Democracy for New Mexico

Final Countdown to Pre-Primary Election June 5, 2012

T minus 6 days.

Primaries are tough. This year the CD1 primary has been real tough. Barb had a way to wrap up all the "he said she said's." For me it is a struggle. I feel like I should have a striped shirt on and a whistle, yelling "Fowl, ten yard penalty". 

Who am I to say what is a penalty unless it is very blatant. And to be fair each claim brought up by a campaign against the other has to be researched in depth. So far Eric's campaign stating Michelle was in charge of the Ft Bayard complex when things were so horrible down there, is the most awful thing. However, what it triggers for me is how the poor souls living in those types of conditions still exist I am sure. Our society is not caring for our elderly. We do not staff the senior care centers right and more of us are getting old and will need care of some sort. Bottom line, the senior care centers need more funding and oversight. Reviewing the federal report briefly it appears Michelle worked very openly with the federal gov't when they stepped in to review this nightmare. But, I am sure it is still going on within this state somewhere. I had the pleasure of shadowing Michelle for a day back in February, to a Native American senior gathering, and these seniors just lit up seeing Michelle. Each one saying how she helped them out. I took video testimonials at the time but never had time to put them up. I will share one now.

As for Eric and his speeding tickets and other non violent fines, what can I say? First thing that comes to mind is "is that the best you all got?" Oh yeah, there is the fact that Eric only had one bill that he carried pass. For me that is a sign of the road block times we live in. No wonder he got speeding tickets after being in this legislature and seeing nothing get done, and very important measures being voted down, like senior care and oversight. I may be speeding too! Folks should not forget that Eric cast many many votes for all the other bills during his 4 years as a senator. They were the right votes and were very much needed for the people. I am sharing a video below of Eric speaking about the DREAM act, Let's think about all the people the DREAM act will help, kids that want to learn and make a difference.

Last but not least is Marty. Marty could still pull this out for sure. Marty has his pluses and minuses as all human beings. He is staying out of the finalist riffraff it appears. The fouls were being thrown early between Eric and Marty as CD1 candidates. There is no sense in revisiting these here and now. Suffice to say Marty could still pull out a win.

I am putting up a video below of all three candidates at a debate that was sponsored by Bern Co ward 11A. The question was about the budget, balancing the budget.

Dear Congressional District 1 Candidates

As this Congressional District 1 race heats up a bit more everyday this blog is trying to remain neutral. Maybe some of you reading this will disagree but we are. There have been intense arguments written in the comment section of the blog of people venting against their opposing candidate and talking up their candidate. Unless the comment was posted verbatim in another comment thread, the comments have remained as is, unedited, but yes we do check for really off base bad destructive comments and remove them. 

As you know or don't know DFNM Meetup endorsed Eric Griego for the CD1 candidate of their choice. Now we are at the very very very worst time of campaign primary season. I receive guest blogs daily laying out negatives and postives. There is no way the information within the guest blogs can be traced down, so I really do try not to put up something that is real destructive. Barb's philosophy on this blog was we are democrats and most of the time any of the dems running for office will be way better than an R.

And that is the main point, whether the democrats in CD1 choose: Marty Chavez, Eric Griego or Michelle Lujan Grisham, Democracy for New Mexico blog will be 200% behind them. I have very close friends living in my house since Barb passed, and we talk for hours about politics. We take it seriously, we want the best candidate to help this state and the country. Honestly, it is a tough choice who is the best candidate to help us out of this mess we are in. What we are certain about is; we need help out here big time. I still maintain what my experience has been in my race for state rep 30, practically every door I knock on has underemployed, unemployed, overworked and sickness in their home. That is the facts.

Like what Leslie L said in the journal today, paraphrasing; watching the debate on Saturday evening, "good thing she wasn't taking a shot every time one of the candidates said I will be fighting for you." I looked up the word fight in the thesaurus to see if I could suggest another word. What I found I liked the best were the antonyms for the word fighting: advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote.

In summary, I have not voted yet. I generally wait to the election day. But we are all democrats and we should be careful of the circular firing squad. We know each of the candidates is tough, you have to be to be running, I say we democrats are blessed with three wonderful candidates. Sure they all have their imperfections but they all are beauties next to another R in the US House of Representatives. 

