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No matter where you live, what you look like, how much money you have, or what your politics are, we all share one thing in common in New Mexico: It鈥檚 damn near impossible to see a doctor when you want to. And a specialist? Forget about it.

Between 2019 and 2024, 248 doctors left New Mexico. We were the only state in the nation to experience a decrease in physicians. 

It isn鈥檛 just my constituents who are frightened and outraged about this situation, but many people across the state. It is simply unacceptable that in 2026, New Mexicans don鈥檛 have reasonable access to healthcare.

I was one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 99 in this year鈥檚 legislative session to finally fix our medical malpractice laws, a key driver of doctors leaving our state. Over the past three years, I have also sponsored or co-sponsored eight different bills to create interstate compacts, a fancy term for legislation that allows New Mexicans to see out-of-state doctors, specialists, counselors and psychiatrists via telehealth, and allows first responders, dentists, dental hygienists and physicians鈥� assistants licensed in other states to practice here.

Almost every state in the nation is part of the interstate medical compact and it was well past time for New Mexico to join, particularly since we were the only state losing doctors.

These fights 鈥� reforming medical malpractice and creating interstate medical compacts 鈥� took so long, largely because of opposition by the trial attorneys who specialize in medical malpractice cases. I practiced law for many years. Those injured by the malpractice of healthcare providers deserve just compensation and trial lawyers play an important role in getting justice for the victims. But the system had become unbalanced and doctors began leaving the state.  

My opponent, Abby Foster, was just bankrolled by these same trial lawyers to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. They know if I lose this race and she wins, they will have one more vote to overturn the med-mal bill we passed this past session. When I voted against the trial lawyer version of the bill in 2021 鈥� the one that led to so many doctors leaving 鈥� I told the trial lawyers I would no longer take campaign contributions from them and I haven't. It was important to me that my only loyalty was to do all I could to be sure my constituents and others would have access to adequate healthcare. 

Campaigns are funny. Foster has been attacking me for missing lots of floor votes in the Legislature. What she didn鈥檛 tell you is that I was excused from those floor votes so I could negotiate these medical compact bills with the Senate and defend them in committee hearings. She also attacked me for sponsoring bills with Republicans. All of these medical compact bills and the medical malpractice bill had bipartisan support and they all passed unanimously or nearly unanimously. 

The fact is, about 80% of legislation that makes it to the governor鈥檚 desk has bipartisan support, because bills like interstate medical compacts and malpractice reform are good for all New Mexicans, regardless of partisanship. I think when you don鈥檛 understand how the Legislature works and your entire political ideology is far left, you think your job is to fight everyone all the time, and it鈥檚 easy to shoot from the hip and attack.

You know what you鈥檒l get with me 鈥� I will continue fighting to expand access to doctors, specialists and other healthcare providers so no one has to wait six months to get an appointment. 

Marian Matthews, D-sa国际传媒官网网页入口, represents District 27 in the New Mexico House of Representatives.