Middle school teacher throws name in to take vacant Democratic ballot spot for House District 53

The Recycled Roadrunner sculpture overlooks Las Cruces and the Organ Mountains on May 29, 2024. House District 53, which includes portions of Las Cruces, southeast Doña Ana and Otero County is seeking a new Democratic candidate for the upcoming general election. (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source New Mexico)

Kasey Peña, a teacher at Lynn Community Middle School in Las Cruces, is seeking the nomination for House District 53 after the withdrawal of Jon Hill, the Democratic candidate in the race.

The district spans much of southeast Doña Ana, and includes a chunk of Otero County. It includes a variety of rural colonias, including Chaparral, and portions of Las Cruces. The replacement candidate will face Republican Elizabeth Winterrowd in the general election.

Seven members of the Democratic party’s State Central Committee who live in the district will consider and approve the replacement later this month. Daniel Garcia, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of New Mexico said that the Aug. 22 selection meeting will not be open to the public.

Peña, 36, is the third person seeking to be the replacement Democratic party candidate.

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Last week, Rep. Willie Madrid (D-Chaparral) who lost to Hill in the June primary, put forward his name. Also joining the bid is Sarah Silva, a community organizer from Las Cruces and first-time candidate.

Peña lives in Las Cruces but said she is working to connect with rural colonias communities in the district.

“I’ve always connected to New Mexico as a safe place, full of hope and possibility, and it created the potential for positive paths forward,” she said. “So, as I drive through Chaparral and I see the realities of a neglected community, it really resonated with me.”

The House District 53 campaign is the first for Peña.

Her experience in civil engineering would help address rural communities’ aging or neglected infrastructure, she said.

She supports paid family leave, saying that her experience of taking unpaid parental leave with her three children left her in a place trying to balance her children’s needs and her own.

“I 100% experienced the reality of having to make the voice of staying, home, starting a family, bonding with your newborn baby and the financial reality,” she said.

On Monday, Peña announced endorsements from high-profile Las Cruces Democratic women.

Endorsements in her first race

In a press release, six current and former officeholders requested the State Central Committee choose Kasey Peña as the replacement candidate for the Democratic nominee for House District 53.

Endorsements include:

State Sen. Carrie Hamblen

State Rep. Angelica Rubio

Las Cruces City Councilor Yvonne Flores

Las Cruces Public School Board President Teresa Tenorio

Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart

Former Las Cruces Mayor Pro-Tem Kassandra Gandara