For myself, I thank each of you for running and having your whole life picked apart. We need jobs, we need healthcare, we need a safe environment, we need civil rights, we need education, we need compassion.

Congressional District 1 Race Latest Poll Results

Wow, what an interesting race for our New Mexico Congressional District 1. The race reminds me of a great horse race with the all out sprint to the finish line. However, let's face it, the correct analogy would be a one year marathon. We are down to the last 13 days today, and the most current poll shows a total shift of all positions in this hot race.

NM-1 breaking news in ROLL CALL according to the latest polling, Senator Eric Griego is in the lead with 35% of likely Democratic Primary voters in the race for NM's 1st Congressional District.  Here are the brand new poll numbers the story mentions:

**NEW** May 15-16 poll showed:
35% Griego
30% Lujan Grisham
28% Chavez

Feb 28 - March 1 poll showed:
37% Chavez
30% Griego
24% Lujan Grisham

The polling also revealed Griego has the highest favorable to unfavorable rating of the three candidates:
48-16 for Eric Griego
44-18 for Michelle Lujan Grisham
41-35 for Marty Chavez

(Details: Both were conducted by GBA strategies and included 400 Likely Democratic Primary Voters, MOE +/- 4.9%)

The following was released from the Griego Campaign:

“I’m proud of the surging support behind my campaign to fight for what we say we believe as Democrats,” Griego said.  “Our lead in the poll proves that New Mexicans want to elect a leader with a long, consistent record of taking on the status quo and powerful corporate interests to fight for reform and middle class jobs.”
“We’re winning because New Mexicans support Eric’s unwavering commitment to protect Social Security and Medicare, hold Wall Street bankers accountable, and fight for core Democratic values,” said Ed Yoon, Griego’s campaign manager.  “And we will win on June 5^th because we are out-raising, out-communicating, and out-organizing our more conservative opponents.”

Then there is this poll released on NM Politics with Joe Monahan's blog this morning: Lujan Grisham polls 34.7%, Griego garners 33.9%, Chavez comes with 22.3% and 9% of the 728 likely Democratic voters in the 1st Congressional district who responded to the automatic phone poll said they were undecided. The margin of error in the survey is 3.62%.

This press release issued from Lujan Grisham Campaign:  

"Michelle has seized the momentum and is now tied for the lead in the race for Congress! Michelle has 35 percent of the vote, surging 11 points from February polling. She is tied with Eric Griego. Support for Marty Chavez, the former frontrunner earlier this year, has plummeted significantly, from 37 percent in February to 23 percent now."

Some of the interesting polling statistics that Joe Monahan shares with us on his blog are the following:

"Lujan Grisham, who has made direct appeals to women voters, actually trails Griego in that category, if only by a tad. Griego wins 37% of women to Lujan Grisham's 33%. Chavez gets 22%. But Griego gets 43% of liberals to Lujan Grisham's 34% and Chavez's 18%.
Democratic women are more liberal than Democratic men who tend to be more moderate.
Among men, Lujan Grisham edges out Griego. She gets 37% to Griego's 31%. Chavez gets 23% and the remainder are undecided,
Griego holds a slight lead among Hispanics, but they are bunched up among the three hopefuls all of whom are of Hispanic heritage. Griego scores 35%, Lujan Grisham 29% and Chavez 28%. Anglos give Lujan Grisham 39%, Griego, 34% and Chavez 18%." 

$642,000,000,000 (billion) for the War Machine "Ike was Right"

$642,000,000,000.00 for Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Budget, 8 billion more than what Obama or the Defense Secretary even asked for. I bet the Department of Education would love 8 bil more for their FY2013.

When will this craziness stop? CD1 Congressman Martin Heinrich voted yes, CD2 Congressman Pearce voted yes, CD3 Congressman Lujan voted no. Heinrich voting with Pearce is not good. Heinrich's press release is at the end of this post. To see how Congressional votes across the Country were cast for this bill see this article.

This kind of obscene money spent on war and defense has got to stop. 88 billion still going over to Afghanistan for 2013, that is $1.5 bill every week. Think of what this Country could do with $1.5 bil every week. The bill funds a missile defense site to be built on the east coast, that the military itself opposes, old star-wars garbage, and even Russian cold war garbage. We have gone insane, when we will fund things the military does not even want and threaten drastic cuts to social security for our seniors which is desperately needed now, we have gone insane.

