Guest Blog: Marshall Martinez on NM-01 Candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham

This is a guest blog by Marshall Martinez of Albuquerque, who is the prime mover and shaker in the NM-01 Congressional campaign of Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham. Only 23 years old, Marshall already has years of experience in community and political organizing, and is in his fifth year on the Equality New Mexico board of directors. He's been very active in a number of organizations including the Democratic Party of New Mexico, Young Democrats, NARAL, The League of Conservation Voters, AFSCME Council 18, Las Adelitas Women in Politics, Students for Reproductive Justice and the campaigns of a number of progressive candidates.

Working in politics is tough business.  Doing it day in and day out takes it a great amount of energy, and can definitely drain one of their spirits from time to time.

Occasionally, though, I get to work with someone who breathes life back into the soul of a political junkie like me.  Sure, I’ve always believed in the candidates I’ve worked for before, but this one really sticks out. She mobilizes my passion first thing in the morning.

I am fortunate enough to be working for Michelle Lujan Grisham in her bid for the NM CD 1.

If you don’t know her, here is the backstory. She is an attorney who ran the Elderly Law Referral Service for the New Mexico Bar Association. Michelle was appointed as Director of the state Agency on Aging by Governor Bruce King. She ran the department with such vigor and poise that she was then re-appointed by Republican Governor Gary Johnson. When Governor Richardson took office, he kept her on as well.  In fact, he liked the work she had done so much he turned the Agency on Aging director position into a cabinet secretary job.

After a couple of years at this post, Governor Richardson moved Michelle to the post of Secretary of the Department of Health.

I met her two years ago while working with the New Mexicans for Responsible Sexuality Education.  I was approaching her to ask for her support to refuse the federal abstinence only funding.  We worked closely over the following months to reach a compromise on sexuality education  - a program that has been modeled nationwide.  I was proud to have worked so closely with Michelle during this time period.

After Patricia Madrid lost the election, I was racking my brain to try to think of a candidate who could win this seat in the next election.  And in the middle of the night it occurred to me, Michelle was the one to do it.

Michelle is incredibly quick on her feet. She never backs down in a debate, and can voice her view articulately without hesitation.  I watched her perform with poise and power in the halls of the Legislature two years in a row.  I thought these qualities would be great in a candidate.

After begging Michelle to run for months, I was very excited when she brought me on board to help make the final decision.

Advocates enjoyed working with her as health secretary. Constituents adore her, and Governor Richardson appreciated that she got things done.  There are far more employees at the DOH who support her than there are who dislike her.  She cleaned up a department that was in shambles when she inherited it.

Michelle is a candidate who has a wealth of domestic policy experience.  In a political world that is driven constantly by a misguided war, Michelle not only knows we need to end that war, but also knows how we need to re-direct the path of the nation so that we’re on the right track again. Her in-depth level of policy experience on healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid alone outshines that of any candidate we have ever seen here.  She has an understanding how all of our issues, and the entirety of a Domestic Policy Agenda, are related and interconnected.

I wanted to work for a candidate who, when they get elected, will not need much lobbying.  I want the 1st Congressional District of New Mexico to belong to a champion on the issues important to me, and to other New Mexicans.  Michelle’s office in DC will be a place to meet, and strategize for successes in congress, not a place we have to go to educate her on the issues, and convince her to do the right thing. 

I am proud to be working hard on this race. I am proud to be supporting Michelle Lujan Grisham.  Her progressive credentials are without debate. Her passion and drive are unending. But most of all, her integrity and honesty are beyond question.

I hope you too will take a good look at Michelle. Give her your serious consideration, as a friend and peer of mine.  I am happy to make myself available to anyone who wants to talk more to me about why I am supporting Michelle. I also would set up a time for you to meet with her directly. 

And don’t forget to come out to the Democracy for New Mexico Meetup Thursday night to hear her speak!

www.MichelleLujanGrishamforCongress.com

This is a guest blog by Marshall Martinez of Albuquerque. You can contact him at azulymarron@gmail.com. Guest blogs provide readers with an opportunity to express their views on relevant issues and may or many not reflect our views. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

To read our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archives. Other Democrats running in the NM-01 primary include Martin Heinrich, Jason Call and Jon Adams.