Teresa Leger Fernández
Teresa Leger Fernández, a Democrat and attorney who has represented New Mexico's 3rd congressional district since 2021, seeks re-election in 2026 against Republican state representative Martin Zamora.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Teresa Leger Fernández.
- Born
- July 1, 1959
- Birthplace
- Las Vegas, New Mexico
- Education
- West Las Vegas High School
Yale University (Bachelor of Arts)
Stanford Law School (Juris Doctor)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Teresa Leger Fernández was born on July 1, 1959, in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Her mother, Mela Leger, was a bilingual educator, and her father, Ray Leger, served as a member of the New Mexico Senate. After graduating from West Las Vegas High School, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.
Career
After law school Teresa Leger Fernández returned to New Mexico to work as an attorney specializing in community building and tribal advocacy.
She was a White House fellow during the Clinton administration, later served on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation during the Obama administration, and for 30 years operated Leger Law and Strategy, LLC in Santa Fe, a firm focused on community development, tribal advocacy, civil rights and social justice.
In 2017 she led the effort to implement ranked-choice voting in Santa Fe's municipal elections.
When Representative Ben Ray Luján ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020, Leger Fernández entered the race for his House seat and placed first in a seven-candidate Democratic primary with over 42% of the vote, ahead of state representative Joseph L. Sanchez and Valerie Plame, an author and former CIA officer.
She defeated Republican Alexis Johnson in November and took office on January 3, 2021. She serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Rules, and she chairs the Democratic Women's Caucus.
2026 race
Teresa Leger Fernández is seeking re-election in New Mexico's 3rd congressional district, which covers the northern and eastern parts of the state, including Santa Fe, Roswell, Farmington and Clovis, as well as parts of the Navajo Nation.
She was re-elected with 56.3% of the vote in 2024 and is the Democratic nominee again in 2026. Her Republican opponent is Martin Zamora, who has represented the 63rd district in the New Mexico House of Representatives since 2019 and was unopposed in the Republican primary.
The general election takes place on November 3, 2026.