NM-03: Women for Ben Ray Luján Coalition Formed

Luján speaking at Española Plaza at yesterday's Obama rally

Go Ben Ray. Not only did Barack Obama refer to Luján as an "up and comer" yesterday at the rally in Espanola, but New Mexico women are stepping up their support for Ben because of his strong positions on women's issues. He's on a roll.

Ben Ray Luján held a roundtable this past Wednesday on women's issues and announced the formation of "Women for Ben," a group for female supporters of the campaign. Luján held the roundtable discussion at the Mission Cafe, a women-owned business in Santa Fe. The group discussed a variety women's issues and the importance of women in the upcoming election.

"I'm proud and honored to have the support of a strong group of women," said Ben Ray Luján, a Public Regulation Commissioner and the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 3rd District. "We need to work hard to address the issues facing the women of New Mexico and America, including pay equity and the rising costs of health care and child care. This roundtable was the beginning of a discussion about the work I can do in Congress to stand up for women."

The conversation focused on equal pay, health care, education and support for women-owned businesses. During the discussion, attendees told personal stories about difficulty receiving health care, the obstacles children face in school and the rising costs of everyday items. Several attendees talked about being single mothers and the struggles they face trying to raise families while working or going to school. They stressed that the economic crisis has hurt single mothers who have to pay rising health care and child care costs.

Many prominent women from across New Mexico attended the roundtable, including Martha Burk, Paula Garcia, Minnie Gallegos, Jane Frost, Connie Maki and LaDonna Harris.

Luján addresses crowd of 9500+ at Española Plaza yesterday

Women Urge Women to Support Luján
Martha Burk, a prominent voice on women's issues and the Director of the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women's Organizations, talked about the struggles women and all Americans face in the current economic environment. She also encouraged women to turnout the vote for Ben Ray Luján.

"Women are the majority of the electorate," said Burk. "They register in higher numbers, they vote in higher numbers and they turnout in higher numbers. It's our job to turnout the vote for Ben Ray Luján."

"I'm very proud to be here today," said LaDonna Harris, a leader on Native American issues and the founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity. "Having spent all my life in human rights, I strongly support Ben Ray Luján because he understands the importance of protecting the disadvantaged, which is an important issue to me and other women."

Ben Ray Luján listened to each woman speak and tell their stories. He stated his strong support for pay equity and a higher minimum wage since today's low minimum wage disproportionately affects women.

Luján also discussed national issues. Many of the women in attendance stressed the need to end the Iraq War and use the money we spend there to address the problems facing our country, such as health care and education.

"We need to change our priorities and get our country back on track," said Luján. "By ending the Iraq War, eliminating corporate tax breaks and putting our families first, we can take on the issues that affect the women of our country."

Join Women for Luján
At the roundtable, Luján announced his Women for Ben coalition. The coalition features several prominent leaders, including Lt. Governor Diane Denish; Paula Garcia, the County Chair of the Mora Democratic Party; Emily Kane of the International Firefighters Association; Connie Maki, the Vice-Chair of the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party; Jane Frost, a respected rancher in Portales; City Councilor Danielle Duran of Española, LaDonna Harris and Martha Burk. The coalition will help advise Luján on women's issues and get out the women's vote for him. Click to join Women for Ben or one of the other coalitions supporting Luján's candidacy.

Upcoming Campaign Events
Ben has scheduled five more Standing Up for New Mexico townhalls, which you can learn about . And you can catch him and the other candidates in the NM-03 Congressional race at a League of Women Voters Debate on September 23 at Fuller Hall, Los Alamos, from 7 to 9 PM.

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