Roxanne Lara
Roxanne "Rocky" Lara (b. in Carlsbad, New Mexico) was a 2014 Democratic candidate seeking election to the U.S. House to represent the 2nd Congressional District of New Mexico.[1][2] She was defeated in the general election by incumbent Steve Pearce (R) on November 4, 2014.[3]
Lara is an attorney and a former Eddy County Commissioner. She left the commissioner's office in hopes of becoming chairwoman of the New Mexico Democratic Party. After failing to secure the chairwoman post, Lara decided to launch a campaign for Congress, seeking the 2nd District seat in the U.S. House, held by Republican Steve Pearce.[2]
Biography
Lara was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and raised in a blue collar household. Her father was a career laborer and school board member, while her mother was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Lara attended New Mexico State University for her undergraduate studies and later graduated from Texas Tech with her Juris Doctor. She has used her law degree primarily to practice family law at a firm she founded and runs personally.
Following in her school board member father's footsteps, Lara decided to enter public service. She first served in political office as Eddy County Commissioner. After one term in the position, she opted not to seek re-election in order to run for New Mexico Democratic Party chair. Her pursuit of the party leadership post was ultimately unsuccessful, and she subsequently announced her bid for Congress.[2][4]
Elections
2014
Lara ran in the 2014 election for the U.S. House to represent New Mexico's 2nd District.[5] Lara ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination in the primary on June 3, 2014.[6] She was defeated in the general election by incumbent Steve Pearce (R) on November 4, 2014.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Steve Pearce Incumbent |
64.4% | 95,209 | |
| Democratic | Roxanne "Rocky" Lara | 35.5% | 52,499 | |
| Write-in (R) | Jack A. McGrann (write-in) | 0% | 69 | |
| Total Votes | 147,777 | |||
| Source: New Mexico Secretary of State | ||||
Endorsements
Lara received the following endorsements:
Jumpstart program
Lara was a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Jumpstart program, which was designed to provide early support to top-tier Democratic challengers.[8]
Campaign finance summary
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Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Roxanne + Lara + New + Mexico + Congress"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Farmington Daily-Times, "Roxanne Lara puts in bid for Congress," September 3, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Alamogordo Daily News, "Carlsbad Democrat Roxanne Lara enters race for Congress," September 3, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huffington Post, "Election 2014," accessed November 6, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Politics with Joe Monahan, "Pundits Say No First Round Knock Out of "Rocky" Lara By Pearce As Race In South Is Joined," September 4, 2013
- ↑ Rocky Lara for Congress 2014 Official Campaign Website, "Homepage," accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Mexico Summary Vote Results," June 3, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Telegram, "Lara endorsed by Blue Dog Democrats," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "DCCC adds nine names to program for top recruits," September 9, 2013
