Republican, New Mexico State Senate, District 40
Vice Chair, Legislative Advisory Board
Craig Brandt is a Republican member of the New Mexico State Senate, representing District 40 in the Rio Rancho and Sandoval County area. He took office in January 2013 and won re-election in November 2024, with his current term running through 2028. He serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, the panel that assembles the state budget, and he held the post of Senate Minority Whip from 2021 to 2025. His interim committee assignments include Water and Natural Resources, Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy, New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight, and Military and Veterans’ Affairs.
Before the legislature, Brandt served seven years in the U.S. Air Force as a security specialist. He later became a pastor, holding a degree in pastoral ministries from Oklahoma Baptist University, and served as vice president of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Board of Education. New Mexico is one of the largest oil and gas producers in the country, and its budget draws heavily on Permian Basin revenue. Brandt’s leadership on the Senate Finance Committee and his seat on the interim Water and Natural Resources Committee place him at the center of the state’s energy and fiscal policy, while his Air Force service and role on the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee connect him to national security questions central to CSA’s mission.