Ok yes there are jobs that come from all that obscene money for people in NM. At Kirkland mainly, yes these jobs have real people working in them, but it is time we ask; do we spend our precious tax dollars on space war or fireman, Russian cold war or teachers, more nuclear weapons or solar energy, fixing the San Juan coal plant that we know is killing people which will cost $800 mil, or 1.5 bil for another week in Afghanistan?

Heinrich says in his statement below: "H.R. 4310 includes language that restores these missions, and includes $25 million for the continuation of the ORS program and $45 million for the continuation of STP. The United States Air Force (USAF) estimates that there are 68 jobs at the KAFB ORS headquarters office, not including the New Mexico small businesses that contract with and provide support to ORS. Further, the USAF estimates there are 74 jobs at the KAFB STP office." So let me do a quick calc...that is 142 jobs for $70 mil tax dollars. Not a good return I say. Maybe if it was even 1,420 jobs or 14,200 jobs for 70 mil I would be more in favor. If you are one of those 142 people working on this project you are psyched, but if you are us underemployed and unemployed, we are not so psyched.

How about the constant drum beat of the funding social security, and medicare costing the country too much money. We have paid into this fund for all the years we have been working, let's face it, it has been used as a slush fund for other war machine spending. It is time we stop being a super power around the world, rebuilding and protecting the world meanwhile our own needs go untended. Our seniors struggling, our children slipping more and more behind. Channel 7 is having a debate tonight with the CD1 Candidates I hope they ask how each of the candidates would have voted for this bill.

These are the questions we face this election. More of the same use of our money for war machine spending or funding realistic things for our citizens needed now. Like President Eisenhower said in his 1961 farewell address "restrain the "military-industrial complex." you can read the entire speech here. 51 years ago, and we are have done nothing but increase our military industrial complex to the point it is now the only budget of our country that receives more and more than requested and has very little accountability for where the funds go, and meanwhile we are out of work, kids have no food to go to school with a full belly, moms and dads are not working, no money for healthcare, no money for sustainability projects.

If the election was today who would you vote for? Who would be the most likely to not cave for star war spending, even if it does have jobs related to it in Kirkland, does it make sense for now? Is it the best use of your/our tax dollars? I do not think so. You decide.

Heinrich Fights to Save KAFB Missions and Boost New Mexico’s Economy
Defense Authorization Bill to Strengthen National Security, Ease Export Controls and Promote Tech Transfer Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 18, 2012) – Today, U.S. Representative Martin Heinrich (NM-1) announced that H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013 passed the House by a 299 to 120 vote. The bill ensures that our military is fully prepared for threats and challenges worldwide and that our troops get the benefits they deserve and have earned. This year’s NDAA includes several important provisions authored by Rep. Heinrich that support U.S. service members and their families, create jobs, and spur economic growth in New Mexico.

“I will keep working to ensure that our national laboratories and military installations have the resources they need to perform their critical national security missions,” said Rep. Heinrich.

In February, as part of the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2013, the Department of Defense recommended eliminating funding and terminating the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program and the Space Test Program (STP), both of which are headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). Since that time, Rep. Heinrich, a Member of the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee, has led the fight in the House to restore the ORS and STP missions.

As a result of Rep. Heinrich’s work, H.R. 4310 includes language that restores these missions, and includes $25 million for the continuation of the ORS program and $45 million for the continuation of STP. The United States Air Force (USAF) estimates that there are 68 jobs at the KAFB ORS headquarters office, not including the New Mexico small businesses that contract with and provide support to ORS. Further, the USAF estimates there are 74 jobs at the KAFB STP office.

“I asked the tough questions and I worked with my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, to protect these missions at Kirtland,” said Rep. Heinrich. “As the Department of Defense looks for ways to cut spending across the country, I am committed to fight for New Mexico and ensure that jobs remain intact.”

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-9) added, “I applaud Congressman Heinrich for his hard work in bringing the committee to a more sensible approach that prevents the loss of the ORS and STP missions and their personnel.”

