Senator Leo Jaramillo ** represents **New Mexico Senate District 5, encompassing Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe Counties. A native of the Española Valley, he was elected in 2020, defeating incumbent Democrat Richard Martinez in the primary, and assumed office in January 2021. Previously, he served on the Rio Arriba County Commission, becoming its chair in 2020. As a progressive Democrat, he advocates for rural and underserved communities, focusing on equitable education access, infrastructure, economic opportunities, recreational marijuana legalization, and Northern New Mexico's heritage. He employs a bipartisan approach emphasizing transparency.

Notable achievements and positions include Vice Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, member of the Corporations and Transportation Committee, Majority Caucus Chair for the New Mexico Senate Democratic Leadership team, West Region Chair and Vice Chair of Media and Culture for the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators , 2025 Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow, and 2025 Rising Star Award recipient from the Democratic Party of New Mexico. He works as Staff Operations Manager at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of New Mexico; Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum Design and Instructional Leadership from the College of Santa Fe . Alumnus of Española Valley High School. Worked as a news writer/producer for KRQE News 13 and as a middle school teacher in Belen.

• Political Experience: Rio Arriba County Commissioner ; New Mexico State Senator, District 5 .