State Sen. Hamblen's reelection bid faces stiff challenge from Barncastle Salopek

Elected in 2020, Carrie Hamblen was among multiple new Democrats ousted long-established party members in primary races. 

Hamblen, director of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce and a former KRWG Public Media host, defeated long-time state Sen. Mary Kay Papen by a few hundred votes in a Democratic primary before handily beating Republican Charles Wendler in the general election. Hamblen was one of several younger, more progressive Democrats seeking to replace the long-entrenched and more conservative Democratic majority. 

It worked out for Hamblen, but now the senator faces a challenge for New Mexico State Senate District 38 with deep roots and a successful fundraising strategy. According to campaign finance records, Hamblen’s Republican challenger this year, Samantha Barncastle Salopek, has raised $104,869, about $17,000 more than Hamblen. 

Hamblen and Barncastle Salopek answered eight questions generated by a survey of Bulletin readers. Here are their answers. 

Please provide any relevant experiences or background information about yourself that you believe readers should know.

Hamblen: I grew up in El Paso, earned my Bachelors of broadcast journalism from UTEP. Earned a master's in communication studies (‘95) and a master's in public administration (’14) from NMSU. For 20 years, I was the “Morning Edition” anchor (on KRWG) and host of the public affairs program, “Images,” which was on the air for 15 years. In 2012, I was selected to lead the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce. In 2014, I was honored to speak at the Department of Interior ceremony when President Obama designated the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

Barncastle Salopek: I graduated from New Mexico State University before getting my law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. After clerking for the New Mexico Court of Appeals, I went to work at a law firm that focused on water issues in Las Cruces. In 2014, I started my own practice and now focus on helping farmers, ranchers, and local businesses fight for their water and property rights. My experience with water resources, agriculture law and economic development issues have given me a unique experience in helping the southern New Mexico community.

Do you support the governor's public safety agenda as proposed in the 2024 special legislative session? Please explain your position.

Barncastle Salopek: I support the governor’s attempt to get tough on crime and address the needs of New Mexico, but a special session is not usually the place to handle such robust public policy issues. Some of the legislation proposed in the special session was previously proposed in regular sessions and never received committee assignments or hearings. Bipartisan collaboration is necessary to properly address the public safety issues our state is grappling with, and I support and applaud the governor’s attempt to get that done. I am hopeful she will stay the course and work collaboratively to accomplish a slate of solutions in the regular session.

Hamblen: I and every member of the Democratic Senate Caucus opposed the governor’s public safety agenda, along with the House Democratic Caucus. The legislation the governor proposed was not vetted, did not include input from over 40 groups and organizations all over the state and did not clearly address the issues of crime and public safety. Instead, it targeted the most vulnerable in our communities rather than address the root causes of job loss, poverty, drug addiction, food insecurity, domestic violence, mental health issues and the many other factors that contribute to someone becoming unhoused.

What short-term and long-term solutions would you propose/support as a legislator to address concerns around crime in southern New Mexico?

Hamblen: As legislators, we need to make sure we have laws that effectively prosecute those criminals. We have long needed to increase the support and resources for our courts and judges and we are making inroads but still need to do more. We also need to increase funding and support for those areas that are often the root causes of crime: sexual assault, domestic violence, drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, poverty, and more. If we ignore the actual causes of crime and just treat the criminal, we are failing our communities and residents.

Barncastle Salopek: Soft-on-crime laws strip away protections and resources from our law enforcement officers and allow criminals to walk our streets free. We need to fully support our law enforcement officers and first responders by putting policies in place to ensure that after a crime is committed, criminals aren’t allowed to walk freely back into our communities and commit more crime. I will work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure disadvantaged individuals who end up in tough situations but are willing to work hard to become contributing members of society, are fully supported. However, I will hold accountability and responsibility paramount.

What solutions would you propose/support to improve the finances of New Mexico residents who experience higher prices of essential goods and stagnated wages?

Barncastle Salopek: Politicians in Santa Fe continue to increase taxes, draining New Mexicans of their hard-earned money and causing local businesses to struggle. Tax reform is necessary, and more planning for our future state budget is also necessary. At the rate we are going, we will drain our state budget and working families’ wallets, and still not achieve anything we set out to do. I will fight back against tax increases and business regulations to ensure working families hard-earned money is protected, and our small businesses thrive.

