It was nearly ten years ago, in June 2015, when Albuquerque resident Nicole Chavez’s oldest son, Jaydon, was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Dissatisfied with the way the Justice System handled the case and its aftermath, Chavez, who was raised in a strongly Democratic family, started running for office, as a Republican, to influence state public safety law.
In 2022 she came in second but in 2024, Chavez won by about 800 votes to become the state representative for New Mexico in the 31st district.
Though in her first year, Chavez is already having an impact, sponsoring or cosponsoring 22 bills so far, most of which relate to public safety.
Last Thursday, she kicked off a Homicide Victim Memorial at the Capitol with a speech in the rotunda during which she invited others who lost family members to murder, to take a moment and honor the victims.
“I wanted to make it a point to let them know that their loved one's lives are not forgotten," Chavez said.
"I wanted to give them the opportunity to say their names and know that their lives were forever changed and that we won't forget that. “
On that same day, the House unanimously passed a Chavez measure, HM-16, memorial legislation for victims of violent crimes.
Five of Chavez’s public safety bills are up for hearings in committee this week, including HB-280, which would eliminate the possibility of parole for three-time violent felons.
The man who was charged with the murder of Chavez’s son initially received an 18-year sentence, but he was out on parole after six years.
“ I have several public safety bills, and we really just need to address it because it seems like time and time again we get promises from legislators and it was mostly lip service and there was never any follow through.”
Chavez said that one of the unifying ideas behind her legislation is what she said has been a trend in which criminals get more rights than victims.
