10-05-2026 1:06pm

The Minority Excuse: Measuring Rep. John Block Against His Own Caucus

Chris Edwards Editor

Block Ranks in Bottom of his own Republican Caucus in Effectiveness - Image generated via AI- Alamogordo Town News

Twenty-five of 26 House Republicans had a bill signed into law in 2026. Block’s pass rate ranks 19th of 26, in the bottom 10 of his caucus. He led none of the bills that carry his name into law, and every proposal of his own failed.

ALAMOGORDO N.M. — When Rep. John Block’s thin legislative record comes up, the answer from his defenders is always the same. He is a Republican in a Democratic Legislature. The minority cannot pass bills. Judge him on something else.

So judge him against Republicans. We pulled the 2026 session record of every one of the 26 Republicans in the New Mexico House, the people who sit in the same minority, face the same committee chairs and answer to the same governor. Measured against them (fellow Republicans), Block is in the bottom third in effectiveness.

19th of 26

Block put his name on 37 bills, memorials and resolutions in 2026. Four passed but none that he actually sponsored to begin with. That is a success rate of 10.8%, and it ranks 19th in a caucus of 26. Only seven Republicans did worse. The caucus median is 13.8%. The average is 16.3%.

The members at the top are not household names with safe majorities behind them. Republican Rep. Jack Chatfield passed 42.9% of what he sponsored. Republicans; Rep. William Hall passed 33.3%. Rep. Brian Baca, 31.3%. Rep. Tanya Mirabal Moya, 27.3%. Rep. Catherine Cullen, a first-term member, 20.8%. Minority Leader Gail Armstrong passed seven of 40.

The bottom 10, in order, are Reps. Stefani Lord, Rebecca Dow, John Block, Alan Martinez, Jimmy Mason, Elaine Sena Cortez, Luis Terrazas, Rodney Montoya, Randall Pettigrew and Martin Zamora.

Cut the numbers another way and the picture holds. By the share of his measures that became law, Block is 18th. Among the 21 Republicans who sponsored at least 15 measures, he is 15th. Twenty-five of the 26 had a bill signed by the governor, so the minority can plainly pass legislation. First-term Republican Rep. Nicole Chavez had five.

Not one law he led

A bill changes the law. A memorial is a statement of the Legislature’s wishes and changes nothing. A sponsor is anyone who signs on; the first-listed sponsor is the legislator who brought the bill and carried it.

Three bills that became law in 2026 have Block’s name on them. He was the first-listed sponsor on none. The medical malpractice overhaul was led by a Democrat, Rep. Christine Chandler, and by Armstrong; 49 legislators signed it, including 23 of the 26 House Republicans. The police battery bill was Rep. Andrea Reeb’s. The water project bill lists Democratic Rep. Kathleen Cates first and Block second, and came out of an interim committee. His one successful memorial, asking for a film industry task force, was a Democrat’s.

Everything Block brought on his own failed. Thirty-three measures, among them permitless carry of firearms, voter identification, chemical castration as a parole condition, a new tax on renewable energy production and year-round daylight saving time. Several were repeats of bills that failed in 2023. Most never got out of their first committee.

One of his measures passed the full House before dying in the Senate. Chavez had 13 reach that stage. Sena Cortez had nine. Armstrong, Cullen and Rep. Jenifer Jones had eight each. Those are bills that Democratic chairs agreed to hear and Democratic members agreed to vote for. That takes relationships.

The mailer and the money

Block’s campaign postcard tells voters he “delivered more than $11 million for Alamogordo and Otero County priorities.”

Here is how that money works. Each year the House divides its share of capital outlay evenly. Each member turns in a list of projects, the lists are folded into one bill, and the bill passes or fails as a package. A legislative finance handout put the 2025 share at $2.5 million for every representative. The Legislative Council Service chart for 2026 shows seven projects under Block’s name totaling exactly $2.5 million, the same figure it shows for Armstrong and Baca. The money on the postcard is the standard share, added up over four years.

