Incumbent Melanie Stansbury declared victory over Republican challenger Ndidimaka “Didi” Okpareke to retain her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3 .
“Thank you, New Mexico!!! I’m deeply honored to serve as your Congresswoman for NM-01 for another term,” Stansbury, a Democrat, posted on Instagram around 9:50 p.m. Tuesday.
“Tonight we made history with a historic fourth term election to NM-01—the first time in Democratic history in New Mexico,” she added. “Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, and supported our campaign.”
A win would secure a fourth consecutive term in the U.S. House for Stansbury in a district that includes Lincoln County and the Mescalero in Otero County.
The Associated Press declared the race for Stansbury at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday after Stansbury received 63.8% of the counted votes.
Stansbury, 47, was first elected to the seat in 2021 in a special election after Deb Haaland vacated the post to serve as Secretary of the Interior under Joe Biden. She won the seat in 2022 after defeating Michelle Garcia Holmes and again in 2024 after besting Ruidoso’s Steve Jones.
Okpareke, 43, was born in the Bay Area of California and grew up in Albuquerque, graduating from Sandia High School. She earned a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of New Mexico and owns and operates a pharmacy in Rio Rancho. She ran unopposed in the Republican primary in June.
Stansbury was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2018 and again in 2020.
She was born in Farmington and grew up in Albuquerque, graduating from Cibola High School in 1997. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2002 and received a master’s degree in development sociology from Cornell University in 2007.
