Joseph Tiano

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Joseph Tiano

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Retired police officer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Joseph Tiano (Republican Party) ran for election to the New Mexico State Senate to represent District 39. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Tiano completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Joseph Tiano pursued his undergraduate education at the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. His career experience includes working as a police officer.

Elections

2020

See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for New Mexico State Senate District 39

Incumbent Liz Stefanics defeated Joseph Tiano in the general election for New Mexico State Senate District 39 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Liz Stefanics (D)	55.6	12,287
		Joseph Tiano (R)	44.4	9,831

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,118
= 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 State Senate District 39

Incumbent Liz Stefanics advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico State Senate District 39 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Liz Stefanics	100.0	6,423

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,423
= 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 State Senate District 39

Joseph Tiano defeated Susan Vescovo in the Republican primary for New Mexico State Senate District 39 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Tiano	51.2	2,122
	Submit photo	Susan Vescovo	48.8	2,021

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,143
= 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.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Joseph Tiano completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tiano's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a fourth generation New Mexican. I am a 24 year retired law enforcement officer. I attended the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. I studied business administration and criminal justice. In 1982 I graduated from the NM State Police Academy and was commissioned by Governor Bruce King then stationed in Lincoln County, NM. In 1989 I attended the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Academy in Nevada. In 1991 I returned home to Santa Fe and secured a job with Los Alamos County Police Department. In 2006 I retired from LAPD as a Sergeant and Senior Crash Investigator. In 2011 I started my own business as an Independent Associate with LegalShield/IDShield. On May 2, 2019, I announced my intention to run for State Senate District 39 because of legislation pushed onto the people of New Mexico regarding late term abortion (up to birth), unconstitutional gun laws and overspending and over taxation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am a New Mexican for New Mexico. I want to bring New Mexico values back to the people.
• Pro-life. I am a supporter of life and want to keep the government out of the abortion business.
• The Second Amendment shall not be infringed.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our Constitutional rights are currently being infringed by leftists using this virus to shut down the economy in New Mexico. Businesses should not have been shut down and should have been allowed to function under the same restrictions as the big box stores. Our ranchers and our farmers are being neglected and their water rights being abused. The current administration and legislative bodies like the ability to tax and spend with money New Mexico does not have.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look to President Ronald Reagan as a guiding light as I live my life. He was a good and moral man who loved his country.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have the ability to perceive or discern and come up with solutions. I am also able to bring order into chaos.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A legacy of a champion fir the rights of the Unborn and fir Americans and New Mexicans that their rights were secured and protected.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember Martin Luther King on TV. I was 7 years old at the time

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at the Santa Fe Country Club doing a number of tasks. I had the job all through high school.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

I believe both chambers are equal in importance. The House has the responsibility of the purse and the Senate the responsibility of appointments.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I actually believe that experience is not important. The system must be run by the people and not politicians.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

New Mexico's greatest challenge is to protect and build the states infrastructure. Building Small Business, protecting it's oil fields and reducing taxes on it's people and businesses.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

Both must realize that each is a check and balance of the other. This realization encourages both parties to work with each other.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It's very important to build relationships. Nothing would get done with fighting with each other.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I'd like to be on the Senate Committee on Law and Order.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No. I'm my own person and I will bring my experience to my seat.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I have my sites set only on this seat for the time being.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the New Mexico State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Peter Wirth

Minority Leader:William Sharer

Senators

District 1

William Sharer (R)

District 2

Steve Lanier (R)

District 3

Shannon Pinto (D)

District 4

George Munoz (D)

District 5

Leo Jaramillo (D)

District 6

Roberto Gonzales (D)

District 7

Pat Woods (R)

District 8

Pete Campos (D)

District 9

Cindy Nava (D)

District 10

Katy Duhigg (D)

District 11

Linda Lopez (D)

District 12

Jay Block (R)

District 13

Debbie O'Malley (D)

District 14

Michael Padilla (D)

District 15

Heather Berghmans (D)

District 16

Antoinette Lopez (D)

District 17

Mimi Stewart (D)

District 18

Natalie Figueroa (D)

District 19

Anthony Thornton (R)

District 20

Martin Hickey (D)

District 21

Nicole Tobiassen (R)

District 22

Benny Shendo (D)

District 23

Harold Pope (D)

District 24

Linda Trujillo (D)

District 25

Peter Wirth (D)

District 26

Antonio Maestas (D)

District 27

Patrick Boone (R)

District 28

Gabriel Ramos (R)

District 29

Joshua Sanchez (R)

District 30

Angel Charley (D)

District 31

Joseph Cervantes (D)

District 32

Candy Ezzell (R)

District 33

Nicholas Paul (R)

District 34

James Townsend (R)

District 35

Crystal Diamond Brantley (R)

District 36

Jeff Steinborn (D)

District 37

William Soules (D)

District 38

Carrie Hamblen (D)

District 39

Liz Stefanics (D)

District 40

Craig Brandt (R)

District 41

David Gallegos (R)

District 42

Larry Scott (R)

Democratic Party (26)

Republican Party (16)