Teresa Leger Fernandez
DemocratU.S. Representative, NM-3| Age | 66 (b. 1959-07-01) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2021-01-03 (~5 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latina (self-identified as proud Chicana and Latina; 17th generation Northern New Mexican of Spanish and Indigenous heritage) |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Education | B.A. (Latin American Studies) Yale University 1982; graduate studies in Economic Development at University of Texas at Austin 1983–1984; J.D. with distinction, Stanford Law School 1987 |
| Prior occupation | Attorney and partner at Nordhaus Law Firm; founder of Leger Law & Strategy, LLC (social impact law firm in Santa Fe); 25+ years as general counsel to multiple Native American tribes; White House Fellow (Clinton administration); HUD White House liaison; Advisory Council on Historic Preservation vice chair (Obama administration) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Las Vegas, New Mexico |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Marital status | divorced |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| Notable relatives | Father: Ray Leger, New Mexico State Senator (1973–1980); Mother: Mela Leger, bilingual education pioneer |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2020 |
| Committees | House Committee on Natural Resources (Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs; Federal Lands Subcommittee) · House Committee on Rules (Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Democratic Women's Caucus (Chair, 119th Congress) · Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus · Congressional Native American Caucus · National Labs Caucus (Co-Chair) · Rural Broadband Caucus (Co-Chair) |
| Leadership | Chair, Democratic Women's Caucus (119th Congress, 2025–present) · Vice Chair of Communications, Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Co-Chair, National Labs Caucus · Co-Chair, Rural Broadband Caucus · Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs (House Natural Resources) · Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process (House Rules) |
| Ideology | Progressive Democrat; endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, Working Families Party; scored 0% by Heritage Action for America; voted with President Biden 100% of the time (FiveThirtyEight, 117th Congress) |
| Signature legislation | Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act (signed into law by President Biden, 2021) — prohibits export of illegally obtained tribal cultural items · Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act (signed into law as part of NDAA FY2023) — provided $2.5 billion in aid to New Mexicans affected by fires · No Payola Act (introduced November 2025) — seeks to repeal provision sending taxpayer funds to senators' personal accounts |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| Charles Schwab IRA – Baird Aggregate Bond Fund Institutional Class | fund · $1–$500,000 · 2024 |
| Charles Schwab IRA – Loomis Sayles Core Plus Bond Fund Cl Y | fund · $1–$250,000 · 2024 |
| Charles Schwab IRA – WCM Focused International Growth Fund Institutional Class (WCMIX) | fund · $1–$250,000 · 2024 |
| Charles Schwab IRA – Vanguard Short-Term Investment Grade Fund Admiral Shares | fund · $1–$250,000 · 2024 |
| Charles Schwab IRA – Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | fund · $1–$250,000 · 2024 |
Top donors: Apache Mescalero Tribe (NM) ($3,500) · Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians (CA) ($3,500) · Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan ($3,500) · Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians (CA) ($3,500) · Suquamish Tribe of Washington ($3,500) · Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (ND) ($3,500) · American Federation of Teachers PAC ($2,500) · LOBO PAC (affiliated with Sen. Martin Heinrich) ($2,500) · Resistance PAC ($5,000)
Top industries: Indian tribes/gambling · Education · Public sector unions · Lawyers/law firms · Progressive advocacy groups
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.