Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker last week announced his intention to file his candidacy for State Representative in the newly redrawn 38th District.

Currently represented by 49th District Representative Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena), the city of Socorro will now be placed in the 38th District, now represented by Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences).

Dow has announced her campaign for governor.

The 49th District would still take in a large section of Socorro County, including Magdalena.

Bhasker believes he could do well representing the sprawling new district in the statehouse.

“It’s a totally reconfigured District 38. Socorro is at the very top of it, which is a good thing,” he said. “Then it goes down to Elephant Butte and it cuts T or C in half, and cuts Hatch in half, and goes all the way down to Radium Springs.”

One of the first steps candidates take to get on the ballot is gathering signatures on petition forms from registered voters in their district.

Ravi Bhasker

Mayor Ravi Bhasker in a 2020 interview
Jim Thompson | Albuquerque Journal

Bhasker said he has begun to solicit signatures, required for his name to be placed on the June 7 ballot.

“I will have to file in each of the counties; Socorro, Sierra and Dona Ana,” he said. “I would hope that the feeling is that, yeah, we need a strong representative and both Democrats and Republicans would vote for me. I have pretty good name recognition all the way down south. I know all the mayors and commissioners. I already have a lot of people pledging to help me and I’ve notified the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of my intentions.”

He said he decided to run because “there are some things I can’t do in the city that I can do in the legislature.

“For instance, the flood control problem in Luis Lopez and San Antonio is really bad. And it’s really bad in Hatch,” he said. “That needs to be paid attention to. I just don’t think right now we have a voice.”

Another concern lies in his purview as a physician.

“Of course, another thing I’m really upset about is the high costs of medications, and I thought the system was going to get solved. But it hasn’t,” he said.  It comes down to either “putting pressure on pharmaceutical companies or buying directly from Canada like some of the states do.

“I think some of that kind of stuff needs to be done, but that needs to be done on the state level,” Bhasker said. “Some people can’t afford the medicines they need. And that puts a burden on Medicaid. It really needs to be attended to. They give it lip service but I don’t think anybody’s really delved into it.”

He says he is also a strong proponent of cheap utility rates, especially for electricity.

“I mean, if they can offer utility rates that are discounted down to almost nothing for Facebook and Intel, why can’t they do it to all the businesses in the state?” Bhasker said. “That would help economic development. I don’t see any movement up there on these questions I’m bringing up.

And believe me, I have brought them up over and over.”

Bhasker still has another year as Socorro’s mayor, a position he could retain if he is elected as Representative. He said he would decide next year if he wanted to run for re-election as mayor.

“As mayor, the last thing on my bucket list is the electric utility,” he said. “Then I’ll decide if I really want to run (for mayor) again. If I get the co-op thing settled.”

This marks Bhasker’s second run for state representative. The first time was in 2003 when he challenged then-49th District Representive and former Speaker of the House Don Tripp.

“I think I stand a pretty good chance,” he said.

The general election is on November 8. The new districts go into effect on January 1, 2023.