Joshua Neal

Joshua Neal is running for election to the Albuquerque City Council to represent District 1 in New Mexico. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Biography

Joshua Neal was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He earned a bachelor's degree from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 2019. His career experience includes working as a civil engineer.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Albuquerque City Council District 1

Ahren Griego, Daniel Leiva, Joshua Neal, and Stephanie Telles are running in the general election for Albuquerque City Council District 1 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Ahren Griego (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Daniel Leiva (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Joshua Neal (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Stephanie Telles (Nonpartisan)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2024

General election

General election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Incumbent Cynthia Borrego defeated Joshua Neal in the general election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cynthia Borrego (D)	54.1	7,860
	Submit photo	Joshua Neal (R)	45.9	6,679

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,539
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Incumbent Cynthia Borrego advanced from the Democratic primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cynthia Borrego	100.0	1,582

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,582
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Joshua Neal advanced from the Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joshua Neal	100.0	1,008

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,008
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Neal in this election.

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Incumbent Melanie Ann Stansbury defeated Michelle Garcia Holmes and Victoria Gonzales in the general election for U.S. House New Mexico District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melanie Ann Stansbury (D)	55.7	156,462
		Michelle Garcia Holmes (R)	44.2	124,151
	Submit photo	Victoria Gonzales (Independent)	0.0	58

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 280,671
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Cameron Chick (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Incumbent Melanie Ann Stansbury advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Melanie Ann Stansbury	100.0	44,223

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 44,223
= 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.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Sheridan Lund (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Michelle Garcia Holmes defeated Louie Sanchez in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1 on June 7, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Michelle Garcia Holmes	58.7	25,822
	Louie Sanchez	41.3	18,171

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,993
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Joshua Neal has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Joshua Neal asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Joshua Neal, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Joshua Neal to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing nealfornm@gmail.com.

2024

Joshua Neal completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Neal's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in the Albuquerque metro. I graduated from Los Lunas High School and and received my Civil Engineering degree from New Mexico Tech. After graduating from college, I worked short term as a Humanitarian Relief worker with the International Mission Board (IMB) in Bucaramanga, Colombia. As someone who has witnessed the hardships of Venezuelan refugees fleeing economic devastation, I have a deep compassion for those in need. While serving with the IMB, I provided food, clothing, and shelter to these displaced individuals. This experience strengthened my resolve to advocate for compassionate policies that uplift and support the most vulnerable in our communities. Now, I work as a Civil Engineer in Albuquerque. As an engineer, my job requires strong critical thinking and problem solving skills to manage budgets, timelines, and resources, ensure compliance with local and federal codes and regulations, and collaborate with various stakeholders to find design solutions to complex problems. These skills are exactly what our Legislature needs. New Mexico is my home, and I am passionate about making it a better place.

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 running for office because I want New Mexico to be a place where I can settle down and raise a family. Young people like me are fleeing from New Mexico to find jobs and raise families in other places. Young families want to live in a place that is safe, that has good education, and that has an affordable housing market. My goal is to make New Mexico a place where young families thrive.
Crime is out of control. We've got to address the Crime Crisis head on. We need to stop fentanyl and illegal goods coming across our border. We need to hold criminals accountable and enforce the laws we already have on the books. We need bail reform to stop the revolving door and keep violent and dangerous criminals off of our streets. We need to support our law enforcement with new tools, training, and resources. And we need to fund community-based programs to address mental health.
The way forward is through Development. As a Civil Engineer, I work with developers and investors. There are two main reasons why New Mexico is not an attractive place to do business: 1) GRT is expensive and extremely complex; and 2) New Mexico does not have a skilled workforce sufficient to support large industries. New Mexico needs to reform GRT to make it more attractive for developers and investors to do business here. And we need strong workforce development programs to transform our unskilled workforce into a skilled workforce. This will not only raise people out of poverty, but will encourage industries to come to New Mexico and create jobs.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about making New Mexico a place where young families thrive; where its easy to do business; and where innovation happens.

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

America has a long history of young people rising up to do extraordinary things. George Washington was 21 years old when he was sworn in as a major in the Virginia militia in February 1753. At the age of 21, Alexander Hamilton became an aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. He was trusted with key responsibilities and was later instrumental in shaping the new nation's financial system as the first Secretary of the Treasury. In her 20s, Clara Barton began her career as a teacher and later became a prominent nurse during the American Civil War. She went on to found the American Red Cross, greatly impacting humanitarian aid and disaster relief. Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, marking one of the most important contributions to American democracy and the fight for freedom. Like these young people before me, I hope to have a positive impact on my County for my People.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Elected leaders should model Lincoln's honesty and graciousness, Eisenhower's smile and wise leadership, and Reagan's optimistic belief in America.

