Alamogordo NM
10-21-2026 12:29am

Fact Check: John Block Sends Attack Letter: Relies on Insinuations and Falsehoods While Ignoring His Own Record of Division and Limited Results

ALAMOGORDO  N.M. — In the closing weeks of the House District 51 campaign, Republican incumbent Rep. John Block mailed voters a two-page fundraising letter dated October 12, 2026. Rather than running primarily on a documented record of successful representation for Alamogordo and Otero County, the letter spends the bulk of its space attacking independent challenger Grace Nagamine with claims that public records, campaign finance filings, legislative documents, and her own disclosures contradict or leave without support

The letter portrays Nagamine as a Biden campaigner who “even met him,” a Harris supporter, a stand-in for an unnamed “far-left PAC” that has raised more than $300,000, an independent “the way Bernie Sanders is” who will caucus with Democrats the moment she reaches Santa Fe, and a “career criminal” whose record of “at least three felony convictions and other charges stretching over decades” disqualifies her

It contrasts this with Block’s assertion that he has delivered more than $11 million, kept promises on veterans and military families, and fought taxes and the shuttering of an ICE facility.

A review of New Mexico legislative records, Secretary of State campaign finance disclosures, court records, White House documents provided by the Nagamine campaign, and prior reporting shows the central attacks are unsupported or misleading. 

The letter also omits context that undercuts its framing, while overstating Block’s legislative achievements.

It arrives against a backdrop in which Block has faced public accusations from the state’s top election official of encouraging online harassment, maintains an active civil lawsuit set for trial after Election Day, and has used his own PAC structure in ways that route money involving his private company.

The “Career Criminal” Claim and the Record of Service

Block’s letter states that Nagamine’s record “includes at least three felony convictions and other charges stretching over decades for some of the most grievous crimes” and that this is “a career criminal’s record, not a public servant’s.”

According to Nagamine’s campaign and her published memoir, the convictions and related incarceration occurred in 2005–2008, tied to a period of domestic violence survival, addiction, and homelessness.

She has not disputed nor denied the existence of the record; she has described it publicly in her book The Grace Nagamine Story, in interviews, on social media, and as keynote speaker at a recent domestic violence survivors’ event.

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Court-record reviews cited in local reporting have found no criminal cases against her in the roughly 18 years since.

The letter’s phrase “stretching over decades” does not match a record confined to a three-year period that ended nearly two decades ago.

The letter also omits the subsequent record of service.

White House letters provided by the Nagamine campaign document recognition under both parties through the President’s Volunteer Service Award program, which honors volunteer hours rather than political activity.

One letter signed by President Donald Trump congratulates her on the President’s Volunteer Service Award and thanks her for service to fellow Americans and those most in need.

A second letter signed by President Joe Biden presents the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award “in recognition of your 4,311 hours of service to this great Nation.” 

Nagamine has said that when she met Biden she brought her children so they could meet a sitting president, and that she would want them to show the same respect to any president regardless of party

Meeting a president and receiving volunteer recognition from two presidents is not campaigning nor politicking for either of them. 

The Block attack letter mentions the Biden meeting but not the Trump recognition.

Nagamine is a lifelong Alamogordo resident, former Mrs. New Mexico (2018–2019), founder of Royal Angels (a charity focused on children with special needs, established in honor of a granddaughter), a mother and grandmother, and an advocate for women, children, seniors, veterans, and survivors.

Her publicly stated platform centers on local issues including veterans and Holloman AFB, seniors and caregivers, children and CYFD reform, homelessness, and infrastructure. 

She has described running as a Decline to State (Independent) candidate because these problems do not belong to one party and has spoken of the need for bipartisan collaboration.

Unsupported Claims on Politics, Caucusing, and Outside Money

The letter calls Nagamine independent “the way Bernie Sanders is,” asserts she is “ready to caucus with” Democrats the moment she reaches Santa Fe, and claims she supported Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign.

It cites no statement from her pledging to caucus with Democrats, no public endorsement of Harris, and no donation record. 

Federal contributions are public via FEC filings; none supporting the Harris claim has been identified in available reporting.

Nagamine filed as a Decline to State candidate; her materials state she is not affiliated with any political party. No public record of a pledge to join the Democratic caucus nor any caucus has been located.

The letter further claims she is “backed by a far-left PAC that has raised over $300,000 and is now spending it to support Democrats down the ballot and flip our district blue.

It does not name the PAC. Nagamine’s state campaign finance reports through mid-2026 showed no PAC contributions of that scale. She has received a Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter endorsement based on her local knowledge and community work; an endorsement is not a $300,000 contribution. Available independent expenditures supporting her have been described as modest grassroots efforts. The claim lacks supporting documentation.

By contrast, Block’s own campaign reports list contributions from Chevron, Permian Resources, Devon Energy, and other corporate and out-of-district sources. Piñon PAC, of which Block is treasurer and which shares an address with his Piñon Post LLC, has raised tens of thousands of dollars, the large majority from Republican legislators outside Otero County. Filings show the PAC paid Piñon Post LLC more than $4,600 in 2026 with no purpose disclosed beyond generic descriptions such as “Check.” Money has also moved between Block’s campaign committee, the PAC, and Block personally.

Fact: The Block letter warns that “outside money does not knock on doors,” yet Block’s own filings show substantial outside support while local Otero County contributions to the PAC have been minimal.

Overstated Claims About Block’s Legislative Record

The letter credits Block with bringing home more than $11 million for Alamogordo and Otero County. Every House member receives an equal share of capital outlay funds, roughly $2.5 million annually; four years of that standard allocation is approximately $10 million.

