderheads build over the Organ Mountains in the afternoon of Tuesday August, 1, 2023. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)

The Democratic bubble on the ballot for House District 53 could have a new name for voters in the upcoming election – or potentially, a familiar one.

Jon Hill withdrew his bid last week, saying he fell ill after his Democratic primary win for the southern New Mexico house seat in June.

“As a cancer survivor, I know that these symptoms are not normal,” he wrote in a statement announcing the end of his campaign on Friday. “While we are waiting on an official diagnosis, I have come to the realization that I cannot effectively communicate with my supporters and our communities.”

Hill will now have to be replaced by the New Mexico Democratic Party, who have already begun taking names for a replacement to challenge Republican candidate Elizabeth Winterrowd in the general election.

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In the next step, Democratic party members of the State Central Committee will consider and approve a replacement later this month. Any member of the party living in District 53 can put forward their name for consideration and can present at the Aug. 22 meeting, said Daniel Garcia, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

Hill, a former school board member, superintendent and teacher, ousted Rep. Willie Madrid (D-Chaparral) in June’s Democratic primary, winning 58% of the 1,090 votes cast.

District 53 spans most of eastern Doña Ana County to the southern border and includes a portion of Otero County. The district includes portions of Las Cruces and Anthony. It encompasses many small rural communities such as Chaparral, Butterfield Park and Organ.

There are seven members of the State Central Committee who will be able to vote for the replacement Democratic candidate at the meeting on Aug. 22. Garcia said he did not know if the meeting would be open to the public. After the selection is made, he said, the party will notify the New Mexico Secretary of State of the choice to change the ballot.

Who’s in the running right now?

In the withdrawal announcement, Hill endorsed Sarah Silva to replace him on the ballot.

“Sarah shares my vision for long-term economic and social growth while building on our strengths to improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans,” he said.

Silva, 43, grew up  in Vado, one of the 37 colonias in Doña Ana county. She is a longtime organizer in Las Cruces who owns a social movement coaching and consulting business. Silva’s partner Heath Haussaman, a longtime political journalist, has contributed opinion pieces to Source NM .

When asked how she could connect with rural communities, Silva said she’d lean on her organizing background, pointing to eight years of work in Chaparral on infrastructure and helping people secure temporary legal immigration status under DACA.

“Really, my strategy is building relationships,” she said.

Silva told Source NM that she supports paid family leave, and pointed to her organizing efforts to raise minimum wage in 2014 . She said families need more support from the state.

“What we’re seeing now is, rather than supporting people when things get rough, we’re criminalizing them when they can’t make ends meet,” she said.

If selected by the state party, the house district race would be the first time Silva has run for office.

Madrid, 65, told Source NM on Tuesday that wants to reclaim his seat.

“I think the representative for District 53 should be from Chaparral,” he said, naming his hometown colonia.

Madrid was first voted into the seat in 2019. He pointed to his record of narrow wins , saying that voters keep picking him because he is “down to earth,” and reliable.

Madrid was one of three House Democrats to lose in the primaries after voting against paid family and medical leave last session. While clearing the Senate, the bill narrowly lost in a 36-34 vote in the House , with 10 Democrats joining Republicans to vote it down.

Madrid defended his vote again on Tuesday.

“I would not impose something that’s not good for everybody in the whole state of New Mexico,” he said.

He said the bill was not moderate enough, but said he would be open to voting for a bill that would put less strain on smaller businesses, a problem noted in the bill’s fiscal impact report .

On Tuesday, Garcia said he was aware of only these two people as considerations to replace Hill as the Democratic nominee for House District 53.

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