Carlton Pennington, a Moriarty resident with ancestral ties to Tijeras dating back to New Mexico’s Spanish colonial era, has announced his candidacy as a Republican for the state’s 1st Congressional District seat, currently held by U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury.
Pennington, 64, and his wife Chris, moved to Moriarty after living 20 years in Albuquerque’s Old Town area. His grandfather, Marvin Gonzales, and the Gonzales family lived in Tijeras, Albuquerque, Bernalillo and surrounding communities.
The Army veteran is circulating petitions to collect signatures needed to appear on the Republican primary ballot. The primary election is scheduled for June 2.
“Washington, DC doesn’t hear us,” Pennington’s campaign website states. The fifth-generation New Mexican says he is “determined to represent the interests of all residents in New Mexico.”
Pennington joins Republican challengers Steve Jones, who ran against Stansbury in 2024, and Rio Rancho pharmacist Ndidiamaka “Didi” Okpareke in seeking the nomination. District 1 includes most of Bernalillo County, all of Torrance County, and parts of Sandoval County.
Pennington’s campaign theme is “New Ideas, New Direction, New Voice.” Pennington calls for education reform, promoting reading proficiency, computer programming and civics courses in schools. He refers to Stansbury as the “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of the Southwest” on his website.
Pennington traces his lineage to Spanish families who arrived in New Mexico with the conquistadores in the 1600s. His grandmother’s family, the Trevinos, settled in Albuquerque’s South Valley with roots extending to Cabazon, N.M., San Antonio, Texas, and Durango, Mexico.
A Highland High School graduate, Pennington earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Eastern New Mexico University and attended Northwestern School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to at least 1991, rising from private first class to captain.
Pennington previously ran for mayor of Albuquerque in 1997.