Then look at how he voted on the packages. In 2023 he voted no on House Bill 505. In 2025 he voted no on House Bill 450, and no on the state budget. In 2026 he voted no on Senate Bill 240 and no on the capital outlay reauthorization bill. He picked the projects, voted against the bills that paid for them, and mailed voters a card taking credit.

In the final week of the 2026 session he was also recorded absent on four bills, including wheelchair insurance coverage and the Child Care Assistance Program Act.

Why it keeps happening

Block came to Santa Fe as the publisher of the Piñon Post, a site that, as the Santa Fe New Mexican has reported, routinely labels Democrats “far-left.” Before he held office he filed a campaign finance complaint against the governor over hair and makeup expenses; the Secretary of State’s Office found no violation. In November 2024 the secretary of state told a legislative committee she had been harassed online, and her office named Block as the member she meant. Block denied it and called the accusation a publicity stunt.

No record can prove that those fights are why his bills die. That is a conclusion after speaking with members of both parties that work along side him.

But the contrast in the data is hard to miss. The Republicans who passed bills in 2026 attached themselves to work that could win Democratic votes: licensing compacts to bring health care workers into the state, parole and pension fixes, property tax relief for disabled veterans.

Block spent his session on bills with no path, in a building where the people he has spent years attacking decide what gets a hearing.

Four years in, his record is 174 measures sponsored and 11 signed bills carrying his name. Being in the minority explains why Republican bills are hard to pass. It does not explain why 18 other Republicans passed a larger share of theirs.

Commentary: The alternative on the ballot

District 51 voters have a choice this year, that by Block's Party's own admission has become "a race of a lifetime." Unlike Block, Grace Nagamine is a lifelong Alamogordo resident running as an independent, and claims to be beholden to the constituents not the party ideology of either party and is on the Nov. 3 ballot against Block.

Where Block offers a mailer, Nagamine has published detailed position statements and draft legislation at graceforhd51.org, so voters can read what she would file before they vote. Where Block has built a brand on picking fights with the people who run the Capitol, she has committed to building collaborations with members of both parties. As an independent she owes neither caucus a vote.

The case for that approach is in the numbers above. Collaboration is how dollars and support reach rural New Mexico communities. The capital outlay packages, the water project authorizations and the licensing compacts all moved because legislators of both parties put their names on the same bill and then voted for it. Alamogordo has $160 million in water and sewer repairs ahead of it and will need every state dollar it can get.

One candidate has spent four years showing how he does the job, the numbers say ineffectively. The other is telling voters, in writing, how she would do it differently. Early voting begins Oct. 6.

How the ranking was done

Sponsorship figures come from LegiScan’s public sponsor pages for each of the 26 House Republicans for the 2026 regular session, retrieved Oct. 2–5, 2026, and counted by hand. A measure is credited to every member listed as a sponsor in any position. “Passed” covers bills signed by the governor and memorials or resolutions adopted without a signature. Sponsor order was checked against bill texts for Block’s measures, House Bill 61 and House Bill 99 only. Floor votes for 2026 come from BillTrack50 and cover Feb. 11–19, 2026. This is commentary and reflects the author’s conclusions.

Sources

Every figure in this article can be checked against the public records below. LegiScan pages were retrieved Oct. 2–5, 2026; the default view of each member page shows the 2026 session. Counts were made by hand from those pages.

1. Block’s 2026 sponsored measures and their status (37 measures, four passed, three signed bills). LegiScan, New Mexico Representative John Block. https://legiscan.com/NM/people/john-block/id/24684

2. Block’s four-year record (174 measures, 23 passed, 11 signed bills, three vetoed). LegiScan, John Block, all sessions. https://legiscan.com/NM/people/john-block/id/24684?record=all

3. Block’s 2026 sponsored-bill list and House floor votes, Feb. 11–19, 2026 (60 yes, 31 no, nine absent). BillTrack50, State Representative John Block, Sponsored Bills and Votes tabs. https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/28488

4. House Republican roster and party totals. LegiScan, New Mexico Legislator Contact Roster. https://legiscan.com/NM/roster

5. House Bill 99 sponsors, vote totals and signing (Chapter 44, March 6, 2026). LegiScan, NM HB99. https://legiscan.com/NM/bill/HB99/2026 ; New Mexico Legislature. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?Chamber=H&LegType=B&Leg…

