By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
© 2026 by Merilee Dannemann
Several Democratic nominees for the state legislature have received a special recognition that might not be so special. These nominees were publicly recognized after each of them beat a fellow Democrat in the recent primary. One of them might be the nominee for your district.
In a letter published on Facebook, a well-known lawyer claims the loyalty of these candidates on behalf of the New Mexico trial lawyers. The letter also names Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland and secretary of state candidate Amanda Lopez.
“Voters chose candidates who share our values and passion for justice,” the letter says. “These leaders were supported by trial lawyers who fight to protect New Mexicans and their families.”
The letter is signed by Brian Colon, a former New Mexico state auditor who is now the New Mexico managing partner of a multi-state law firm that describes itself with the term “fearless advocacy.” He appears prominently on that law firm’s TV commercials.
The “fearless advocacy” of the trial lawyer lobby led to the medical malpractice law that created a health care crisis as doctors packed up and left New Mexico for other states. In 2026, the most important bill passed by the legislature was House Bill 99, a reasonable compromise revision of the malpractice statute, which most New Mexicans hope will stop the rest of our doctors from leaving.
Does Colon’s letter mean that mean these nominees are lined up to undermine the new version of the law? Trial lawyers and the legislators who advocated for their position were the only opponents of that bill, and because of their power in the legislature they were a forceful source of opposition.
If you are not sure that trial lawyers are acting on your behalf, especially with regard to your future access to medical care, this letter should interest you.
The list of candidates includes both incumbent state representatives and challengers who beat incumbents in the primary. Here they are: Lori Martinez (District 37, Las Cruces), incumbent Diane Torres-Velasquez (District 30, Albuquerque), Abby Foster (District 27, Albuquerque), Yolanda Pancha Gonzalez, also known as Jaramillo, (District 41, Dixon), incumbent Yanira Gurrrola (District 16, Albuquerque).
These candidates accepted campaign contributions either from the Trial Lawyers Association via its Justice for New Mexico political action committee or from individual trial lawyers or both.
The candidates may or may not have given permission to have their names used in this way. Candidates accept campaign contributions from many sources and that doesn’t mean they will do whatever those contributors want. How do you find out? If one of these candidates is running in your district, ask her.
Large contributions were also given from the trial lawyer organization or individual trial lawyers to Democratic legislative candidates who were not opposed in the primary. Voters have just as much reason to be concerned about those candidates as they do about the ones mentioned in the letter. How do you find out? Again, contact the candidate and ask.
Like any other highly organized industry group, trial lawyers who perform civil litigation are a mixed blessing. There are times in people’s lives when any of us may need the help of a lawyer to seek compensation for a loss or overcome injustice at the personal level. Our system allows litigants with limited resources to hire a lawyer, because in many cases the lawyer gets paid only if he or she wins the case.
But in New Mexico, this profession has perhaps become more than a little bit too successful and is using its considerable legislative power to advocate for more than what’s good for our communities. Perhaps it’s up to informed voters to keep the legislative influence of this powerful profession within reasonable bounds.
Merilee Dannemann’s columns are posted at www.triplespacedagain.com. Comments are invited through her website.
