Jay Block (R-Rio Rancho), a retired Air Force officer and former Sandoval County commissioner, was sworn in Jan. 2 as the New Mexico state senator for District 12. With a focus on public safety, education reform and economic development, Block said he plans to address New Mexico’s most pressing challenges.
Drawing from a lifetime defined by service and overcoming challenges, Block said he is focused on issues like education reform, public safety and gross receipts tax overhaul, as well as pushing for stricter penalties for fentanyl dealers.
“My vision is to make New Mexico better,” Block said. “I can’t accept, as a New Mexican, that we’re the worst in child welfare, the highest in child poverty, the most dangerous state in the country, as the FBI has rated us, the worst education, some of the worst health care.”
Block’s goals for his time in the state legislature are a blend of conservative fiscal policies, a commitment to public safety, a focus on education reform and a desire to engage actively with his constituents.
According to Block, he wants the state to get tough on crime, starting with the fentanyl crisis affecting the country and advocating for stricter punishments for drug dealers.
“If you’re caught dealing drugs, you should either get life in prison with no parole or the death penalty for killing so many people,” Block said.
The state needs to take the drug crisis seriously, he said. He called for more support for police and drug treatment programs, citing his personal experience with addiction in his family.
“We have to look at these people as having value,” Block said. “They deserve an opportunity to turn their lives around.”
During his time on the county commission, Block allocated funding to nonprofits focused on drug and alcohol treatment, including the Desert Mountain Healing Intensive Outpatient Program in Rio Rancho.
Block acknowledged the connection between homelessness, mental health and crime. He pointed to rising property crimes, especially in areas like Cuba, as a result of drug addiction.
“When you talk to the police, property crimes are up because they’re stealing stuff to buy drugs for their habit,” he said.
Block said there is a critical link between crime and education, and he advocates for statewide reform to better prepare students for the future.
“We need to prepare these kids for the real world and give them the right skills to succeed,” Block said. “Because if they don’t have the right skills, they’re either going to commit a crime, they’re going to get pregnant or they’re going to become nonproductive citizens, and we can’t afford that anymore.”
Block criticized the Public Education Department (PED), calling it a failure.
“Why are we funding an organization where we’re last in the nation in education?” Block said. “Quite frankly, I think we need to get rid of PED. I think we need local control at the school boards.”
He suggested following Mississippi’s model, where the state turned around its education system under the leadership of a new superintendent.
“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, look at what other states are doing and see why they’re succeeding,” Block said. “Maybe we can implement some of those policies here in New Mexico.”
Block’s path to public service began in Manchester, N.H., where he said he grew up in a household marked by addiction and financial struggle.
According to Block, after learning to manage dyslexia, he embraced hard work and resilience — traits he honed during a 20-year military career that included a deployment to Afghanistan. These experiences, which he calls “a gift,” prepared him for eight years of leadership as a county commissioner.
Now, he’s bringing the same no-holds-barred approach to the state legislature that made him a polarizing figure on the county commission. Block said he intends to move New Mexico forward through policies that address everyday residents’ needs.
“My vision would be for all New Mexicans to have access to great health care, great education, great roads, low taxes and less government, so they can be more free and more prosperous,” Block said. “It’s that simple, that’s the secret sauce baby.”
Block said he hopes to apply the lessons from Sandoval County’s successes to Santa Fe.
“When you look at where Rio Rancho is specifically and where Sandoval County is, to me, that’s a model of where New Mexico could be,” Block said.
Block said he learned the importance of building collaborative relationships as a commissioner working with Sandoval County’s diverse population. This included partnerships with tribal communities and mayors from cities, villages and towns like Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Corrales, and Cochiti Lake.
He noted that the commission fostered bipartisan cooperation, with Republicans and Democrats coming together to find the “best solutions” for the entire county.
“Looking back over eight years, I’m very proud of how far we’ve come,” Block said. “It’s nothing I did singularly, I was just honored to play a part in it.”
Block said he plans to introduce other legislative initiatives, including an oil and gas rebate program, eliminating taxes on Social Security and veterans’ pensions, and comprehensive reform of the gross receipts tax.
After hearing from constituents during his door-to-door campaign, Block proposed the oil and gas rebate program, inspired by an Alaskan model.
Block said he is working with the legislative legal staff to figure out how the program would work in New Mexico.
Block said Republicans and Democrats could work together to eliminate taxes on Social Security and veterans’ pensions. He said the taxes hurt older people on fixed budgets.
“To me, you’ve earned that money,” Block said. “That money is yours and you shouldn’t be taxed on it a second time.”
Block said another way to cut spending is by eliminating the gross receipts tax, which primarily funds municipalities. While acknowledging its impact on local governments, he supports a phased approach to eliminate the GRT over four to five years.
Block stressed the need to offset the revenue loss by finding alternative sources or reducing state spending, which he said is excessive.
Navigating a Democratic majority
“There’s certain things I’m not going to compromise on,” Block said.
Block remains firm on specific issues, drawing a clear line on policies he considers non-negotiable. These include protecting Second Amendment rights, opposing progressive social policies and supporting the oil and gas industry.
He cited transgender rights, defunding the police and eliminating oil and gas as examples of what he called “radical leftist policies” that he fundamentally opposes and believes voters rejected in recent elections.
Despite his strong positions, Block said he is willing to work across the aisle on shared priorities such as economic development and law enforcement support.
“I’ll definitely work with Democrats if they can leave the cult and find some common sense,” he said.
He criticized the Democratic Party for what he described as “ridiculous policies” that voters rejected.
Block pointed to a recent shift among some Democrats, citing the example of a Democratic fundraiser who recently left the party as evidence of changing perspectives.
On Jan. 2, Judge Allison Martinez swore in Jay Block as the newest state senator for District 12 during a ceremony at the Sandoval County Administration Building. With his wife by his side, Block pledged to uphold the U.S. and New Mexico constitutions.