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John Block (New Mexico politician)

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For other people named John Block, see John Block (disambiguation).
John Block
Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
from the 51st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2023
Preceded byRachel Black
Personal details
Born (1997-01-17) January 17, 1997 (age 28)
New Mexico, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationSanta Fe Community College (AAS)
Rutgers University Camden (BA)
Eastern New Mexico University (MBA)

John Block (born January 17, 1997)[1] is an American politician serving as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives for the 51st district.[2] Elected in November 2022, he assumed office on January 1, 2023.[3] Block is the founder and editor of The Piñon Post, a conservative news and political commentary online newspaper and media outlet based in New Mexico.[4]

Early life and education

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Block was born and raised in New Mexico. He earned an associate of applied science in film production and documentary media from Santa Fe Community College in 2016, a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Rutgers University Camden in 2019, and a Master of Business Administration from Eastern New Mexico University in 2020.[5][6]

Career

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In 2016, Block served as a staffer for members of the New Mexico House of Representatives. From 2017 to 2018, he worked as an international government affairs assistant at Chevron.[7]

From 2018 to 2019, he worked as the manager of digital communications at Americans United for Life, a law firm and anti-abortion advocacy organization. From 2019 to 2020, Block worked as a client manager and PAC manager for the Committee to Defend the President, a super PAC established to support the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign.[8] From 2020 to 2022, he worked as a brand manager for Pop Acta, a targeted media company.[8] He was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in November 2022.[9]

He is currently the youngest legislator in New Mexico, and the first member of Generation Z elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives.

In November 2024, New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver accused Block of encouraging online harassment she had received. Block said he too had been harassed, and said, "If it gets to violent threats like you described that you got, I apologize that that is happening to you."[10] Later, Alex Curtas, the spokesperson for Toulouse Oliver wrote in an email to the Source New Mexico news outlet that they had not filed a report on this matter and were unlikely to do so, as they could not compile evidence of the allegations.[11]

Electoral history

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Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, 2022

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Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Block 1,540 50.8
Republican Rachel Black 1,494 49.2
[9]

General election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, 2022

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Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Block 5,824 63.2
Democratic Sharonlee Cummins 3,395 36.8
[9]

Republican primary for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, 2024

[edit]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Block 1,999 100
[12]

General election for New Mexico House of Representatives District 51, 2024

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Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Block 7,424 61.5
Democratic Ashlie Myers 4,653 38.5

Political positions

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Energy

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Block is in favor of expanding oil, gas, and coal production by striking legislation such as 2019’s Energy Transition Act.[5] In 2025, he introduced House Bill 45, a 3.75% excise tax on renewable energy, which the Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) opposed, calling it "anti-free market and harmful to consumers."[13]

Abortion and assisted suicide

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Block has said, "I believe in the right to life from conception to natural death."[5] His position has been reported as opposing abortion.[7]

Second Amendment

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Block supports Constitutional Carry (Permitless Carry) legislation and opposes legislation that “would restrict New Mexicans’ rights to own and carry a firearm.”[5][7]

Education

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Block believes in dismantling the New Mexico Public Education Department and instead empowering decision-making in the individual school districts.[5]

Taxation

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In 2025, Representative John Block introduced House Bill 45,[14] proposing a 3.75% excise tax on renewable energy production to fund the Severance Tax Permanent Fund.[13]

Personal life

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Block is openly gay,[6] a Christian,[15] and is of Hispanic and Native American descent.[16][17]

Block attended the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021.[16] However, he maintains that he did not enter any restricted areas.[8] When reached for comment, the FBI informed media outlets that they could neither confirm nor deny that Block was being investigated.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Southwest New Mexico Legislative Guide" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Representative John Block - (R)". New Mexico Legislature. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "NM Constitution, Article IV section 4" (PDF).
  4. ^ Chacon, Daniel (October 5, 2023). "Editor of Piñon Post announces bid for House seat". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Q&A: House District 51 candidate John Block". Albuquerque Journal. September 18, 2022. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Chacón, Daniel J. (December 25, 2021). "An unlikely conservative voice needles New Mexico's left". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Hedden, Adrian; Smith, Mike (November 9, 2022). "Republican Party cruises to victory in southeast New Mexico State House races". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Unruh-Enos, Tierna (January 4, 2022). "After Helping Launch Jan. 6, Republican Insurrectionist Plans Trump-Styled Run for New Mexico State House". The Paper. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "John Block". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Lee, Morgan (November 12, 2024). "New Mexico secretary of state says she's experiencing harassment after the election". AP News. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Brown, Nathan (November 29, 2024). "The Roundhouse Report: Politics in New Mexico". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  12. ^ "Election Results 2024". Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Brenner, Patrick (January 15, 2025). "Power Grab: Why House Bill 45 is a Bad Deal for New Mexico Energy". Southwest Public Policy Institute. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  14. ^ "Legislation - New Mexico Legislature". New Mexico Legislature. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  15. ^ "About". John Block for New Mexico. August 27, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Haywood, Phaedra (January 7, 2021). "Santa Fe man says his experience outside Capitol was peaceful, 'jovial'". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  17. ^ Hsieh, Steven (November 8, 2016). "Sign Off". Santa Fe Reporter. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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