Jim Townsend
Minority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives
In office
January 15, 2019 – January 17, 2023
Preceded byNate Gentry
Succeeded byT. Ryan Lane
Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
from the 54th district
Assumed office
January 2015
Preceded byWilliam Gray
Personal details
Born1954 or 1955 (age 68–69)[1]
Carlsbad, New Mexico, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePaula
Children2
EducationNew Mexico State University (BA)

James G. Townsend (born 1954 or 1955) is an American politician, currently serving as a member and Minority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives, where he represents the 54th district.[2]

Early life and education

Townsend was born and raised in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico State University.

Career

After graduating from college, Townsend worked several jobs in the energy sector, including as director of Holly Energy Partners, a subsidiary of HollyFrontier, from 2012 to 2017. Townsend was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2016 and became Minority Leader at the start of the 2019 legislative session. An opponent of abortion, Townsend voted against House Bill 51, which attempted to repeal an old New Mexico law that makes it a crime to perform an abortion.[3][4]

In 2022, Townsend obstructed the New Mexico legislature from passing voting reform legislation. The legislation would have allowed people to sign up once to receive absentee ballots in future elections; restored the voting rights of felons; and required every county to provide a minimum of two ballot drop boxes.[5]

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Jim Townsend's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Anti-abortion rallies mark second day of legislative session". Santa Fe New Mexican. January 22, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ "James Townsend (New Mexico)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  5. ↑ "Procedural clashes erupt at Capitol, slow bill action - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-02-13.


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