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

By nature, I am inquisitive, even-tempered, and passionate about making my home a better place. I think those qualities are unique for someone running for office and will give me opportunities to work across the aisle and do good work for my constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It's in the name: a Representative represents his/her constituents. Representatives advocate for the needs and concerns of the people in their district. As such, Representatives should regularly meet with constituents, attend town hall meetings, and seek input on important matters to ensure they are accurately representing the will of the people in their district. Representatives propose new laws or amendments to existing laws. They can introduce bills on various topics like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and taxation. Once a bill is introduced, Representatives participate in debates, discussing the merits and drawbacks of proposed laws. Representatives vote on whether to pass or reject bills. These votes directly impact state policy. Representatives review, amend, and approve the state budget, determining how tax dollars are spent across various departments like education, public safety, and transportation. Through hearings and inquiries, Representatives can investigate how state agencies and officials are implementing the laws, ensuring accountability and transparency. While focusing on their district's needs, Representatives also work on issues that affect the entire state, like economic development, environmental regulations, or education reform. Representatives often coordinate with local governments to address regional problems like infrastructure needs, zoning laws, or emergency response plans.

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

As a teenager, I did yard work for my neighbors for a little extra spending money. I did that all throughout high school. In college, I worked as a server at a local Chinese restaurant and stayed there for several years until I got my internship with an Engineering firm.

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

The governor and state legislators should be mature enough to work together, regardless of party affiliation. That means coming together in healthy, productive debate to write good laws that help the people and preserve their constitutional rights.

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

New Mexico needs to transform its workforce into a skilled workforce, revise its tax codes, and fight crime. These steps will encourage economic development into our state. Additionally, the fight for clean drinking water will become a greater and greater problem over the next decades. NM is not prepared for mega-droughts. We need to invest in water capture, water harvesting, aquifer recharge, and water reuse technologies to ensure that - in an emergency - New Mexicans will have clean drinking water.

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

America is an amazing place. In America, you can run for office - even if you or your family have never participated in government or politics before. In America, we can fight for the future of our community, our State, and our Nation.

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

Absolutely. I'm looking forward to working with Democrats who are willing to do what's best for my people. After all, I'm not only representing the Republicans in my district; I'm representing the whole district. It's my responsibility to make my best effort to achieve the best solutions possible through compromise and cooperation with my fellow legislators. I understand that I don't know everything and that my way may not always be the best way. But I think we can come close if we work together to do what's right and what's best for the people.

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

I hope that I can become like former US Senator Joe Lieberman - a Centrist who famously worked across the aisle to draft good legislation.

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

Right now my focus is helping my people in my local community. We've got serious issues that cannot go unaddressed for much longer without serious consequences.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Last week, while I was knocking doors and talking with voters, a gentleman waved me over and showed me his car. Bullet holes dotted the back of his vehicle. This gentleman told me that he and his wife were at home when gang affiliates sped down their road with the windows down and sprayed his home with gunfire. "We've already fixed the damage to our building exterior and garage doors" (which was several thousand dollars worth of damage), "but the car is more expensive to fix." And this isn't in an area you would expect violent crime or gangs to exist. It's on the West Side in a neighborhood probably very similar to the one you live in. "I could have died," he told me. We've got to stop this. We've got to vote differently.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The governor should have the ability to act quickly in emergency situations to save/protect innocent life. But the Legislature should be able to check that power and hold the governor accountable. The Legislature needs to be able to overturn or stop an emergency action if it persists for more than 30 days.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Bill #1 - a 75% reduction in GRT for developers who agree to include affordable housing as part of their development project. I think this would do two things: 1) it would encourage more housing for low income families in new residential development projects; and 2) it would encourage more mixed use development with commercial and residential use. We need more housing. It's time the Legislature incentivized housing - and not just for the wealthy.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The New Mexico Business Coalition, the Affordable Energy PAC of New Mexico

What committees interest you?

I am most interested in the Taxation, Economic Development, and Transportation committees.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Citizens have a right to know where their tax dollars are going, and they should be assured that their tax dollars are being used efficiently.

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.

2022

Joshua Neal did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Joshua Neal campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	New Mexico House of Representatives District 17	Lost general	$55,765	$55,721
2022	New Mexico House of Representatives District 17	Lost primary	$7,573	$7,573
2022	U.S. House New Mexico District 1	Disqualified primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$63,338	$63,294
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 29, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 29, 2024

[1]

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Joshua Neal

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Albuquerque City Council District 1

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 17

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Mexico District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2022

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

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