KRWG Public Media is covering the New Mexico State Representative race for district 37. Democratic candidate Matilda Villalobos spoke to Noah Raess.
Noah Raess:
Can you tell us about your background and how has that prepared you to serve in office?
Matilda Villalobos:
Yes, of course. So, I was a teen mom. I had my oldest son when I was only 17 years old. I was in survival mode at that point. I relied on public programs to survive, but with the help of public assistance programs, I was able to fight my way through college and then law school and into public service, ultimately becoming a federal prosecutor at the United States Attorney's Office in Las Cruces, where my career focused on prosecuting, sexual abuse and child exploitation cases, as well as, civil rights violations. And then after the last presidential election, I left the United States Attorney's office, and I started my own law firm here in Las Cruces, where my firm's focus is, it's just me but I'm a solo practitioner, my firm focuses on indigent representation, so I primarily represent people in federal court who cannot afford their own attorney. So most of my clients are charged with immigration matters in federal court. I think this background helped shape a lot of why I'm running. A lot of New Mexicans are having to live in survival mode right now because they're, you know, working hard, raising kids, serving their communities, but housing, grocery prices, utility prices and health care keeps getting more expensive and I know what it feels like to struggle with those things. I know what it feels like to feel like you're just surviving every day. So I think that lived experience, understanding what so many New Mexicans are going through really helped prepare me to serve in this role. And also my background, my career, taking on people who abuse power, you know, whether that's child predators, corrupt officials or now standing up to Trump's agenda in court, that all shapes why I'm running. I'm running because New Mexicans deserve someone who will fight the way I have fought, to keep our city affordable and livable and to protect the people of our community.
Noah Raess:
Can you expand on why you are running for office?
Matilda Villalobos:
Of course. So, like I said, throughout my career, I've been in the situations where, you know, we're presented with cases, and people say that case is too hard, but when we're talking about cases where, you know, kids are being sexually abused and exploited, I find that an unacceptable answer. So I always took on those cases that people said were too hard. I stood up for people, when it was tough. And I'm running because now is a time, as we're facing the attacks from our federal government, that we need people who are willing to stand up when it's tough and fight back to protect the people in our community and I am the person to do that. I have that track record of doing that. I stand up to Donald Trump and his agenda every day in federal court, and I am running because I am ready to stand up for New Mexicans and protect us from the attacks from our federal government, and make sure that I'm helping make life more affordable for all New Mexicans, because I understand what it feels like to be one step back away from losing everything.
Noah Raess:
What do you believe are the top issues in your district?
Matilda Villalobos:
I believe that the top issue is affordable affordability because it really touches everything else. If people can't afford their housing, their childcare, health care, groceries, utility bills, then of course other things like education and public safety are going to suffer. So to me, the priority is making life more affordable and lowering everyday costs for New Mexicans. So, you know, that looks like expanding the child tax credit, ending taxes on Social Security distributions, stopping Wall Street and corporate investors from buying up New Mexico, cracking down on predatory landlords, expanding affordable housing, construction of first time homebuyer programs. Really, to me, what we are facing is an affordability crisis, and I am focused on making sure we're putting money back into families pockets, through tax relief and stronger consumer protections that protect the normal New Mexicans and not the corporations who are trying to squeeze us out.
Noah Raess:
How would you successfully address those issues?
Matilda Villalobos:
So I do think I talked about a lot of that right there. So, like I said, expanding the child tax credit. That's one way that we can directly help families have the money to get themselves out of survival mode and be able to focus on other things like helping, you know, build a thriving community. So many of our seniors in our community are living on a fixed income with Social Security, and we're one of the few states who taxes Social Security distributions. Ending that would be important to me. Also, we're watching things like algorithmic AI pricing being used to exploit New Mexicans, whether that's with housing, rental prices or at the grocery store, and so I think we need to pass extremely prop, extremely strong consumer protection, laws to help address these, price gouging that we're seeing. I also want us to invest in clean energy so we can, help lower utility costs long term and make sure that those come with good union jobs while we're investing in that so that we're we're we're making life more affordable for New Mexicans while also increasing our work, our trained and skilled workforce to make sure that people are also making a living wage.
Noah Raess:
Finally, what else do you think is important for voters to know about you and your campaign?
Matilda Villalobos:
So I think it's important for people to know that I have the skill set, that I know how to fight effectively when the stakes are high. So my entire career has been built around, and not just my career but my life, has been built around stepping into hard situations and delivering results. Right at 17 years old, when I became a mom, life was extremely hard, but I didn't let those difficulties stop me and fortunately I had access to public assistance programs, but I used those programs to help me not just as a hand out, but a hand up. Those hard situations are where I stand up, where sometimes others aren't able to. And I try to be a voice for those who need an advocate, someone to be their voice, fighting for them. Like I said, I've prosecuted child exploitation in civil rights cases. I've taken on abuse of power cases, and I want people to know that I am going to use that same experience to fight back, to protect New Mexico against harmful federal policies targeting immigrants, working families, targeting our women's rights, targeting our LGBTQ communities. I will be the person who will stand up and fight back even when it's hard. I also think it's important to know that I know how to connect policy to real people's lives, because I've lived those experiences. When I talk about that, we need to make life more affordable so that people aren't just worried about surviving, that's coming from my lived experience. I've worried about paying my bills. I've relied on public programs. I've worked my way up from being a teenage mom to a federal prosecutor, and now a small business owner who also defends people in federal court whose rights are being attacked by the federal government. That combination of lived experience and courtroom experience matters because people want someone who understands both the struggles families face and how to actually navigate those systems to get results. And that is me. I have those experiences.