Additional provisions included in the NDAA that are positive for New Mexico:

• Preserved Directed Energy jobs at KAFB. NDAA provided an increase of $30 million to preserve the skilled workforce that was involved in the Airborne Laser Test Bed program and to accelerate experimentation with next generation directed energy system development.
• Increased Technology Transfer. Rep. Heinrich successfully offered an amendment that would authorize a pilot program between one national laboratory and one non-profit entity for the purpose of accelerating technology transfer from national laboratories to marketplace.
• Ease Satellite Export Controls To Boost NM Small Business. An amendment, based on legislation Rep. Heinrich introduced last year to ease satellite export controls, was accepted. Easing export controls will provide a strong boost to New Mexico’s aerospace industry.
• Possible 2013 and 2015 BRAC Rejected. KAFB, Cannon Air Force Base, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands Missile Range would be protected from a 2013 or 2015 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC).

Chavez for Congress New TV Ad: Marty Can Take the “Hits”

Today, former Albuquerque Mayor and current Congressional candidate Marty Chavez debuted a new television ad titled “Hits.”

Set in the historical Jack Candelaria/San Jose gym and filmed with local professional boxer Josh "Pit Bull" Torres (7-1-1, 5KOs), the spot reinforces that to get things done in Congress, you have to be able to take the hits from powerful interests.

Throughout his career, Marty has always taken the hits on behalf of New Mexican families. Whether it was as the ONLY elected official to testify to save Kirtland Air Force Base and nearly 7,000 jobsⁱ, standing up to developers to pass one of the toughest green building codes in the nationⁱⁱ, suing the Bush Administration over greenhouse gas emissionsⁱⁱⁱ or supporting President Obama's fuel efficiency standards^iv, Marty has proved tough enough to get things done, even in the most hostile environments.

As President Bill Clinton said in endorsing Marty earlier this year, “I know that Marty will take on our big challenges, stand up to special interests, and fight to create clean energy jobs in New Mexico because he's proven time and again that he can get the job done.”

Dolores Huerta To Visit New Mexico On Behalf of Marty Chavez

Huerta Visit Highlights Chavez Policies That Help Working Families

This week, United Farm Workers co-founder and upcoming Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Dolores Huerta will visit New Mexico in support of former Albuquerque Mayor and current Congressional candidate Marty Chavez.

In endorsing Chavez last year, Huerta said, “I have known Marty personally for many, many years and I can attest to his skills as a bold and innovative thinker. Simply put, Marty is the kind of leader the working class needs; someone who will put the needs of ordinary working families ahead of the corporate elite. That's why I'm proud to endorse Marty for Congress.”

On May 15^th and 16^th, Huerta will join Chavez for a reception at the home of Bernalillo Mayor Jack Torres, meet with local labor leaders for a roundtable discussion on current issues facing labor unions and working families, knock on doors in the South Valley, stop by campaign headquarters and visit a local community healthcare facility.

Visit to Chavez Campaign Headquarters:

WHO: United Farm Workers co-founder and upcoming Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Dolores Huerta and Congressional Candidate Marty Chavez

WHEN: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 2:00 PM

WHERE: 124 Quincy NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

For more information on a very full day of events with Dolores Huerta call (505) 510-0019 or see Marty Chavez for Congress website.

Marty Chavez Releases First Ad on May 2nd

“Balloon” Reinforces No-Nonsense Approach to Delivering Results

The former Albuquerque Mayor and current Congressional candidate Marty Chavez will air his first television ad.

The ad was sent to supporters via email and previewed for Facebook fans on Wednesday. Titled “Balloon,” the spot reinforces that to get things done in Congress, sometimes you have to 'yank' the politicians who 'go wherever the wind blows' in the right direction.

Marty also talks about his plans to deliver results for central New Mexican families including ending the Bush tax cuts for the top 1%, protecting the Affordable Care Act and making New Mexico THE leader in clean energy jobs.

Chavez Supported By Mayors From Across NM & Around the Country

It's Time for Practical Solutions to Our Problems, Not Extremism

Today, Marty announced the support of former Estancia Mayor Marty Hibbs and Edgewood Mayor Brad Hill.

These Mayors join dozens of other New Mexico officials and Mayors from around the nation in supporting Marty's campaign to bring tough leadership that can deliver results to Congress.

“There is a demand in New Mexico and hroughout the country for sustainable and responsible growth. Marty is that rare politician who has done both,” added Mayor Hill. “The people of Edgewood have a desire for that kind of vision in their Congressman and Marty is the one who can get it done. As Mayor of Edgewood, I would like to give my enthusiastic support for Marty Chavez for Congress.”