Hamblen: Those higher priced essential goods, gas and services are the direct result of large corporations wanting to maintain their large profits rather than raise prices when wages increase. In order for people to feed their families, heat or cool their homes, and get to and from work and school, they are finding their own paychecks are barely covering, if that, their monthly costs. We need to hold those corporations accountable and pass legislation that adjusts prices to the cost of living for all New Mexicans.

What solutions would you propose/support to create more access to mental health resources, particularly for people accused of crimes, in southern New Mexico?

Hamblen: We need to increase funding to treatment facilities that operate under capacity because they are understaffed. We need to incentivize behavioral health therapists to address the shortage of practitioners, social workers, and culturally competent therapists in New Mexico. We can do this by creating our own educational pipeline for behavioral health therapists to come from New Mexico communities. We need to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates so that a behavioral health therapist can make a living and increase the number of facilities and programs to address those with serious mental illnesses.

Barncastle Salopek: Our healthcare system in New Mexico needs a major shift entirely. We need to make healthcare more accessible for all New Mexicans, not just a specific sector. Addressing mental health issues is key to resolving other social issues such as homelessness, increased crime and education issues. I will prioritize recruiting and retention in the health care, law enforcement, and first responder sectors, while also focusing on increasing opportunities for infrastructure to ensure those sectors have what they need to properly perform their jobs. Finally, properly funding the various programs housed within the judicial system is essential to ensuring those accused of crimes receive appropriate social assistance to match their needs.

What solutions would you propose/support to access/restrict access to reproductive health, such as abortion?

Barncastle Salopek: Again, our health care system needs to shift entirely, and I will focus my efforts on recruitment and retention in the health care field. I believe in fair access to health care throughout our state. I am the mother of a special needs child, and to get her health care, I must take her out of state. It should not be easier to get an abortion than it is to get my daughter health care in New Mexico. I believe that the decision to get an abortion needs to remain between the patient and their doctor – not the government.

Hamblen: Given the state of the country and individual states regulating an issue that is really between a woman and her doctor, we already have protections in place to safeguard women and practitioners. We also protect those coming from other states to acquire safe and private health care that is a right for every person. We need to continue to ensure reproductive health care is accessible and protected for those who wish to use it.

New Mexico has consistently ranked lower in education standings than the other 49 states. Why is this the case, and what steps would you take to improve education outcomes in New Mexico?

Hamblen: We have taken steps to increase the wages of teachers to a competitive level but that can’t be the only solution. Teachers are trying very hard to provide a good education to our students but they can’t do it alone. Community Schools, which I have supported from the beginning in Las Cruces, can provide spaces for families to get more involved in their children’s’ education. There needs to be a shift in the culture of expecting teachers to be the sole provider of education and support and encourage families to become more engaged in the education process so our students can thrive.

Barncastle Salopek: This issue is near and dear to me, as I have two children in public school. Improving our education system starts with improving the support we give to families and our children. New Mexico can do better to support parents and families. Parents deserve a seat at the table when it comes to the decisions that will determine their child’s education and future. We must also support our educators. Teachers deserve to get a paycheck that doesn’t leave them having to work a second job or provide their own materials for their classrooms. Supporting children, parents, and teachers in setting appropriate goals and then providing adequate funding to achieve those goals is the only way to turn our public education system around.

What is the legislature's responsibility in addressing human-caused climate change in New Mexico – especially considering the state’s reliance on oil and gas to generate revenue for state government and employment opportunities?

Barncastle Salopek: Southern New Mexico is home to the largest production agriculture industry in the state. I will protect that industry to ensure that jobs are protected, and our economy remains strong. The Oil and Gas sector generates a massive amount of money in our state budget, and without it, we would not be able to afford many of the most basic programs in our state, such as funding for education. As I do in my daily work as a water and natural resources attorney, I will look for common sense solutions that require bipartisan and multisector collaboration, but I will not support radical solutions that are short-sighted.

Hamblen: Our reliance on oil and gas dates back to the early 1900s and incorporating it in our budget made sense at the time. But as we have learned more about finite resources, climate change and the damage fracking does to our land (especially that land where communities of color reside), we have no choice but to diversify our revenue streams. We must provide job training for those in the oil and gas industry to make either equal or more than they do now so they can support their families. We also must identify the needs we have in the state, create those industries so we don’t have workers or monies leaving our state.