By Frost McGahey
On Monday, October 14, State Representative Luis Terrazas spoke to a group of voters. Terrazas won his first election in 2020 representing District 39 which includes portions of Grant, Hidalgo and Sierra counties. Terrazas retained his seat in 2022 and was running again.
Terrazas told the group that this past Saturday he'd been down to Deming to see his grandmother who is Republican and 102. He'd asked her if she wanted to vote, and she said, "I've already voted." Stunned by his grandmother's answer, he went to speak to one of the administrators. "My father has my grandmother's Power of Attorney. There was no way she could have voted without him being contacted."
Digging into the situation, Terrazas found out that the activities coordinator had made the residents sign Absentee Ballot requests. Terrazas made it clear that his grandmother would not be filling out a ballot unless his father was present.
When asked why he was running again he said, "Someone has to protect our energy jobs, our mining industry, and defend our culture. My opponent, Gabby Begay is supported by the Sierra Club. They're no friend to the mining industry and would like to see mining shut down in New Mexico. Make sure you vote in this election." Terrazas concluded as he left for another appointment.
A discussion period followed.
One voter who'd been tapping on her phone said, "I looked up Begay on ChatGPT, and it said that groups from Texas, California, and Arizona were donating to her. She's also supported by the National Teachers' Union who kept my kid's school closed for so long during Covid."
"A lot of families are home schooling because the public schools are so bad," a woman added. "And Begay is against school vouchers."
The final comment was given by a man. "I read she's spending a lot of money on consultants. I don't think it's doing her much good."
To contact Representative Terrazas, email him at