Chavez noted, “It's an honor to have the support of local Mayors like Marty Hibbs, Brad Hill and Jack Torres as well as national figures such as Antonio Villaraigosa, Federico Pena and Paul Soglin because Mayors like these understand the need to get real about our economic situation and offer practical solutions to the problem we face. This Congress has been threatened by government shutdowns, defaults and an overall rejection of common sense compromise. We've clearly seen that extremism doesn't get the job done and that we need Mayors in Congress, who know how to offer practical solutions to get the economy moving.”

“I'm endorsing Marty Chavez in my capacity as a former Mayor and as someone who has worked with him closely for years. Marty understands that what Torrance County needs most in Washington right now is someone who can meet the needs of our rural communities and break through the clutter to solve the problems we face,” said Hibbs. “Marty has always been a friend to Estancia and his priorities are a perfect match to the needs of Torrance County families. As a former Mayor myself, I'm very aware of the need to get things done for your community. Marty always delivered for the people of Albuquerque whether it was on water conservation, helping to create jobs or just making Albuquerque a great place to live for New Mexican families.”

The list of Mayors who have endorsed Marty Chavez can be seen here.

Chavez Statement on Equal Pay Day

Yesterday, former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez, candidate for Congress in New Mexico's First District released the following statement on Equal Pay Day:

“Everyone can agree that times are tough right now. Fairness and equality in access to opportunities is at the forefront of discussions about how we're going to move forward as a nation and I believe that we must ensure that ALL working people are compensated with a fair wage.

“Providing equal pay for working women is a basic tenet of providing the kind of opportunity equality that will enable a strong economic recovery and fuel future economic growth here in New Mexico. As we prepare our children to compete in a global economy, it is vital that each and every contributor to the progress we make is given equal pay for equal work.

“The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that was signed three years ago to help close the wage gap that still exists in our country today was a significant victory for American women. But there is still much to be done as women still earn just 77% of the wages their male counterparts earn. In Congress, I will continue the fight to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work.

“Lilly Ledbetter endorsed my campaign to bring leadership that gets results to Congress because I have always been 'a true friend in the struggle for equality.' As Mayor, my commitment to central New Mexico's women - and the results we achieved in my administration were unparalleled. From forming the first executive cabinet in New Mexico’s history with 50% women to leading the effort to create the Family Advocacy Center, a multi-agency facility to handle the needs of domestic violence victims, I have consistently stood up and fought on behalf of New Mexican women.

“The struggle that Lilly Ledbetter endured is proof that the right thing doesn't happen automatically and that equality and fairness can still be difficult to come by. We must commit to redouble our efforts to ensure that all Americans be treated equally, with fairness and with dignity.”

New Mexican Families Will Lose Out With Ryan Budget

From the Marty Chavez for Congress Campaign.

Stats Show Potentially Devastating Losses

On Wednesday, former Albuquerque Mayor and Congressional Candidate Marty Chavez released the following statement on the Families USA reports ( and ) on the devastating losses New Mexican families could face if the Paul Ryan Budget became law.

“While everyone can agree we need to fix this deficit, I refuse to do it on the backs of New Mexico's working families and seniors who did nothing to create the problems we face today.

“This right-wing budget destroys Medicare and Medicaid as we know it. In Congress, I will hold Republicans accountable and fight to strengthen and improve these programs because it's unfair to ask seniors to shoulder higher costs while giving a tax breaks to the richest few.

“The reports released today explicitly lay out the damage that will be done to Medicaid and Medicare funding here in New Mexico and would reverse decades of progress toward giving New Mexican seniors, children and low-income families health care security.

“Through 2022, New Mexico stands to lose over $9.2 billion in existing Medicaid funding, $6.4 billion in Medicaid expansion funding, $8.4 billion in repealed tax credits in the Affordable Care Act and $1.3 billion in Medicare spending. As well, by repealing the Affordable Care Act, the GOP will leave over 280,000 New Mexicans without insurance during the same time period.

“This kind of wholesale destruction of health care security for the most vulnerable New Mexicans is completely unacceptable. The distance between the values and priorities that this budget are based on and mine could not be farther apart.”

