Kathleen Cates
New Mexico State Representative, District 44 since 2022. Ran in 2 elections between 2022 and 2024, winning 2. Re-elected in 2026. Next on the ballot in 2028.
New Mexico State Representative, District 44Businessperson
- In office
- 3 yrs
- Since 2022
- Bills became law
- 12
- 65 sponsored, 2025–2026 session
- Votes missed
- 1.7%
- Chamber median 6.4%
- With party
- 99%
- On votes splitting the parties
- Last margin
- +14.9
- Won 2026
- Next election
- 2028
- Nov 7, 2028
Source: Wikidata, congress-legislators and Open States; 99chambers legislative recordsUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:51 PM ET
Committees
As of 2026-10.
- Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources · vice chair
- Legislative Ethics Interim · advisory
- Legislative Health and Human Services · advisory
- Mortgage Finance Authority Act Oversight · advisory
- Finance Authority Oversight
- Health and Human Services
- Water and Natural Resources
Source: Open States committeesUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 9:43 AM ET
Legislation
WATER & WATER RIGHTS (acequias, irrigation, rivers) · Became law Mar 2026
CULTURAL AFFAIRS (arts, museums, libraries) · Became law Mar 2026
Source: Open States billsUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:22 PM ET
Voting record
Where Cates sits in the New Mexico House of Representatives
Cates is closer to the center than 70% of the chamber's Democrats.
Closest: Reena Szczepanski, Doreen Gallegos, Meredith Dixon
Source: 99chambers roll-call scalingUpdated Nov 6, 2026, 4:57 PM ET
With Cates’s party
- Votes with the chamber's Democrats99%
Black tick: the average of Democrats in the New Mexico House of Representatives.
Source: 99chambers legislative scores from roll calls and cosponsorships
Key votes
Votes chosen for their effect, not their side: Cates’s vote, each party’s majority, and the result. An orange vote differs from most Democrats.
| Date | Bill | Cates | Dem. majority | Rep. majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2026 | SB 38: FEES ON REGISTERED PET FOOD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Passed 53–11 |
| Feb 18, 2026 | SB 152: LOW-INCOME TELECOMM. ASSISTANCE PROGRAM | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 48–14 |
| Feb 17, 2026 | SB 241: CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ACT | Not voting | Yes | No | Passed 37–19 |
| Feb 16, 2026 | HB 332: CAPITAL OUTLAY REAUTHORIZATIONS | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 43–20 |
| Feb 12, 2026 | HB 4: HEALTH CARE AFFORDABILITY FUND DISTRIBUTIONS | Yes | Yes | No | Passed 48–19 |
Source: 99chambers key votes from Congress.gov, Voteview and Open States roll calls
Career
Offices held, and every time Cates was on a ballot. Filled marks are general elections won; hollow marks are primaries; an orange outline is a loss.
Source: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Elections
Margin against the seat’s presidential baseline: how the seat voted for president in the same or nearest year.
| Year | Race | Result | Margin | Seat | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | New Mexico House of Representatives, District 44 | Won | D+14.9 | D+8.8 | +6.1 |
| 2024 | New Mexico House of Representatives, District 44 | Won | D+5.8 | D+8.8 | −3.0 |
| 2022 | New Mexico House of Representatives, District 44 | Won | D+2.0 | D+10.1 | −8.1 |
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: New Mexico Secretary of State (unofficial)Updated Nov 8, 2026, 7:01 PM ET
Seats Cates has held
- New Mexico House of Representatives, District 44 · since 2022
Source: 99chambers results archive
Who Cates has run against
- Adam Stanley Prior (R) · 2026 election, won
- Ali Ennenga (R) · 2024 election, won
- Jane E. Powdrellculbert (R) · 2022 election, won
Source: 99chambers results archive; 2026: New Mexico Secretary of State (unofficial)
How we know Cates
One person, matched across every source we use.
- Open States ocd-person/73fc9839-619a-4ad5-bbbd-dfaf7f308e09
- Wikidata Q116311566
Source: Identity links: Wikidata, congress-legislators, Open States, FECUpdated Oct 27, 2026, 1:51 PM ET