GOP's Johnson hopes anti-abortion views win over moderate Democrats

Oct. 5--People may not at first glance assume that Alexis Martinez Johnson is a staunch conservative Republican.

Johnson is Latina. Her great-great-grandmother, Rafaela, was Apache. She's a woman. And Republican candidates in the 3rd Congressional District have in the past been, well, mostly white men.

Johnson's cultural heritage is a point of pride, and she credits even Democrats with similar backgrounds who make inroads into the halls of power.

"This delegation that we have with all the congressional candidates, they're all women, and they're all women of color -- from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd [congressional districts]," Johnson said.

"And I think that's amazing. I think we need more role models in U.S. Congress to show that women can pave the way for leadership and provide another dynamic to decision making in the government. I think that our government should be reflective of their constituents," she continued.

But the similarities between Johnson and her Democratic opponent, Teresa Leger Fernandez, stop there.

Despite embodying the political will to get more women elected to public office, Johnson slams Leger Fernandez for receiving support from EMILY's List, a political action committee dedicated to getting more Democratic women who favor abortion rights elected.

Why? Because Johnson is firmly opposed to abortion at a time when many worry that Roe v. Wade could be overturned if the White House and U.S. Senate follow through on President Donald Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And because to Johnson, EMILY's List represents the "special interests" that are pouring money into the 3rd Congressional District race to elect Leger Fernandez, who Johnson says is out of touch with "New Mexican values," specifically with the anti-abortion stance adopted by many Northern New Mexico Catholics and the pro-gun legacy of the rural West.

Leger Fernandez has been endorsed by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Johnson says she would oppose "any bill that would prevent the Second Amendment" in Congress.

And for Johnson, abortion is an emotional issue. Her twins, Vera and James, were born two months premature. They're now 2 years old. Her daughter, Casandra, is 8 and her son, Conrad, is 5.

"I had babies born between 30 and 31 weeks. And two and a half years ago, that was life transformative. I just remember when they were born and they were looking at their mother, and I could not imagine ending that life at that time. Why are these pro-abortion groups up to the point of birth putting so much money into my opponent? That in itself is frightening because that's really not the voice of the New Mexican."

Johnson attends Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Fe and lives with her children and husband, Chris Johnson, at their casita near Las Vegas, N.M., "where the children can play with the farm animals and kind of have more room to run."

Despite the 3rd Congressional District electing only one Republican, Bill Redmond, for an abbreviated term that lasted from 1997-99, Johnson remains confident that she can convince moderate and conservative Democrats to vote for her using the wedge issues of guns and abortion.

Johnson said she was raised on the south side of Roswell by her grandparents, Rosie "Socorro" Martinez and Luis Santillanes Arredondo, both conservative Democrats. Martinez was a retired custodial worker and Arredondo married her grandmother later in life, becoming a father figure to Johnson despite not being blood-related.

During the primary, Johnson was unequivocally and unapologetically opposed to abortion. Now, she says she's opposed to abortion "in those late stages" but declined to specify the meaning of "late stage" in an interview. She said she believes abortion should be left to the states to decide. She serves as a member of Santa Fe Right to Life.

"I feel that the sanctity of life is precious," Johnson said. "I have a real problem with that late state. I value all life. But really in those early stages, that's something that we're gonna have to look to judges to make that decision in there."

After graduating from New Mexico Tech with a degree in environmental engineering, Johnson went to work for Midland, Texas-based Larson and Associates, where she designed and oversaw construction of oil and gas infrastructure in the Permian Basin.

She also worked as an environmental engineer for Exelon, the country's leading energy provider, where she worked with federal agencies, engineers and others on fulfilling the company's environmental obligations.

Johnson was not the first choice of insiders in the New Mexico Republican Party. At the state convention, delegates overwhelmingly backed former Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya. But Johnson narrowly beat Montoya in the Republican primary.

The GOP candidate pleaded no contest to violating a Santa Fe ordinance by campaigning in the Plaza without wearing a mask as required in public.

But her contrarian streak has not won her much financial support. The National Republican Congressional Committee has not lent any financial support to Johnson, preferring instead to focus its efforts on more competitive races, such as the 2nd Congressional District race.

The Trump campaign and state Republican Party have made 270,964 phone calls and knocked on 111,126 doors in the 3rd Congressional District since the June primary, according to the New Mexico Republican Party. But the majority of those contacts have been focused on helping Trump's reelection effort rather than boosting Johnson's profile, said Mike Curtis, a spokesman for the party.

Johnson also has not raised much money since the primary. According to federal campaign disclosure records, Johnson has barely over $6,000. She poured more than $5,000 into her own campaign. Leger Fernandez, meanwhile, has close to $233,000 cash on hand after spending more than $1.3 million in the Democratic primary.

Yet Johnson and her supporters remain optimistic that her message will resonate with voters.

"I think she'll be great. She's got common sense," said Jefferson Byrd, a commissioner with the Public Regulation Commission who unsuccessfully ran twice for the same U.S. House seat. "Family's important to her. She's worked in private sector -- engineering degree, really smart lady. She understands New Mexico. She's born and raised here."

The most important message for Johnson is not her cultural background or New Mexico roots. It's abortion, guns and jobs.

"Identity is important, but you know what's really important? Is the ability [of] New Mexicans to put food on the table, a roof over their head, educate their children and do it in a safe environment. And that's really what I want people to look at. And that New Mexico is the place for our children to prosper. And that they don't have to leave like I had to because they can't find a job."

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