Lisa Curtis v. Nicole Chavez: the most interesting and consequential legislative race of 2026?
Rarely has there been a clearer contrast between legislative candidates on ONE specific issue, especially an issue that just saw overwhelming bipartisan agreement in the prior legislative session and was a top priority of the Governor. I’m referring to the District 31 face off between Republican incumbent Nicole Chavez and former legislator and trial attorney Lisa Curtis. The issue in question is medical malpractice reform (HB 99) which passed the House in 2026 with just 3 dissenting votes in the House. Chavez cosponsored the bill and voted for it.
On the other hand, Curtis, a trial attorney, is running in opposition to the bill. She was one of the biggest opponents of the bill and testified against it. She also put 100K of her own money into the trial attorney funded group NM Safety over profits which ran a huge campaign in opposition of the bill. She makes a number of frankly bizarre statements in a Facebook post relating to medical policy issues. We’ll consider a few of them here.
Curtis writes, “What good is health insurance if you can’t find a doctor?” True enough, that’s why New Mexicans clamored for years about medical malpractice reform. There is certainly more to be done (like eliminating the gross receipts tax permanently on medical professionals) but this is why there was bipartisan support of reforms.
Voters need to demand Curtis tell them whether she supports the bipartisan malpractice reforms passed earlier this year.
She then goes on to note, “That’s the reality too many New Mexicans face. Months waiting for an appointment. Doctors leaving the state. Specialists not found. And healthcare professionals spend too much of their day fighting paperwork instead of caring for patients.” Of course there are. We’re still NOT a doctor friendly state! The Rio Grande Foundation has outlined an array of reforms that would attract more doctors and health care professionals to New Mexico. Curtis doesn’t discuss any of these ideas. Instead her focus is on ideas that are often impossible to carry out at the state level. “Push back against corporate consolidation” is not a policy.
The following really tips Curtis’ hand: “I believe healthcare is a right.” We should be moving toward universal healthcare where every New Mexican is covered and cost never stands between you and the care you need. While Curtis is tacitly supporting “single payer health care” like Canada’s, she fails to understand that when the government is paying the bills it is going to be MUCH more restrictive of malpractice cases than a more private system like the US. Suing your doctor is NOT easy in Canada and awards are strictly limited.
Of course, who pays for “universal” health care? That’s the real question. We’re talking about programs that have failed repeatedly in other states and would likely consume New Mexico’s $75 billion permanent fund IF it were used to pay for such a scheme.
Canada also has long lines for specialists. Your appointment may be paid for by taxpayers, but actually seeing a doctor is a challenge: In 2025, physicians across Canada reported a median wait time of 28.6 weeks between a referral from a GP and receipt of treatment. Is this really what Curtis wants here in New Mexico?