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Rio Rancho pharmacist running for Congress
Ndidiamaka Okpareke
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A Rio Rancho pharmacist and business owner, Ndidiamaka “Didi” Okpareke, announced Wednesday she plans to run as a Republican candidate for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District seat in 2026.
The 1st Congressional District includes some of the state’s densest metro areas, representing the bulk of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. The seat is held by Democrat Melanie Stansbury.
Okpareke, 41, trained as a pharmacist at the University of New Mexico and opened her own compounding pharmacy in 2017. She has never held or run for political office before.
“But I’ve served our community for almost 20 years as a pharmacist … and I always say to myself, why not? You should step up to the plate and contribute what you have to make your environment better,” Okpareke said.
Okpareke plans to focus her campaign on health care and the exodus of health care providers from New Mexico.
“We have about 61 endocrinologists in the state of New Mexico with a population of, what, 2.2 million people. How do you only have 61 endocrinologists?” she said.
She’s also concerned with increases to the cost of living and making New Mexico a more appealing place to live. She believes life was very different for her parents when they immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria, and for herself growing up in California and Albuquerque compared to life for her three children.
“It’s a scary terrain because it makes me feel like, what’s going to be left for my children when they turn 25 and 30 years old? Is the American Dream still going to be accessible?” she said.
