Senator Crystal Brantley represents New Mexico’s District 35, the largest in the state, covering seven counties in the southwest corner. Elected in 2020 as the first Republican and first female to hold the office, Brantley credits her success to voters dissatisfied with the state’s approach to border security.
“Democrats sent me to Santa Fe,” she says, emphasizing that people in her district—regardless of party affiliation—were tired of failed policies.
She was raised in a politically diverse family, and she is a first-generation Republican. Her parents are independents and her grandparents were long-time Blue Dog Democrats. Living in Elephant Butte with her husband and five daughters, she sees her role in public service as a duty, and as a way to set a good example for her children. “The best work I’ll ever do is within the walls of my own home,” she says. “But I also know that stepping into leadership roles is important, especially for daughters.”
A graduate of New Mexico State University, Brantley remains a proud Aggie and has worked to secure funding for her alma mater. “When I was elected, I was running the alumni association,” she says, noting her continued advocacy for equitable funding for NMSU programs.
Brantley is deeply invested in overhauling New Mexico’s Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD). “I came in here as a mother,” she says. “I had no background in this, and I was ignorant to the travesty happening within our child welfare system until I became a legislator.”
She has introduced CYFD reform bills every session since taking office, and for the first time, she sees momentum for real change. “Kids are dying because we’re not doing our job as lawmakers,” she says.
One of her key bills would create an independent child ombudsman to provide oversight of the agency. Another seeks to eliminate the agency’s ability to hide behind confidentiality clauses that prevent transparency. “We have a number of bills that incentivize foster families, tax incentives, and more,” she says. “We’re hell-bent on getting some stuff done.”
Brantley is also focused on border security, an issue she believes is being ignored. “Border security is public safety,” she says, pointing to what she calls a failure of leadership and arguing that the border crisis is not about humanitarian concerns but about criminal activity. “We have drug cartel presence at alarming rates. This isn’t about people seeking a better life. This is about fentanyl, firearms, and the worst of the worst crossing into our communities.”
One of her proposed bills would allow local governments to be reimbursed for the cost of border security, including law enforcement, humanitarian encampments, and even trash collection. “We’re just asking for municipalities to be reimbursed for what they’ve already spent to keep their communities safe,” she says.
Another key priority is improving communication infrastructure in border areas. “Right now, we don’t even have cell service along parts of the border,” she says, referencing the murders of two law enforcement officers during her time in office. “If we’re not protecting our frontline guardians, we’re failing New Mexicans.”
Crime remains one of Brantley’s top concerns. “New Mexico has become a place where we overregulate police but refuse to hold criminals accountable,” she says. The state’s “catch and release” policies frustrate her, particularly since jails are now underutilized. “At one point, people said we couldn’t hold criminals because of overcrowding. Now our jails aren’t even 30% full, and yet criminals are back on the streets within hours.”
She has worked on a bipartisan crime package that includes addressing competency laws, ensuring that individuals declared unfit to stand trial receive mandatory treatment instead of being released. “Law enforcement told us they were frustrated,” she says. “They arrest the same people over and over, and they’re declared incompetent, released, and re-offend.”
Another issue Brantley champions is juvenile justice reform. “We have bad teenage kids out there who aren’t being held accountable,” she says, supporting a proposal to lower the age at which young offenders can be prosecuted for serious crimes. “Even Democrats like the Bernalillo County district attorney are saying enough is enough.” She sees public safety as a bipartisan issue. “New Mexicans—regardless of party—are tired of crime.”
Brantley warns that what she says is an anti-business climate is also harming economic growth. “We keep passing laws that push businesses out,” she says. She believes that improving safety, addressing medical care shortages, and supporting business-friendly policies are essential to reversing the state’s negative population growth. “If we don’t address these issues now, we’ll lose more doctors, more businesses, and more families,” she says. “Texas and Arizona are thriving, and we should be too.”
With the legislative session nearing its end, Brantley is pushing for immediate action. “If we don’t pass meaningful crime legislation or CYFD reform now, we won’t get another chance for two years,” she says. “New Mexicans can’t wait two years for change.”
