U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury officially announced Dec. 9 she will run for the congressional House Natural Resources (NHRC) ranking member seat.
Stansbury, a Democrat who represents New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, was endorsed last week by the former NHRC Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, who announced in October his plans to step down following a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
After days of speculation, Stansbury said she will make a bid to run for the highest Democratic seat in the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources and replace Grijalva.
“Across more than two decades working on natural resources issues at [the U.S. Office of Management and Budget], in the U.S. Senate and House, as Vice Chair of the House Committee of jurisdiction in New Mexico and on the ground — I have worked on issues that affect nearly every community that our Caucus represents,” Stansbury said. “I will ensure that our work is always rooted in the needs of our communities and the vast, diverse and beautiful places we call home. My life’s work at the forefront of these land and water issues and climate justice is not just a job—it is part of who I am and why I am here. As we prepare for the 119th Congress, we must meet the moment and be prepared for the attacks that will undoubtedly come, while continuing to work with our colleagues across the aisle to get things done. To do so, we will need leadership who will lead with strength, integrity, grit, determination, and heart.”
If successful, Stansbury would be the first woman to serve as either Chair or Ranking Member of the Committee. Grijalva has led the Committee for the last decade as the first Latino Chair since 2015 and has served on the Natural Resources Committee since 2003.
“I am proud to endorse my friend and colleague Representative Melanie Stansbury for Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee,” Grijalva said in his endorsement. “[She] has made her mark as a strategic and tenacious advocate for advancing environmental justice, strengthening Tribal sovereignty, and securing water for communities in the drought-stricken West. Her tenure as Ranking Member on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee proves her leadership in standing up to polluting industries and holding them to account, even when Democrats don’t hold the gavel.”