Melanie Stansbury

Melanie Ann Stansbury (born January 31, 1979) is an American scientist and politician serving as the New Mexico state representative for the 28th district since 2019. She is the Democratic nominee in the 2021 New Mexico's 1st congressional district special election.
Early life and education.
Stansbury was born in Farmington, New Mexico and raised in Albuquerque. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary's College of California and a Master of Science in development sociology from Cornell University. She is a PhD candidate in development sociology at Cornell with minors in natural resources and American Indian studies.
Career.
Early career.
Stansbury began her career as an ecology instructor at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. As a White House Fellow, she worked as a policy advisor on the Council on Environmental Quality. She was a consultant at Sandia National Laboratories and later served as a program examiner in the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration. She worked on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and as an aide to Senator Maria Cantwell. Since 2017, she has worked as a consultant and senior advisor at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center of the University of New Mexico.
New Mexico House of Representatives.
Stansbury ran unopposed in the 2018 Democratic primary for the 28th district of the New Mexico House of Representatives. In the general election, she defeated Republican incumbent Jimmie C. Hall, 54% to 46%. 
Stansbury was again unopposed in the 2020 primary. She defeated Republican Thomas R. Stull and Libertarian Robert Vaillancourt in the general election by a margin of 10 points.
In the House, Stansbury has introduced legislation to improve the state's energy conservation and water resource management. She is the vice chair of the Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Committee.
2021 U.S. House campaign.
After Joe Biden announced Deb Haaland as his nominee for secretary of the interior, Stansbury announced her campaign in a special election for the seat. In the first round of voting by members of the New Mexico's 1st congressional district Democratic committee, Stansbury placed second after State Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and automatically advanced to the runoff. In the second round of voting, Stansbury narrowly defeated Sedillo Lopez by six votes. She will face State Senator Mark Moores in the general election scheduled for June 1, 2021. As no Republican has represented the 1st congressional district since 2009, "The Santa Fe New Mexican" labeled Stansbury "a heavy favorite".
Political positions.
In a questionnaire created by the Adelante Progressive Caucus, Stansbury pledged support for Medicare For All legislation, a federal assault weapons ban, the D.C. statehood movement, canceling student loan debt, federal marijuana legalization, and several other progressive policies.
Personal life.
Stansbury lives in Albuquerque.