Teresa K.E. Smith De Cherif
Teresa K.E. Smith De Cherif, M.D. was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 7 of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
This candidate ran in a "race to watch" in one of the 20 chambers identified by Ballotpedia as a battleground chamber.
The New Mexico House had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of four seats, which amounts to 5.7 percent of the chamber. In 2012, a total of 15 districts were competitive or mildly competitive. There were nine districts where the margin of victory was 5 percent or less in the 2012 elections. Another six districts had a margin of victory between 5 and 10 percent.
Biography
Smith De Cherif earned her B.A. in Philosophy and Arab Studies from Mount Holyoke College in 1983, her Master of International Affairs from Columbia University in the City of New York in 1987, her certificate in Post-baccalaureate premedical studies from Tufts University in 1997 and her M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine in 2002. Her professional experience includes working as a doctor and as a local farmer and sheep rancher.[1]
Campaign themes
2014
Smith De Cherif's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[2]
Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "I will vote to raise the minimum wage, and fight for capital-outlay funds for Valencia County."
Education
- Excerpt: "I care about our children and will fight for student-centered and teacher-supportive education. I will end Santa Fe “methods” of teacher evaluation, including calculations derived from “Teach to the Test” mandates, which are scientifically invalid."
Health
- Excerpt: "My clinic initiative will bring jobs to Valencia County! Those jobs will include construction, as the proposed site is adapted to a clinic, high-speed Internet installation for the electronic medical record, and staff from medical assistants, clinic administration, to licensed clinicians. Providing accessible, quality health care is a pillar to community wellness, and will help revitalize our East Mesa communities of Meadow Lake and El Cerro Mission."
Valley Values
- Excerpt: "I will continue to fight to preserve our Rio Grande Valley Values, supporting agricultural conservation and historic preservation, balanced with planned growth, especially as we face pressures to urbanize."
Elections
2014
Elections for the New Mexico House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 4, 2014. Incumbent Kelly K. Fajardo was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Teresa K.E. Smith De Cherif defeated Andrew Barreras in the Democratic primary. Fajardo defeated Smith De Cherif in the general election.[3][4]
The New Mexico House of Representatives was a battleground chamber that Ballotpedia identified as having the opportunity to switch partisan control in 2014. The New Mexico House had a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republican of four seats, which amounted to 5.7 percent of the chamber. District 7 in the House was identified by Ballotpedia, the Santa Fe New Mexican and the New Mexico Telegram as a battleground district that would be key in determining control of the New Mexico House of Representatives. Incumbent Kelly K. Fajardo (R) was targeted by Democrats because she skipped a vote last legislative session to raise the state's minimum-wage. In the general election, Fajardo defeated Teresa K.E. Smith De Cherif (D). Smith De Cherif defeated Andrew Barreras in the Democratic primary. Fajardo narrowly defeated Barreras in 2012.[5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Kelly Fajardo Incumbent |
57.1% | 3,514 | |
| Democratic | Teresa Smith De Cherif | 42.9% | 2,642 | |
| Total Votes | 6,156 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Teresa K.E. Smith De Cherif |
51.4% | 792 |
| Andrew Barreras | 48.6% | 748 |
| Total Votes | 1,540 | |
Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Smith De Cherif's endorsements included the following:[7]
- National Education Association of New Mexico (NEA)
- OLÉ NEW MEXICO
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Teresa + Smith + De + Cherif + New + Mexico + House"
See also
- New Mexico House of Representatives
- New Mexico State Legislature
- New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2014
- New Mexico House of Representatives District 7
External links
- Official campaign website
- Teresa Smith De Cherif on Facebook
- Teresa Smith De Cherif on Twitter
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- New Mexico Secretary of State, 2014 Primary Election Candidate List
Footnotes
- ↑ Facebook, "Teresa Smith de Cherif, MD for State Representative, NM-7, Democrat," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ teresa4nmstaterep.com, "Platform-Issues," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Secretary of State, "Official Results Primary Election - June 3, 2014," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico State Legislature, "2014 Primary Election Candidates," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "House hopeful makes six-figure contribution to own campaign," May 12, 2014
- ↑ New Mexico Telegram, "Battle for the state House will center on ten districts," June 4, 2014
- ↑ teresa4nmstaterep.com, "Campaign Bulletin," accessed May 14, 2014
