House District 16

Antonio ‘Moe’ Maestas is running for re-election in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 26. He has served in the Senate since 2022, previously served in the House, and currently serves on the Senate Education Committee and Senate Health & Public Affairs Committee.

Maestas has worked as an attorney for over 25 years and is currently employed at Candelaria Law, LLC. His past work experience includes owning/managing a personal injury law firm, serving as Assistant District Attorney for Bernalillo County, and as a Union Machinist. 

Maestas is motivated to run for re-election to Senate District 26 because of his passion for education, civil rights, and serving minority communities. His policy priorities include economic development through affordable broadband, transportation infrastructure, and establishing a fair progressive tax system. He is also focused on improving public safety, including adequately funding the District Attorney’s Office and criminal courts as well as investing in treatment addiction services. 

He is well known for challenging the political dynamics in the House and Senate, aiming to enhance teamwork and long-term strategies to benefit minority and indigenous communities and combat poverty. His past work has significantly focused on immigration, education funding, and anti-discrimination, making him a seasoned advocate for progressive change.

His legislative accomplishments include sponsoring both the constitutional amendment to allocate more money from New Mexico’s $27 Billion Permanent School Fund for early childhood educational programs in 2020 and authorizing the sale of recreational marijuana in 2019 (HB356). He also voted to add financial literacy and media literacy courses to public school curriculums (HB 1205, HB356) and changes to liquor licensing enabling local restaurants to compete with national chains (HB 255, 2021). Additionally, Maestas has consistently voted for reproductive rights and pro-immigrant policies. 

We recommend Antonio ‘Moe’ Maestas for Senate District 26 based on his track record of working on policies specifically to strengthen reproductive rights, support and resources for immigrant families, and invest in education and schools.

Julie A. Radoslovich is running against incumbent Antonio "Moe" Maestas in the Democratic Primary for NM State Senate, District 26. She currently works as a Gifted Student Educator at South Valley Academy (SVA), where she also previously served as Principal/Director for 6 ½ years, leading the school’s expansion from 250 students in grades 9-12 to 630 students in grades 6-12. She also served as Head Teacher for 5 years and in instructor/educator roles for several years. Before joining SVA, she worked in policy analyst and legislative support roles at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Radoslovich is well-known for her volunteer and leadership experience focused on education policy/access and civil rights, including leading advocacy efforts to increase access to driver's licenses for undocumented New Mexicans as well as improving eligibility guidelines for the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship Program. She has also served on the boards of Encuentro, the Sofia Center for Professional Development, and Albuquerque Interfaith, as well as serving as President of the Pat Hurley Neighborhood Association, Ward and Precinct Chair for the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County, and as a member of the NM Teacher Evaluation Task Force.

She is motivated to run for Senate District 26 by her desire to enhance dialogue and partnerships within the community to determine solutions to challenges facing New Mexicans that are multidimensional and historically rooted. Her priorities include decreasing crime through increased mental health support, enacting constitutional gun safety reform, and codifying a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women task force in the state. Additionally, she supports prioritizing economic growth through policies such as affordable housing, paid family medical leave, and programs that help first time homebuyers. She also supports educational success through training programs and increased teacher pay as well as internship support and environmental protections through the development of carbon negative jobs and increasing accountability for polluters. Lastly, she also supports driver authorization cards irrespective of citizenship status based on her firsthand experiences at South Valley Academy where many of her students came from mixed-status families.

While we recommend Antonio 'Moe' Maestas for Senate District 26, Julie Radoslovich would also be a viable candidate based on her record of working in education, civil and human rights policies, and someone with broad and deep community involvement via both professional and volunteer experiences.