NMSU professor to run for Cervantes’ House seat

A New Mexico State University professor with a history of involvement in the Democratic Party has decided to run for the District 52 seat in the state House of Representatives being vacated by Joseph Cervantes, who is running for Congress.

Jose Z. Garcia, 62, confirmed today that he’s running.

“I’ve been telling my friends and potential supporters that I am tossing my hat in the ring,” he said.

He is the first to announce his candidacy for the open House seat.

Garcia, who teaches government at NMSU, was appointed by the governor to the New Mexico Border Authority in 2002 and served for four years. He is a past chair of the Doña Ana County Democratic Party and has served as treasurer for the campaigns of two state representatives, including Cervantes.

His wife is Olivia Nevarez Garcia, a Doña Ana County magistrate judge.

Garcia said he plans to make formal announcements sometime during the week after Thanksgiving in at least two places in the district, most likely Las Cruces and Anthony. The district also includes portions of the communities of Chaparral, Berino, Mesquite and Vado.

In the meantime, he’s putting together a campaign team. Garcia said he isn’t ready to talk about the issues.

“I want to talk to the voters and find out what they feel before I start spouting off on issues,” he said. “I take the role of representing people seriously.”

Garcia was born in California to parents who were native New Mexicans. He lived in Peru and Ecuador until he was 14 while his father worked for the U.S. State Department. He went to high school in Albuquerque before earning a bachelor’s degree in diplomacy and world affairs from Occidental College in Los Angeles, a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a doctorate in political science from the University of New Mexico.

He is known as an expert on U.S./Mexico border issues and was the director of NMSU’s Center for Latin American Studies from 1991 to 2003. He recently traveled to Southern Mexico and Japan to present a paper on U.S. immigration policy.

Garcia has also periodically written articles analyzing New Mexico politics for this site and other publications. He most recently wrote about the political fallout from the retirement of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici. It’s a situation he now finds himself in the middle of by running for a seat that is being vacated by a politician – Cervantes – who is running for another seat that is being vacated by another politician – U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce – who is running for Domenici’s seat.

If elected, Garcia said he will retire from his position at NMSU.