Gabrielle Begay, the Democratic nominee for New Mexico House District 39, hosted a canvassing event in Silver City on Sept. 7 in collaboration with the Democratic Party of New Mexico.
Held at the Grant County Democratic Headquarters, the event sought to reach out to democratic members of the community who had fluctuating voting patterns and included a brief conversation about canvassing and the intention behind it.
“Canvassing is the most useful way to gain voters,” Begay said.
Volunteers were each given a list of addresses to visit around Silver City. The lists included several prompts for volunteers to follow, including asking whether Silver City community members planned on voting in November’s election. Volunteers were asked to make conversation with residents but to leave immediately if they felt unsafe.
Begay, 33, participated in the event too, going door to door in the downtown area of Silver City where she spoke with several residents, and offered her phone number for any later questions.
Begay’s policies include reproductive freedom, better paying jobs and further funding for education. If elected, she said her first priority would be signing legislation to pass paid family medical leave.
Aside from canvassing, social media is another large part of Begay’s campaign and she planned to reach young voters through her online presence by doing live videos and creating relatable posts.
Begay is currently a first-grade teacher in the Silver Consolidated School District and is president of the Cobre Consolidated Board of Education in Bayard, New Mexico. She said it was her time spent in education that inspired her to lead this campaign.
“I think I bring what teachers are going through day to day,” she said.
District 39’s current representative, Republican Luis Terrazas, has held the position since 2021. Terrazas faced the same opponent both years, beating Democrat Rudy Martinez with 53% of the vote in 2022.
This is Begay’s first campaign.
“I don’t think a lot has gotten done,” Begay said while speaking about Representative Terrazas.
The pair is set to record a debate later this week. The taping will be available to viewers through KOB 4 on Sept. 27.
