2026 Governor Candidates on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Yes. New Mexicans should control their own personal information, and consent should be affirmative, plain-language, and understandable for teenagers, adults, and seniors alike. My healthcare plan calls for rigorous protections for reproductive-health, gender-affirming-care, and immigration-status records, passage of a Healthcare Info Privacy Protections Act, and a ban on digital geofencing around healthcare facilities. As Governor, I would apply that same principle more broadly: companies should not be allowed to collect, sell, or share sensitive personal information without clear, meaningful permission.

I support requiring clear, informed consent before online companies collect, sell, or share personal data, with standards that are easy for people of all ages to understand.
While serving as District Attorney, I’ve supported efforts to hold bad actors accountable and protect vulnerable populations, including in cases involving digital exploitation and emerging technology-related threats. That experience has reinforced the need for stronger safeguards as technology evolves faster than the law. As Governor, I would support stronger consumer privacy protections, including plain-language consent requirements, stronger protections for minors, and meaningful enforcement so companies are held accountable when they violate the law.

Yes. New Mexico needs clear, enforceable guardrails for surveillance technology. In Congress, I cosponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would have barred facial-recognition technology on certain police body cameras and patrol-car cameras, restricted no-knock warrants, and addressed privacy and constitutional concerns tied to those systems. As Secretary of the Interior, I oversaw policing reforms that required body-worn cameras,, and advanced more transparent and accountable law-enforcement practices. My current healthcare plan also calls for banning digital geofencing around healthcare facilities. As Governor, I would support rules that protect constitutional rights, prevent discriminatory abuse, and ensure strong transparency, oversight, and accountability for surveillance tools.

I support strong, enforceable standards to ensure these tools are used responsibly, with clear limits, transparency, and accountability. That includes requiring warrants where appropriate, addressing documented racial bias in systems like facial recognition, and ensuring independent oversight of how these technologies are deployed. Public safety cannot come at the expense of constitutional protections. These tools should be used carefully and only when they are reliable and necessary, not as a substitute for good policing. If elected, I will support policies that establish clear rules, protect Fourth Amendment rights, and prevent misuse, while still allowing law enforcement to do their jobs effectively.

Yes. I will protect and strengthen the New Mexico Civil Rights Act because it gives people a state-court remedy when their rights are violated and holds the government accountable. Throughout my career, I have worked to expand and defend civil rights. During law school, I noticed that the jury box in Laguna was used only for storage, so I took action and helped reinvigorate the jury-trial system in my community. In Congress, I cosponsored the Equality Act and the Voting Rights Advancement Act; added jurisdictional protections for survivors of domestic violence to VAWA; led the Not Invisible Act to spur action on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people; and worked to protect transgender troops in the military. As Secretary of the Interior, I created the Missing and Murdered Unit, advanced body-camera and law-enforcement transparency reforms, and uplifted stories of injustice so we could push for more equitable policies across the board. As governor, my public-safety plan supports barring officers who commit serious misconduct from returning to law enforcement and strengthening transparency and accountability. Protecting civil rights and public safety go hand in hand, and I’m committed to defending civil rights in the face of federal overreach.

The New Mexico Civil Rights Act is a critical tool for ensuring accountability and protecting constitutional rights, and I will support efforts to protect and strengthen it. I understand that public trust depends on accountability and equal treatment under the law. Civil rights protections are not optional, they are fundamental to a fair justice system. I have worked to uphold those principles by enforcing the law fairly and supporting transparency and accountability in the system. I will continue to defend the rights of all New Mexicans by supporting strong civil rights protections, ensuring access to justice, and backing policies that hold government actors accountable when those rights are violated.

Yes. We cannot arrest our way out of our crime problems. Many would make us believe that juvenile offenders are beyond help, but when I see a child who has committed a crime, I see a system that has failed a child. As Governor, I will prioritize a Youth Opportunity and Safety Initiative that invests in early intervention, a uniform statewide standard for diversion, after-school mentorship, paid internship programs, school attendance support, substance-use services, and behavioral health access. I will also invest in community support systems by expanding youth engagement on weekends and during school breaks and building stronger partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits. And I will provide stronger funding for violence intervention programs, including hiring professionals in high-risk communities to address root causes and better prevent violence from occurring in the first place. That is the smarter, safer, and more sustainable way to reduce youth violence and help young people build better futures.

Decades of “tough on crime” policies have not delivered lasting public safety. Investing in diversion, behavioral health, after-school programs, and youth employment is a smarter and more effective approach, and these priorities should be reflected in New Mexico’s budget. As DA, I’ve supported diversion and treatment options where appropriate, especially for young people, because I’ve seen how addressing root causes reduces repeat offenses. We still need accountability for serious crimes, but long-term safety comes from prevention. If elected, I will prioritize investments that keep communities safe by giving people especially youth real opportunities to succeed.

Yes. Treatment, stable housing, and supportive communities are more effective than criminalizing poverty, illness, or substance use disorder. My public-safety plan reinforces my belief that true safety cannot be built on enforcement alone. It calls for an Office of Community Safety to coordinate social workers and behavioral-health professionals; emphasizes treatment and recovery rather than incarceration; and explicitly backs a Housing First approach to homelessness. I would prioritize outpatient care, mobile clinics, crisis response, and diversion so people get help before they are pushed deeper into crisis or the criminal legal system.

Criminalizing homelessness, mental illness, and addiction is costly, ineffective, and does not make communities safer. Treatment, stable housing, and mental health support are more effective and ultimately better for public safety. In my work, I’ve supported diversion and treatment-based approaches where appropriate, recognizing that many people in the system need services, not jail. We still need accountability, but it has to be paired with real solutions that address root causes. If elected, I will prioritize expanding access to behavioral health care, supportive housing, and diversion programs because long-term safety comes from helping people stabilize and succeed, not cycling them through the system.