The two candidates for State Representative, District 37, are extraordinarily different. .
Lori Martinez is a social worker who seems pretty normal.
Isabella Solis is a “prophetess” determined to impose her vision of “God’s Kingdom” on us.
As a County Commissioner, Solis voted NOT to certify the 2020 voting here in Doña Ana County, in line with Mr. Trump’s unsupported claims of election fraud, although neither Ms. Solis nor Mr. Trump ever provided evidence. She did not go to Washington on January 6; but former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, who was criminally convicted for his conduct on January 6, is a pal she calls an “associate minister.” (She is not a minister in any traditional Christian denomination.)
Arguing that the County Commission should retain a moment of prayer at the start of meetings, she called it a “contest between good and evil.” To me, neither Christians favoring that nor Christians and others opposing it were evil. They simply disagreed.
She has a right to follow any faith she chooses. But she’s written, in a public Prayer Call, that “violent Christianity” should “take back New Mexico.”
That’s scary, although I’m sure she didn’t mean actual physical violence. (I’d have given her a chance to explain if she’d come to our candidate forum.) The evil folks she means to take back the state from are us: progressives whose Christian faiths differ from hers; atheists and agnostics; people whose sexuality she dislikes; folks who are more tolerant; and people who don’t share her and Mr. Trump’s policy positions. As commissioner she once told a county employee “God says I should try to work with you.”
Most Christians don’t see their political opponents as “evil.” I believe Ms. Solis means well. I wouldn’t call Mr. Trump “evil,” despite his unfortunate actions. I hate governments, as in Afghanistan and Iran, who punish folks for failing to obey even intrusive “religious” requirements. in which failure to follow even intrusive “religious” requirements. Our founders wisely separated church and state. Even Israel, which had sort of a good excuse, the Holocaust, for a religion-dominated country, isn’t working out very well these days. Imagine if Mr. Trump got our troops into Iran, but fundamentalist Christians couldn’t be drafted!
Wisely, although Ms. Solis said these crazy things publicly and fairly recently, her campaign this year sounds much more reasonable. She suggests New Mexico is a “one-party state.” She says folks to have better access to health care, something Mr. Trump has decimated. In one weird Facebook post, she started by stating the City wanted more money to improve the library, didn’t make clear her position on that, and asked for donations, as if donating to her campaign would help (or prevent helping) the library; but that was a GO Bond before the voters, not before the legislature she wants to join.
I’ve met Ms. Martinez. She seems sensible and competent. We differed on something: I suggested that, given people’s anger at the County Commission over Project Jupiter, having the County appoint her to serve the final months of Joanne Ferrary’s term might hurt rather than help Martinez, she didn’t disagree, but said she wanted the appointment because there was important interim work she ought to be doing. The Legislature does more work this time of year than most folks realize. Her attitude, of wanting to do what District 37 citizens deserved, even if it harmed her politically, was appealing.
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[The above column appeared on the 1st of November, 2026, in the Las Cruces Sun-News and on the newspaper’s website sub nom District 37 State House Race Pits Social Worker against Prophetess and will presently be on KRWG’s website. During the week a radio-commentary version will air on KRWG and on KTAL-LP (101.5 FM ).]
[As long as this is my last pre-election column: I voted for Daisy Maldonado for County Commission. I voted for Angelika Rubio. I voted for the Democratic gubernatorial ticket. Ms. Haaland seems a good candidate, as her running-mate surely is, and the Republicans have used really stupid attacks on her that would tend to push me in her direction if I weren’t already leaning that way. ]
[I’m both hoping and guessing that the Democrats will hold 52 seats in the U.S. Senate in 2027. However, a Michigan congresswoman’s last-minute treachery and questions about Alaska Sullivans muddy the waters a bit]
[And the Branigan Library needs our help, to help us.]
