Republican Opponent

Rebecca Dow

1.) As founder and director of a child development program, Rebecca Dow jeopardized the health and safety of the children in her care–and many became victims of her inexcusable negligence.

Example #1: [text from dowrecord.com, archived]

Dow was sued by a victim’s family after their child was sexually assaulted by one of Dow’s employees. Dow promoted the man and put him in charge of overnights with children even AFTER one child complained about his lewd conduct. The case settled for $260,000.

As the founder and director of a taxpayer funded daycare and Boys and Girls Club, Rebecca Dow was responsible for the welfare of children. One of Dow’s employees was accused of lewd conduct with a child [when he questioned a 13-year old girl about her sex life, and was given a written warning]. Dow didn’t fire him. Instead, she promoted him. And put him in charge of children at overnight sleepovers. 

The man molested two children at the overnight sleepovers.

Dow then tried to bully the victim’s family. The parents reported that Rebecca Dow tried to cover up the scandal by pressuring the family not to sue.  Dow was worried about the impact the assault would have on her political career, according to the lawsuit.  

But the victims didn’t back down to Dow’s pressure.  They sued Dow and her organizations.  And received a settlement of $260,000.

Example #2:

AFTER the incident in example #1, Dow continued to allow the employee to supervise children.  Two months later, that employee forced a 13-year old boy to perform oral sex on him.  He was charged with three separate felony counts:

1. Criminal Sexual Penetration

2. Criminal Sexual Contact of a Minor

3. False Imprisonment

   Because the crime occurred on her organization’s premises, while the victim was in the care of her program, Dow was subpoenaed to appear at trial.

Ultimately, the employee pleaded guilty, was convicted, and imprisoned.

Example #3:

A lawsuit against Dow’s early childhood center alleged that an adolescent girl was sexually abused by a youth minister on a weekly basis for three years on the premises of AppleTree Educational Center, and Dow is specifically named in the lawsuit, which charged negligence on the part of her organization. On information and belief, the lawsuit was recently settled, but the terms of the settlement are under seal.

2.) Rebecca Dow was fined numerous times for failing to conduct required background checks for employees she hired in her child development center--even after one of those employees sexually assaulted children in her care.

a.) Documents from the NM Children, Youth & Families Department (CYFD) and NM Public Education Department (PED) reveal that AppleTree was guilty of multiple violations, some of which were serious enough to warrant monetary fines. Numerous citations resulted in $3,000 fines, including two for leaving children unattended either on a bus or a playground, while another involved allowing kids to nap behind bookshelves, among other violations.

b.) Additional complaints involved staff failure to respond appropriately to “sexual perpetration by a child toward another child.”

3.) While New Mexicans are struggling, Rebecca Dow wants to raise taxes in New Mexico on gas and every single thing you buy at the grocery store, which would mean higher taxes on milk, meat, vegetables, fruit, and tortillas.

1. Rebecca Dow voted for higher gas taxes.

2. Rebecca Dow supports increasing the food and gas tax. Read the statement she made at a candidate forum. – (Grant County Beat; 9/29/2020)

3. Rebecca Dow was laying the groundwork for a per-mile driver tax. This tax would obviously hurt those living in rural areas the most.

4. In 2017, Dow said she could support the reinstatement of the food tax over an increase in corporate taxes, saying the poor are protected via EBT cards. The Santa Fe archbishop called the food tax “unacceptable.”

5. Rebecca Dow voted to raise taxes on pet food.
   

Document List:

• 2016 Complaint

• Summary of Hernandez promotion

• Hernandez Criminal Case Highlights

• Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

• CYFD Documents/Fines

• Votes:

  • Higher Gas Tax

  • Per-Mile Driver Tax

  • Pet Food Tax

• A+ Rating (by NMFAM, an anti-choice group)