Angelica Rubio – House of Representatives NM District 35

New Mexico's State Representative for District 35,

Angelica Rubio was born and raised in rural New Mexico and is the youngest daughter of Mexican immigrants who settled there over fifty years ago. Coming from a large (and loud) family, Angelica grew up with a deep working knowledge of the power found in numbers, as well as a flair for making her case. Leaving behind her family and small community, she went on to college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces and later received her Master’s at California State University, Los Angeles, where her passion for racial and social justice flourished.

Having spent time in Washington, DC, and bearing witness to how disconnected life was at our nation’s capital, and to the realities of everyday New Mexicans–especially those living along the US/Mexico border, Angelica was compelled to make a life-changing decision to return to the second largest city in the state, Las Cruces. This return propelled a life of organizing across southern New Mexico, leading coalition efforts on local and state-wide initiatives around worker-centered policies, recruiting progressive women to run for office, and managing political campaigns–including her very own.

In 2016, Angelica won a seat in the New Mexico State Legislature, where she now serves as a state representative–focusing on policies that center on disproportionately impacted communities that are deeply affected by extractive industries, and working towards a vision of building a restorative economy for all New Mexican’s. Angelica is also a champion for equitable outdoor recreation access, expanding outdoor opportunities for younger New Mexicans, as well as a mobility justice champion–ensuring and acknowledging how our identities relate to power and systemic inequity, and its effects on how people move through and experience public spaces. Lastly, as the only state in the country that does not pay its legislators, modernizing the New Mexico State Legislature, and expanding access for women to serve, is a top priority for Angelica. When she’s not doing all of that, Angelica can be found at home experimenting with new cuisines and hanging with her dog, Yoko, and her many plants. Angelica is also an avid bike commuter and cyclist, and you can find her outside riding her bike(s) all around the city of Las Cruces, and throughout the entire Chihuahuan Desert.