As Mayor of Albuquerque, Chavez was a strong advocate for low-income families and directly funded Title 1 for the homeless and made sure that children of homeless families were provided breakfast and lunch at school. As well, Marty created the Elementary Schools Initiative to provide before and after school programs that included arts and crafts, field trips, recreation and study time.

Marty Chavez Meeting With Westside Small Business Owners

Yesterday, Democratic First Congressional District candidate Marty Chavez met with local small business owners on Albuquerque's Westside to hear about what Congress should be doing to strengthen small businesses and create jobs. Marty spent time discussing these issues with:

• Larry Nelson, Owner of Nelson's Meats
• Dago Ruiz, Owner of D&B U Sell It
• John Battaglia, Owner of North Coors Self Storage
• Anthony Nieto, Anthony M. Nieto DMD
• Margy Hernandez, Co-Owner of La Mexicana Restaurant

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy here in New Mexico,” said Chavez. “The small business owners in attendance expressed unanimous concern about both the complexity of regulations and the inability to get access to credit and I fully believe Congress has a role to play in these areas. In Congress, my top priorities to help local small businesses grow will be to end the unfair tax giveaways to the mega-corporations - some of whom pay no taxes at all, streamline the regulatory process and find ways to facilitate greater access to traditional and non-traditional credit sources through micro-loan programs and strengthening local credit unions. There were no bailouts for small businesses in America, but there sure were for Wall Street. It’s time we leveled the playing field.” 

“Marty understands how business works and has proven that he has the problem solving ability necessary to work in Washington to get things done for small business can thrive,” added John Battaglia. “He proved it as Mayor and I know that he will prove it in Congress.”

Dago Ruiz noted, “What we need right now is someone who has actually helped create jobs like Marty. He is committed to making it possible for small businesses to get credit and grow and in turn create jobs. That's the kind of dedication to local business owners we need in Congress.”

This is the second roundtable with local small business leaders. In October, Marty held the first of his discussions with small business owners in the East Downtown area.

Marty Chavez; A True Champion for Equality

From the Marty Chavez for Congress campaign:  “Marty has been a champion of diversity & a fierce opponent of discrimination even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do.”

On Tuesday, the “LGBT for Marty” steering committee held their kickoff event in support of Marty's campaign to represent central New Mexico in the House of Representatives.

“Marty has a long and consistent commitment to equal rights for the LGBT community which was demonstrated as early as his support of legislation guaranteeing those rights while he served in the New Mexico State Senate,” said former Albuquerque City Attorney Bob White. “Whether it was signing the first Hate Crimes law in New Mexico including sexual orientation or the first executive order banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or the executive order allowing domestic partner benefits for city employees, Marty Chavez has been a champion of diversity and a fierce opponent of discrimination even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do.”

“I'm honored to have the support of so many leaders in New Mexico's LGBTQ community,” said Chavez. “In Congress, I will continue to fight on their behalf and build upon the great progress made during my Mayoral administration to advance quality issues and fight back against hate and discrimination that they have recognized.”

Lynette Curley-Roam added, “I’m supporting Marty because he has consistently supported full equality for all people including the LGBT community even before it was fashionable to do so. In addition, Marty has the best interests of our seniors in mind as he knows the great difference that Medicare makes in their lives.  Marty also wants to be sure that you and I are protected by the Affordable Care Act.”

As Mayor, Chavez fought for vast improvements in Albuquerque’s law to protect against discrimination including signing the first hate crimes ordinance in New Mexico that included sexual orientation language, signing the first sexual orientation anti-discrimination executive order in New Mexico, organizing and convening Albuquerque’s first anti-hate summit and enacting a gender identity anti-discrimination policy.

Jesse Lopez, the immediate past president of Albuquerque Pride, also proclaimed, “When it comes to equality issues, what can I say, Marty has always been on the right side of history.”

Hosts for the “LGBTQ for Marty” kickoff included: A.J. Carian, Ellen Curley-Roam, Lynette Curley-Roam, Jesse Lopez, Past President ABQ Pride, Jim Maddox, Brian Morris, Tony Ross, Co-Founder of ABQ Pride, PJ Sedillo, Co-Founder of ABQ Pride, Bob White, Keith Harrison-West, Andre West-Harrison