James G. Townsend


James 'Jim' G. Townsend is an American politician, currently serving as a member and Minority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives, where he represents the 54th district.

Early life and education

Townsend was born and raised in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He graduated from New Mexico State University.

Career

After graduating from college, Townsend worked several jobs in the energy sector, including as director of Holly Energy Partners, a subsidiary of HollyFrontier, from 2012–2017. Townsend was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2016 and became Minority Leader at the start of the 2019 legislative session. An opponent of abortion, Townsend voted against House Bill 51, which attempted to repeal an old New Mexico law that makes it a crime to perform an abortion.