After months of intrigue and uncertainty, Gov. Lujan Grisham finally fills open House seat

SANTA FE — After three months of intrigue and uncertainty, a vacant House seat in west-central New Mexico has finally been filled.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Wednesday appointed Martha Garcia of Pine Hill to the House District 6 seat that had been empty since late November.

The appointment of Garcia, a Democrat and former Cibola County commissioner, comes as lawmakers are entering the final weeks of this year’s 60-day legislative session.

Garcia is expected to take the oath of office and join the House by Thursday, a House Democratic caucus spokeswoman said.

But some important deadlines for this year’s session have already passed, as Wednesday was the deadline for lawmakers to submit capital outlay funding requests.

The House District 6 seat stretches from Grants west to the state’s border with Arizona and had previously been held by Democrat Eliseo Alcon of Milan.

Alcon had held the seat since 2009 but stepped down in November due to health issues. He died last month at age 74.

County commissioners in the two counties encompassed by the district — McKinley and Cibola — initially nominated former Rep. Harry Garcia, D-Grants, for the seat.

But the governor said last month she would not appoint Garcia, after an investigation by Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s office determined the ex-lawmaker did not appear to actually reside at the address he’d listed on his revised voter registration form.

After that development, the county commissions sent two new names to the governor: Martha Garcia and ex-Sen. Clemente Sanchez of Grants.

However, Lujan Grisham also asked the attorney general to investigate residency concerns surrounding Sanchez before making her decision to appoint Garcia.

In a statement announcing her appointment, the governor alluded to the eligibility issues.

“I’m proud to appoint Martha Garcia, whose proven leadership as a former Cibola County Commissioner and clear qualification as a district resident make her the right choice to serve the people of House District 6,” Lujan Grisham said Wednesday.

The appointment of Garcia, who is Diné, brings the number of Native American legislators at the Roundhouse to nine.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren had urged the governor to appoint Garcia, as had a group of tribal delegates and Native American lawmakers.

Meanwhile, the appointment is not expected to significantly alter the political dynamics of the House, as Democrats will have a 44-26 majority in the chamber once Garcia takes the oath of office.

However, it could impact the fate of some hotly debated bills. For instance, a bill creating a state-run paid family leave program died on the House floor last year by a two-vote margin.

It’s not unusual for vacancies in New Mexico legislative seats to occur due to resignations or deaths of incumbents. But the vacancy in House District 6 lasted for one of the longest periods in recent state history — a total of 93 days — and covered more than half of this year’s session.

Per the state Constitution, vacancies in legislative seats that encompass more than one county are filled by the governor. However, the governor is limited to choosing from a list of names submitted to her by the local county commissions.