Didi Okpareke

Didi Okpareke is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who survived the Biafran War, and she is raising three boys of her own.¹ Born in California's Bay Area, she moved to Albuquerque, attended Sandia High School and later graduated from the University of New Mexico.²¹

She trained as a pharmacist and worked in retail and hospital pharmacy before building Olive Tree Compounding Pharmacy in Rio Rancho.³ The business prepares customized medications for people and pets, giving her professional work a combination of patient care, laboratory procedures and the practical responsibilities of operating a small business.³

Okpareke began developing her business in 2016 and has also become an ambassador for Project 21, the National Center for Public Policy Research's Black leadership network.¹ In discussing her candidacy, she identifies the ability to afford housing, food and other necessities as a leading concern for families in the district.²

She supports congressional term limits, stronger border enforcement and federal investment in rural health care, while criticizing the economic costs of the Iran war.² Okpareke is the Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Melanie Stansbury in the First District.²