Michael McDevitt | Las Cruces Sun-News

Note: This story has been updated with comments from Debra Hathaway.

LAS CRUCES - What was shaping up to be a primary election fight between vice chair Isabella Solis and Debra Hathaway might now be a general election battle between the two for the Doña Ana County Commission District 4 seat.

Solis announced Wednesday she'll switch political affiliations from a Democrat to a Republican. If she chooses to seek reelection, it could mean she'll face Hathaway in the general Nov. 3 rather than in the June 2 primary.

Solis hasn’t said whether she’ll seek a second term. She said she and her family will consider it over the holidays.

Hathaway, a Democrat, is running for the seat Solis currently occupies. Hathaway is running on a liberal platform and plans to hold an official campaign launch Sunday.

So far, no other Democrats or Republicans have announced their plans to run for the seat.

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Solis was elected to the commission in 2016 and is up for reelection in 2020.

“I've been a Democrat my entire adult life,” Solis said in a statement. “So this is not a decision I take lightly. But the truth is that the modern Democrat party does not share the New Mexico values that I hold to.”

She continued, “As someone who believes in the sanctity of life, pro-growth economic policies, secure borders, and fiscal responsibility, I no longer feel there is a home for me in my former party that has embraced far-left views on these issues."

Hathaway said she's more focused on launching her campaign than Solis' decision.

"We all hold strong views," Hathaway said. "And that's why I've always chosen to hold the Democratic ideals of fairness, respect, opportunity and caring for others."

Hathaway said she disagreed with Solis' assessment of the modern liberalism of the Democratic Party.

"I believe that we have a very big umbrella," Hathaway said. "We have space enough for people to have different ideas … If think if we keep it that way we can have a lot of Democrats with a lot of different ideas."

Debra Hathaway

Solis championed a pro-business platform in her recent run for Las Cruces mayor, saying the city wasn't business-friendly and vowing to improve infrastructure. She also ran on increasing law enforcement resources to combat crime.

Solis criticized the city's decision to allocate a second sum of $500,000 to accommodate asylum seekers that the federal government began releasing into the city in April. She's said she supports a "common sense" approach to immigration that couples border security with humane treatment and respect for immigrants.

Hathaway is running for the commission seat on a platform that prioritizes a living wage, affordable education, access to healthcare, the environment and a sustainable and clean local economy.

Solis said regardless of her political affiliation her commitment to the community and to bipartisanship remains the same.

District 4 includes the East Mesa, Hacienda Acres, Organ, Moongate and the eastern part of Las Cruces.

The general election will be held Nov. 3, 2020. The primaries will be held June 2. The filing date for candidates interested in running as either a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian is March 10, 2020 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the county clerk's office.

Minor party and independent candidates must file after the primaries on June 25.