Cynthia Hall
Cynthia Hall (Democratic Party) was a member of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner, representing District 1. She assumed office on January 1, 2017. She left office on January 1, 2023.
Hall (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commissioner to represent District 1. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Biography
Hall grew up in Indiana and attended college in Missouri, earning a bachelor of arts in biology from Washington University and a master of science in physiology from St. Louis University. She worked as a researcher before an interest in environmental policy took her to law school in Los Angeles. After graduating, she clerked for the Chief Justice of the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th circuit, then worked as a staff attorney at the NM Energy and Minerals Department and later the Public Service Commission, which preceded the Public Regulation Commission. In her diverse legal career, Hall has also worked as an in-house attorney for Sandia National Laboratories, a civilian attorney for the U.S. Navy, and in a Native American-owned private practice law firm. She eventually returned to the Public Regulation Commission where she works as an associate general counsel. She took a leave from the commission in 2012 in order to make an ultimately unsuccessful bid for a commissioner's seat.[1][2]
Education
- B.A. biology, Washington University
- M.S. physiology, St. Louis University
- J.D., Southwestern Law School
Political career
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (2017-2023)
Hall was elected to District 1 of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission on November 8, 2016. She assumed office in January 2017.
Elections
2020
See also: New Mexico Public Regulation Commission election, 2020
General election
General election for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1
Incumbent Cynthia Hall defeated Janice Arnold-Jones in the general election for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cynthia Hall (D) | 59.3 | 119,332 |
 | Janice Arnold-Jones (R) | 40.7 | 81,952 | |
| Total votes: 201,284 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1
Incumbent Cynthia Hall advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cynthia Hall | 100.0 | 50,151 |
| Total votes: 50,151 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1
Janice Arnold-Jones advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Janice Arnold-Jones | 100.0 | 28,406 |
| Total votes: 28,406 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Hall ran for District 1 of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission in 2016.[3] She defeated incumbent Karen Montoya in the Democratic primary on June 7, 2016. Hall previously lost to Montoya in the 2012 primary. No Republicans filed to run in the general election.
Cynthia Hall ran unopposed in the New Mexico public regulation commission, District 1 election.
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Cynthia Hall (unopposed) |
100.00% | 123,765 | |
| Total Votes | 123,765 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Cynthia Hall defeated incumbent Karen Montoya in the New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 1.
| New Mexico Democratic primary for public regulation commissioner, district 1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Cynthia Hall |
57.14% | 26,151 |
| Karen Montoya Incumbent | 42.86% | 19,616 |
| Total Votes (315 of 315 precincts reporting) | 45,767 | |
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||
2012
Hall ran for District 1 of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission in 2012. She lost against Al Park and Karen Montoya in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2012. Christopher Ocksrider ran unopposed in the Republican primary.[4]
The general election took place on November 6, 2012.
| New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, District 1, Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Karen Montoya |
36.3% | 10,972 |
| Cynthia Hall | 33.2% | 10,038 |
| Al Park | 30.5% | 9,221 |
| Total Votes | 30,231 | |
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cynthia Hall did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Hall focused much of her campaign on a plan to continue operation of the San Juan Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant, which the PRC approved in December 2015. The station was facing closure due to violations of the federal Clean Air Act regulations and an inability to fund the improvements necessary to come into compliance. Under the plan, the station will shut down two of its four units to reduce emissions. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), the state's largest utilities provider and majority owner of the San Juan station, will supplement the loss with power from other nearby coal, natural gas, and nuclear facilities. The plan passed 4-1, with chairwoman Valerie Espinoza the sole dissenting vote. "I don’t believe that more coal or nuclear is the best alternative,” Espinoza said.[5] Supporters of the plan called it the lowest-cost solution that would have the least impact on consumer rates.[5]
Hall criticized the plan as ignoring the current discourse on coal power, which she asserted would eventually cause the price to increase as pollution-control measures are mandated to combat its environmental impacts:
| “ | As more and more voters recognize the reality of global warming, there will be inexorable political pressure to reduce carbon pollution. Because coal produces more carbon dioxide per unit of generated electricity than any other power source, coal will be the first target of pollution control measures....
It is difficult to predict what form the eventual anti-carbon measures will take. The likely possibilities include carbon taxes, cap and trade requirements, and increasingly restrictive limitations on carbon dioxide emissions. What is certain, however, is that one or more such measures are coming and that they will make coal-generated electricity much, much more expensive.... The settlement agreement in the San Juan Generating Station case, approved by the PRC, implicitly assumes that the current cost of coal-generated electricity will be comparable to the cost of coal-generated electricity over the next 30 or 40 years. This assumption is irrational. Under the San Juan settlement, PNM will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in pollution-control equipment and other coal-related capital improvements and may well receive the PRC’s approval in its next rate case to shift these costs from the company to consumers in rate hikes. Many years of coal power revenues will be required to pay off that investment. But when coal power becomes too expensive, generation of these revenues will cease, and PNM’s investment in these capital costs will still have to be paid off by ratepayers who no longer receive value in the form of electricity.[6][7] |
” |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Cynthia Hall, "Cynthia's Bio," accessed June 3, 2016
- ↑ Cynthia Hall, "Cynthia Hall Biography," accessed October 12, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedcand16 - ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "2012 candidates for public regulation commission," accessed May 26, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Farmington Daily Times, "PRC approves San Juan Generating Station," December 16, 2015
- ↑ Cynthia Hall, "PRC's decision could cost NM for decades," May 2, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Karen Montoya (D) |
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission District 1 2017-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
 |
State of New Mexico Santa Fe (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