Local fact-checks have noted that Block voted against the 2026 capital outlay reauthorization and the state budget. In the 2026 session, four of the 37 measures he sponsored passed, and he was not the lead sponsor on any of them and ranks in the bottom 1/3 of his own Republican Caucus for effectiveness even surpassed by a first term novice Republican for effectiveness. 

He claims he “helped pass increased property tax relief for our veterans.” The veterans’ property-tax bills that became law (including HB 47 in 2025 and HB 285 in 2026) were sponsored by other legislators; HB 285 passed the House 67–0. He states he “passed bills to make it easier for military families.” He was one of five co-sponsors, not the lead sponsor, of HB 302 (2024), which added protections for military families.

He claims he fought “attempts to raise our taxes by trying to shutter our ICE detention facility.” HB 9 (2026) bars counties from ICE detention contracts, putting the Otero County Processing Center’s jobs and revenue at risk; it does not raise taxes, and lawmakers set aside funds to offset county losses

Fact: These claims range from inflated to partly true to misleading when measured against the legislative record.

Pattern of Division Versus Collaboration

While Nagamine has emphasized bipartisan approaches to local problems and has been recognized for service by presidents of both parties, Block’s public record includes sharp partisan attacks.

In November 2024, New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver publicly accused Block of encouraging or “egging on” online harassment and threats she received after the election, including during a legislative committee hearing.

She indicated she planned to file a police report related to intimidation of election officials. Block denied threatening or harassing her, offered a qualified apology for any violent threats directed at her, and characterized questions about her policy positions as legitimate debate.  The episode is documented in contemporaneous reporting by the Albuquerque Journal, Santa Fe New Mexican, and Associated Press.

Block has also been a frequent critic of Democratic leadership, including filing ethics complaints and using his Piñon Post platform for pointed commentary.

Separately, he is a defendant in an ongoing LBGTQ civil lawsuit filed by his former domestic partner, over a property agreement; a judge has set the case for a multi-day trial beginning in March 2027. 

Block threatened a defamation lawsuit and previously told constituents the matter had been resolved amicably; court orders show it was not. A State Ethics Commission complaint involving related matters was also filed against him. .

New Mexico law requires clear disclaimers on campaign advertising identifying who authorized and paid for it. The letter reviewed carries Block’s campaign branding and lists an address for checks but does not display a boxed statement of authorization and payment of the campaign materials in the manner described under state statute and rules. Whether that complies is a question for the State Ethics Commission and the SOS of which is investigating. 

Conclusion

Block’s letter asks voters to judge character and trust “neighbors.

On the claims that can be checked against public records, Nagamine’s history of service is documented by volunteer awards from both President Trump and President Biden.

Her criminal record is real, old, self-disclosed, and followed by years of clean time and community work.

The letter’s characterizations of her politics, funding, and caucus intentions lack supporting evidence.

Block’s own claims about delivering uniquely for the district are inflated relative to the shared capital outlay process and the legislative record of co-sponsorship rather than sole authorship.

The Block letter continues a pattern of attacking an opponent through insinuation rather than resting the case primarily on a clear, unvarnished record of results for District 51.

Voters can review the primary sources of this fact check: 

New Mexico Secretary of State campaign finance filings: https://www.sos.nm.gov/voting-and-elections/campaign-finance/

• Transparency USA compilations (John for New Mexico, Piñon PAC): https://www.transparencyusa.org/nm/

• Ballotpedia – New Mexico House District 51 and John Block: https://ballotpedia.org/New_Mexico_House_of_Representatives_District_51 and https://ballotpedia.org/John_Block

• Source NM HD51 voter guide: https://sourcenm.com/voter-guides/contests/state-representative-district-51/

• Grace Nagamine campaign site: https://graceforhd51.org/

• Albuquerque Journal – Secretary of State on online threats and harassment (Nov. 2024): https://www.abqjournal.com/election/secretary-of-state-touts-election-integrity-while-lamenting-online-threats-and-harassment/669063

• Santa Fe New Mexican – NM secretary of state claims GOP lawmaker harassed her online (Nov. 2024): https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/n-m-secretary-of-state-claims-gop-lawmaker-harassed-her-online/article_f9332dbc-a110-11ef-b829-2ba89585791a.html

• Associated Press / Yahoo News – New Mexico Secretary of State plans to file police report over harassment linked to state lawmaker: https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexico-secretary-state-plans-file-234040704.html

• 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News – Piñon PAC finances and Block’s company payments: https://2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news/g/alamogordo-nm/n/393444/follow-money-block-cries-big-pac-while-his-own-pac-pays-his-own-company

• 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News – Block’s lawsuit and PAC mailer: https://2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news/g/alamogordo-nm/n/393260/block-told-voters-his-lawsuit-was-resolved-judge-set-it-trial-now-pac-tied

• 2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News – Sierra Club endorsement of Nagamine: https://2ndlifemediaalamogordo.town.news/g/alamogordo-nm/n/392830/sierra-club-backs-independent-grace-nagamine-otero-county-house-district

• State Ethics Commission: https://www.sec.state.nm.us/

Wikipedia – John Block (New Mexico politician), summarizing the Secretary of State harassment allegation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Block_(New_Mexico_politician)

• White House letters to Grace Nagamine (President’s Volunteer Service Award signed by President Trump and Lifetime Achievement Award signed by President Biden).

Office of the Governor: Governor signs bills supporting New Mexico veterans

2nd Life Media: Piñon PAC and Block campaign finances, Block's 2026 legislative record, Otero County early voting

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