Albuquerque state lawmaker accused of DWI won’t seek reelection; former legislator to run for seat – Santa Fe New Mexican
A high-profile Albuquerque Democrat who was arrested on suspicion of aggravated drunken driving and other charges in Santa Fe on Super Bowl Sunday won’t seek reelection.
In a statement released by her attorney, state Rep. Georgene Louis said Friday she has decided against seeking another term this year.
Louis had faced calls to resign after her arrest earlier this month in the final week of the 30-day legislative session but will finish out her term and complete
10 years of service in the Legislature, allowing her to receive her pension.
“It has been an honor to serve the constituents of House District 26 for the past ten years,” Louis said in her statement. “I send my sincerest thank you to everyone who has supported me over my tenure as State Representative.”
Meanwhile, a former state representative is setting her sights on the seat Louis is vacating.
Eleanor Chavez, who served two terms in the House of Representatives from 2009 and 2012, confirmed Friday she will seek the Democratic nomination for District 26.
Chavez gave up her House seat in 2012 to run for the state Senate. She came in second in a three-way race in the primary, losing to Sen. Michael Padilla. She subsequently served one term on the New Mexico Public Education Commission.
Chavez, who previously represented House District 13, said the precinct where she lives was moved into House District 26 in last year’s redistricting.
Chavez, 68, said Louis’ arrest factored into her decision to make a bid for the seat.
“I didn’t think that she would run again, and it was an opportunity for me to go back into the Legislature and do some additional work for my community,” she said.
Chavez figured Louis would face an uphill battle if she sought reelection.
“My heart is heavy for her — I think that she’s going through a tough time right now,” Chavez said, adding she didn’t think Louis would run again “because that would have been a huge hurdle to overcome.”
Just before midnight Feb. 13, a Santa Fe police assigned to a “Super Bowl saturation patrol” stopped Louis on suspicion of speeding near St. Francis Drive and Siringo Road.
The officer reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside the car Louis was driving “and noted that her eyes were watery,” a police report states.
Louis, 44, initially told the officer she’d had two glasses of beer at a Super Bowl halftime party, then said she’d had she had “two-ish” glasses of vodka and soda.
After the officer described her eyes as watery or glassy, Louis said she was tired.
“I haven’t had much sleep because, um, I’m not trying to, like, say anything, but, like, I’m a legislator, so we haven’t had much sleep,” Louis told the officer, a video of the incident showed.
“To me, you’re just another citizen, another driver, on the road,” the officer responded.
“Totally, totally, totally. We just haven’t had a lot of sleep,” Louis replied.
Louis initially refused to take a breath-alcohol test but later consented. Louis’ blood-alcohol level registered as 0.17, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
In addition to aggravated DWI, Louis was cited for speeding and having no evidence of insurance or vehicle registration.
Neither House Democratic leaders nor the Democratic Party of New Mexico responded to a request for comment.
Chavez, who grew up in Santa Fe and graduated from Santa Fe High School, has served as the executive director of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees District 1199 since August 2019. She previously served in that role from 1997 to 2008.
Chavez said several people asked her to run for the House seat after Louis’ arrest.
“I’ve been asked to run for other positions in the past,” she said, adding “this moment in time seems right” because she’s lived in the reconfigured district since 1985.
“I’ve raised my family there,” she said. “My kids have gone to the schools in the area, and there’s some things I would like to see — I think this past session there was some good legislation that was passed — but I think that there’s some things that we need to continue to work on.”
Addressing health care needs, such as increasing the number of nurses in New Mexico, is among her biggest priorities. “The other thing we really need to work on is child poverty,” she said.
Chavez, a widow, has four adult children and is the guardian of a youngster who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian.
She said she graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a master’s degree in social work.