6. House Bill 61 sponsor order and signing (Chapter 15, March 3, 2026). New Mexico Legislature, HB 61 introduced text. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/house/HB0061.pdf ; LegiScan. https://legiscan.com/NM/bill/HB61/2026

7. House Bill 63 sponsor order, committee endorsement and signing (Chapter 35, March 5, 2026). New Mexico Legislature, HB 63 introduced text. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/bills/house/HB0063.PDF ; LegiScan. https://legiscan.com/NM/bill/HB63/2026

8. House Memorial 17 sponsor order. New Mexico Legislature, HM 17 text. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/26%20Regular/memorials/house/HM017.PDF

9. Block’s committee assignments and service dates. New Mexico Legislature, Representative John Block. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Members/Legislator?SponCode=HBLOC

10. Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver’s November 2024 statement, her office’s identification of Block, Block’s denial, and the Piñon Post’s use of “far-left.” Santa Fe New Mexican, “New Mexico secretary of state claims GOP lawmaker harassed her online.” https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/n-m-secretary-of-stat…

11. Same event; Block’s “PR stunt” response. Roswell Daily Record, “NM Secretary of State accuses legislator of online harassment.” https://www.rdrnews.com/news/local/nm-secretary-of-state-accuses-legisl…

12. Block’s 2021 complaint against the governor and the finding of no violation. Santa Fe New Mexican, “Secretary of State’s Office finds no violation in Lujan Grisham’s makeup expenses.” https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/secretary-of-state-s-…

13. Block as founder and editor of the Piñon Post. Santa Fe New Mexican, “An unlikely conservative voice needles New Mexico’s left.” https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/an-unlikely-conservat…

14. Grace Nagamine’s position statements and draft legislation. Grace Nagamine for House District 51 campaign website. graceforhd51.org

15. Block’s mailer wording, his 2026 capital outlay list (seven projects, $2.5 million), the equal per-member allocation, and his 2025 votes on House Bill 450 and House Bill 2. Alamogordo Town News, “Factcheck: Block Mailer Claims Credit for Money Every House Member Got,” Oct. 3, 2026, and the records cited there. https://2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news/g/alamogordo-nm/n/392217/factc…

16. 2026 capital outlay projects by sponsor. Legislative Council Service, SB 240 Funded Projects by Sponsor with Governor’s Actions. https://www.nmlegis.gov/Publications/Capital_Outlay/SB%20240%20Funded%2…

17. 2023 capital outlay projects by sponsor and Block’s vote on House Bill 505. Legislative Council Service, HB 505 Projects by Sponsor. https://nmlegis.gov/Publications/Capital_Outlay/HTRC%20SUB%20HB505%20Pr… ; Alamogordo Town News, “HB 505 Allocated $14 Million to Otero County Block Voted NAY.” https://2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news/g/alamogordo-nm/n/153460/hb-50…

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Replies

Kimberly Melton Neighbor

10-04-2026 9:24am

It is so important to understand the differences in the candidates' stand on this critical issue! Protecting our water in the desert is understood by all political parties living here! Nagamine is taking a stand to protect us!

tom mitchell Neighbor

10-04-2026 11:13am

many politicians claim to represent common sense, but here in new mexico, defending our water supplies and electrical power generation is pretty much the definition of common sense - and sucking up to billionaires is not.

Randy McIntosh Neighbor

10-03-2026 7:12am

He's ****, right? What do you expect from a pickle sniffer? The good news is we won't be sucked into voting for this wolf in sheep's clothing again. Neither with his ****-ex. Both are pure sinners of man-lust.

Michael OHara Neighbor

10-03-2026 10:20am

Not sure what those ****'s mean but your homophobia is showing.
I'm certainly no fan of Block or his ex boyfriend but I take offense at your characterizations of their lives. Please keep your bigotry to yourself and try to focus on the issues of his lack of representation for his district.

Mark Hardin Neighbor

10-03-2026 2:31pm

Who cares *** you think about fagsissies? Your moral diarrhea needs medicine because it's not cool to be a gayblade.