Lawmakers may be more accessible via social media

Sen. Jacob R. Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, takes a selfie on the House floor of the New Mexico Roundhouse. Candelaria is one of three legislators who were rated super active on both Twitter and Facebook. (Celia Raney / NMID)

Celia Raney / New Mexico In Depth

Sen. Jacob R. Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, takes a selfie on the House floor of the New Mexico Roundhouse. Candelaria is one of three legislators who were rated super active on both Twitter and Facebook. (Celia Raney / NMID)

When the legislative session comes to an end today, lawmakers will disperse throughout the state. But communicating with them doesn’t end when legislative leaders gavel the session to a close. All legislators have contact information like a phone number or email address listed on the state’s legislative website, but for some lawmakers, 43% of them, there’s a good chance their constituents can communicate with them through social media, an analysis by NMID has found.

New Mexico In Depth wanted to find out which lawmakers connect with the public through social media. So we assembled their public social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook, if they have one, and tabulated how many times they posted on each of the sites in January. We ranked them according to how often they post, with the idea that the most regular users may be more inclined to engage in a conversation via social media. 

You can find Twitter and Facebook account information, plus phone numbers and email addresses, for all 2020 lawmakers here.

And here’s some more information breaking down just how active the New Mexico Legislature is on Twitter and Facebook, by party and chamber. 

The most active lawmakers, on both Twitter and Facebook:

  • Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Rebecca Dow, R-Grant, Hidalgo & Sierra
  • Rep. Angelica Rubio, D-Doña Ana

Close behind them as regular users are 36 more:

On Twitter

  • Sen. Craig W. Brandt, R-Sandoval
  • Sen. Pete Campos, D-Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, San Miguel and Taos
  • Sen. Gregg Fulfer, R-Eddy and Lea
  • Sen. Michael Padilla, D-Bernalillo
  • Sen. William P. Soules, D-Doña Ana
  • Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe
  • Rep. Kelly K. Fajardo, R-Valencia
  • Rep. David M. Gallegos, R-Lea
  • Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Antonio Maestas, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Torrance and Valencia
  • Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe
  • Rep. Melanie A. Stansbury, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Candie G. Sweester, D-Grant, Hidalgo and Luna

On Facebook

  • Rep. Anthony Allison, D-San Juan
  • Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Catron, Socorro and Valencia
  • Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, R-Valencia
  • Rep. Zachary J. Cook, R-Lincoln and Otero
  • Rep. Doreen Y. Gallegos, D-Doña Ana
  • Rep. Jason C. Harper, R-Sandoval
  • Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Georgene Louis, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Marian Matthews, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Greg Nibert, R-Chavez and Lincoln
  • Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Joseph L. Sanchez, D-Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba and San Miguel
  • Rep. Nathan P. Small, D-Doña Ana
  • Rep. Christine Trujillo, D-Bernalillo
  • Rep. Linda M. Trujillo, D-Santa Fe
  • McKinley and Valencia
  • Sen. Antionette Sedillo Lopez, D-Bernalillo
  • Sen. Linda M. Lopez, D-Bernalillo
  • Sen. Gabriel Ramos, D-Catron, Grant and Socorro
  • Sen. Sander Rue, R-Bernalillo, Twitter and Facebook
  • Sen. Clemente Sanchez, D-Cibola, Socorro

 

This article first appeared on New Mexico In Depth.

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