Martin Ruben Zamora

Zamora was born on a farm near Clovis, New Mexico, and the Albuquerque Journal describes him as a farmer and rancher by birth and by trade.[3] According to his campaign website as reported by the Albuquerque Journal, he and his wife have owned agricultural businesses across Curry, Torrance and Socorro counties.[3]

Zamora first won election to the New Mexico House of Representatives, District 63, in November 2018, narrowly defeating incumbent Democrat George Dodge Jr. by 27 votes, and took office in January 2019. He was re-elected in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and the Albuquerque Journal reports he ran unopposed in the last two elections for the seat before announcing his congressional bid.[2][3] His state House committee assignments have included Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources and State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs, on which he was ranking member in 2023-2024.[2]

Zamora announced a run for the 3rd District seat in a news release, citing federal campaign finance filings; according to the Albuquerque Journal, he announced during the 2026 30-day legislative session that he was leaving office, and Republican Seth Martin was unopposed for the District 63 seat in the general election.[3][4] His campaign website describes him as a "conservative Hispano leader" who prioritizes agricultural heritage, high-paying jobs and "cracking down on crime and drug trafficking," and also lists water rights as a top concern, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Had he been elected, he would have been the second Republican to represent the district since it was created in 1982.[3] During the campaign, he named the economy, energy, border security and agriculture as his top issues.[3][4] He received 38.3% of the vote to Teresa Leger Fernandez's 61.7%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]