Didi Okpareke set Republican hearts fluttering as she took on ABQ progressive icon and Dem US Rep. Melanie Stansbury in a thirty-minute TV debate that also saw the first-time candidate stun Republicans by splitting with President Trump on the war in Iran.

There was more. Okpareke, 42, titillated the audience by name-dropping that embattled Dem state Rep. Andrea Romero, head of the Truth Commission investigating possible crimes at the Epstein Zorro ranch, is Stansbury's sister-in-law. Who knew?

It was on the Epstein files where Okpareke, a pharmacist who is a UNM College of Pharmacy graduate, became her most performative, pointing a finger at Stansbury and demanding that she testify before the commission, "in person and in public."

The moment highlighted the aggressive posture of Okpareke and was a screen grabber, but the line of attack was not a vote changer for Dems and independents. They are well aware that Stansbury, 47, has advocated nationally for more transparency in the Epstein affair as well as more investigation. Stansbury said she would testify to the commission here if asked.

But the debate was unusual and beneficial to Okpareke as it was the first time Stansbury, who may be the most potent member of the state's five-member congressional delegation, had undergone much scrutiny since defeating Republican Mark Moores in a special election to take the ABQ-centered 1st Congressional District in 2021.

BREAKING WITH TRUMP 

Other Republicans around the nation who are locked in tight congressional races have split with Trump, but Okpareke is not in a tight battle—the seat is solid Democratic—so her break on Iran set her apart from other state GOP candidates and may have earned her a second look with some Dems and independents. She told the KOAT statewide audience:

My messsage to this administration is finish. Finish what you started and finish fast because a lot of  families right here in my district, Mr. President, they are hurting. They are hurting because you promised no new wars and it is unfortunate that you did not hold up to that promise. We are holding you accountable. We need you to finish so that the babies that we have here at home can have food on their table, so mothers can have the support that they need, so families can blossom again. The money that your spending overseas needs to be invested in my district right here in New Mexico. Finish and finish fast.  

Stansbury, who has opposed the war from the start, said:

We need to end this illegal war now which is bankrupting our country and which has created a constitutional crisis. I have voted to end this war multiple times because it is not only bankrupting our country, it has cost the lives of American service members...and cost the lives of thousands of civilians.. . . It is driving up costs. .  .and hurting every single New Mexican.

Okpareke's best moment may have been when she directly attacked Stansbury's job performance. It was a jolt:

Our current congresswoman said that she has poured millions and millions of dollars into the district to help our police force. Melanie, why are we still number one in crime in the nation? You're not working hard enough. . .you're gaslighting us.

"Not working hard enough" said the upstart to the five year lawmaker who has a reputation for keeping her nose to the grindstone. That was the kind of chutzpah that got the Republican chairs rocking. 

Stansbury countered that she "had brought millions of dollars home" for law enforcement. 

THE FUTURE DIDI

The question for Republicans is what to do with Okpareke following her expected defeat November 3. As one Republican Alligator put it:

Didi is smart, elegant, has a great personal story and has now shown she can go toe-to-toe with the most dynamic member of the Democratic DC delegation. The problem? There are very few slots where Republicans can compete these days. She lives in Rio Rancho and as a newcomer is refreshingly free of any past political baggage. Maybe a legislative seat?

With GOP Guv nominee Gregg Hull refusing to compare and contrast himself with his Democratic rival and with the US Senate race a snoozer, Okpareke, a mother of three sons, also benefited from low debate expectations. Still, the tense clash of ideas awakened Republicans and they came with supportive comments on the socials. Interim state GOP Chairman Mike Nelson:

. . .Okpareke hit it out of the park in her debate against Rep. Melanie Stansbury! The debate showed what we knew all along: Didi is the common-sense choice in this race, and Melanie Stansbury is part of the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party. The policies championed by Melanie Stansbury are the exact same policies crippling New Mexico and making our state more difficult to live in.

Julie Ann Ferguson wrote:

Yay! You wiped the floor with her smug face! Go Didi!

Dems did not find the cheerleading amusing. Retorted Susie Munoz:

Melanie is a true born native New Mexican with deep roots in New Mexico and relates to and keeps us informed and will continue to do a great job and be there for us in every way! Didi is a born Californian with roots from Nigeria and has no idea and is so out of touch and could never relate to any of us native New Mexicans here in New Mexico!

State Dems also came to Stansbury's defense:

Okpareke’s campaign. . .focuses on lazy zingers and boilerplate GOP rhetoric instead of ideas that would actually help people. . . We need leadership that will stand up to Trump’s MAGA agenda. Whether it’s about healthcare, food assistance, or rising gas prices, Didi Okpareke refuses to hold Donald Trump accountable. . .She’d just be a rubber stamp for Mike Johnson and Donald Trump.

Maybe, but Okpareke's break with Trump on the Iran war perhaps gave the ABQ district the first inkling of what a post-MAGA Republican future might look like—a more moderate, independent approach that could persuade Democrats who are not at home with the leftward swing of their party. Whether Didi Okpareke will be around for such a future is a question worth asking in light of her breakout debate performance.

THE BOTTOM LINES

GOP US Senate candidate Larry Marker did a half-hour TV sitdown this week. He said:

I would like to have a debate with (Sen.) Ben Ray Lujan. If your campaign strategy becomes more important than your responsibility to represent the citizens then your strategy is a problem. I believe the citizens of the  state of New Mexico, each and every one of them, Democrat, independent, Republican, whomever, deserves the right to see their candidates. . . 

US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise will campaign with 2nd District congressional candidate Greg Cunningham in Las Cruces today. The pair is scheduled for a news conference.