Melanie Stansbury | |
|---|---|
 Official Portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's1st district | |
| Assumed office June 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Deb Haaland |
| Member of theNew Mexico House of Representatives from the 28th district | |
| In office January 15, 2019 – June 14, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Jimmie C. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Pamelya Herndon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melanie Ann Stansbury (1979-01-31)January 31, 1979 (age 47) Farmington, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Saint Mary's College of California (BA) Cornell University (MS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Stansbury on the benefits of theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Recorded January 20, 2022 | |
Melanie Ann Stansbury (born January 31, 1979)[1][2] is an American politician and former ecology instructor serving as theU.S. representative forNew Mexico's 1st congressional district since2021.[3] The district includes the majority ofAlbuquerque and most of its suburbs. ADemocrat, Stansbury previously served as a member of theNew Mexico House of Representatives for the 28th district from 2019 to 2021.[4]
Stansbury was born inFarmington, New Mexico, and raised inAlbuquerque.[5] After graduating fromCibola High School in 1997,[6] she received aBachelor of Arts degree inhuman ecology andnatural science fromSaint Mary's College of California in 2002.[7][8] She then received aMaster of Science degree indevelopment sociology with a minor inAmerican Indian studies fromCornell University in 2007,[9][7] where she was aPhD candidate.[10][11]
Stansbury began her career as an ecology instructor at theNew Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. As aWhite House Fellow, she worked as a policy advisor on theCouncil on Environmental Quality. She was a consultant atSandia National Laboratories and later served as a program examiner in theOffice of Management and Budget during theObama administration. She worked on the staff of theUnited States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and as an aide to SenatorMaria Cantwell.[12] Since 2017, she has worked as a consultant and senior advisor at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center of theUniversity of New Mexico.[9]
Stansbury ran unopposed in the 2018 Democratic primary for the 28th district of theNew Mexico House of Representatives. In the general election, she defeatedRepublican incumbentJimmie C. Hall, who had held the seat for seven terms.[13][14]
Stansbury was again unopposed in the 2020 primary. She defeated Republican Thomas R. Stull andLibertarian Robert Vaillancourt in the general election.[13]
In the House, Stansbury introduced legislation to improve theenergy conservation andwater resource management of the state of New Mexico.[15][16] She served as the vice chair of the Energy, Environment, & Natural Resources Committee.[17]
Upon Stansbury's 2021 resignation from the state legislature in order to run to represent New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives, theBernalillo County Commission appointedPamelya Herndon as her replacement.[18]
AfterJoe Biden announcedDeb Haaland as his nominee forU.S. Interior Secretary, Stansbury announced her campaign for thespecial election to fill the seat.[19] In the first round of voting by thestate Democratic committee, Stansbury placed second afterstate SenatorAntoinette Sedillo Lopez and automatically advanced to the runoff.[20][21] In the second round of voting, she defeated Sedillo Lopez by six votes.[22] As no Republican had represented the district since 2009,The Santa Fe New Mexican labeled her "a heavy favorite".[23]
She defeated state SenatorMark Moores and formerstate Lands CommissionerAubrey Dunn Jr. in the June 1 election in a landslide.[24] Her margin of victory was slightly larger than President Biden's 23-point victory in the district in 2020, and significantly larger thanDeb Haaland's in2020 for theHouse.[25]
On August 12, 2022, Stansbury voted to pass theInflation Reduction Act of 2022.[26]
According to aFiveThirtyEight analysis, during the117th Congress, she voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[27]
Once PresidentDonald Trump entered theHouse chamber for the2025 Joint Session of Congress, Stansbury held a sign that said "this is not normal" to protest themass firing of federal workers.[28][29]
For the119th Congress:[30]
In a questionnaire created by the Adelante Progressive Caucus, Stansbury pledged support forMedicare for All legislation, a federalassault weapons ban, theD.C. statehood movement, cancelingstudent loan debt, federalmarijuana legalization,[9] and several otherprogressive policies.[34] She was endorsed by abortion rights group Voteprochoice.[35]
On March 1, 2025 Stansbury participated in the discussion at the “Know The Assignment” webinar held by WomenForward.[36]
Stansbury lives inAlbuquerque.[9]
| Year | Office[37][38][39] | Party | Votes for Stansbury | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | New Mexico House of Representatives |  Y Democratic | 7,335 | 53.7 | Jimmie C. Hall (inc.) | Republican | 6,326 | 46.3 |
| 2020 | Y Democratic | 8,908 | 52.6 | Thomas R. Stull[a] | Republican | 7,252 | 42.8 | |
| 2021 | U.S. House of Representatives | Y Democratic | 79,837 | 60.4 | Mark Moores[b] | Republican | 47,111 | 35.6 |
| 2022 | Y Democratic | 156,462 | 55.7 | Michelle Garcia Holmes | Republican | 124,151 | 44.2 | |
| 2024 | Y Democratic | 193,203 | 56.4 | Steve Jones | Republican | 149,546 | 43.6 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 1st congressional district 2021–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 285th | Succeeded by |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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