GOP legislative candidate faces hard-hitting mailers about past domestic violence conviction

SANTA FE — A Republican legislative candidate in Albuquerque is coming under fire after police reports detailing his past convictions for domestic violence and resisting a law enforcement officer have surfaced in campaign mailers.

Nathan Brooks has attributed the incidents — which occurred in 2005 and 2007 — to his past struggles with alcoholism, saying he learned from the experiences and turned his life around.

But his opponent in the House District 68 race, incumbent Democrat Charlotte Little, said Brooks’ criminal record raises serious questions about his fitness to hold public office.

“This decision is in the hands of the voters, but certainly I don’t believe a repeat violent offender should be making laws for the people of New Mexico,” Little said in a Friday statement.

Her campaign has sent out campaign mailers highlighting Brooks’ criminal history, along with other mailers touting Little’s legislative record.

House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, has also weighed in, with a political committee he leads launching digital ads targeting Brooks’ record.

The Speaker of the House on Friday described Brooks’ crimes as “absolutely horrific.”

“While I believe in rehabilitation and second chances, we are talking about a man who violently beat and threatened to kill his wife, in addition to assaulting an officer, and getting arrested multiple times for DWI,” Martínez said.

Brooks was charged with domestic violence in 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, after witnesses said they saw him repeatedly kick and punch his then-wife in a liquor store parking lot, according to a police report.

Responding police officers wrote in their report they found both Brooks and his wife lying on the ground, adding Brooks’ wife was spitting out blood and had a purple lump above her eye.

Brooks eventually pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge and was ordered to undergo counseling and pay a fine.

Two years later, law enforcement reports indicate Brooks bit and tried to kick a police officer during a 2007 drunken driving arrest in Albuquerque.

He was initially charged with battery on a police officer in connection with the incident, though the charge was eventually dismissed when Brooks pleaded guilty to resisting an officer and aggravated drunken driving.

Brooks, who is currently the executive director of a commercial Realtors group, is making his first run for elected office this year and won a contested primary race in June to win the GOP nomination.

He told the Journal he has taken “full responsibility” for his actions and worked hard to turn his life around.

“Those experiences from almost 20 years ago, while difficult, helped me grow as a person and fueled my desire to serve the community in a positive way,” Brooks said, adding he has been sober for years.

He also expressed optimism that voters would value his attempts at rebuilding his life, though he said he was not surprised his past misdemeanor convictions were being brought up in the race.

Brooks said he and his ex-wife are no longer married and they remain on good terms.

He also said in response to a Journal candidate questionnaire that he supports tougher penalties for repeat criminal offenders.

The House District 68 encompasses a swath of Northwest Albuquerque. The seat has been a key swing district in recent years, though a Democrat has held it for every year since 2019.