On Wednesday night, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Republican nominee Mark Ronchetti met on KOAT 7 for the second gubernatorial debate, moderated by the station’s Doug Fernandez. KOAT’s Kelly Ribando, the Albuquerque Journal’s Dan Boyd, and KKOB radio’s Bob Clark as panelists.
During the fiery debate, the two candidates presented their plans for New Mexico — the current one or a new vision for the state.
While Ronchetti continued speaking about kitchen table issues, such as violent crime, with New Mexico being the second most violent state in the nation, and fixing the stagnant economy, Lujan Grisham couldn’t shake her obsession with talking about abortion.
In her opening statement, she erroneously claimed, “My opponent wants to ban abortion,” despite Ronchetti wanting a constitutional amendment to decide the issue, as he has previously stated. Lujan Grisham continued, “As governor, I promise to protect your privacy protections and to expand access to reproductive health care (abortions) for women and their families.”
Continuing on abortion, Lujan Grisham reaffirmed that she supports abortion up to birth with absolutely no restrictions whatsoever.
“Abortion is legal in New Mexico because I’m governor today. Brett Kavanaugh — I’m sure that name is very familiar to most voters and New Mexicans. Here is someone who said anything to get the position but did quite another when he actually got the position. That is the republican playbook when it comes to abortion,” she claimed, despite Kavanaugh not saying anything of the sort on abortion. As a judge, he could not make determinations on hypothetical cases.
She then claimed, “Mark Ronchetti wants to ban abortion. If you don’t believe me, ask his pastor.”
Ronchetti said, “I don’t think an incumbent governor in this country has ever based their whole campaign on a lie,” adding, “But you and your D.C. allies will say anything to retain your seat as governor of the state of New Mexico. You will say anything you have to, and you’re hoping that people don’t know. But the reality of the situation is I’ve been very clear: I am pro-life. But also, this is a very personal issue. There’s no doubt about that.”
“And this governor has a position, too, and it’s the extreme in this race. She believes in abortion up to birth. That view is shared by countries like North Korea and China. And if you look at where we are in a broad sense, the values of the people of the state of New Mexico have to be taken into account in this issue.”
Regarding the border crisis, Ronchetti said, “Joe Biden and Michelle Lujan Grisham have an absolute border chaos policy,” saying he will carry out his plan to secure New Mexico’s border by forming a border strike force and working with neighboring states.
Lujan Grisham, with little to show for her four years as governor, responded, “Well, this is just political theater and it’s not true. And when you say you’re going to use the Department of Public Safety, what he’s saying is he’s going to take State Police officers right out of Albuquerque and move them to Deming.” In 2018, Lujan Grisham demeaned voters in Deming, which was taken as a jab at rural New Mexico. She added, “And by the way, fentanyl gets mailed in from China, as well as at the border.”
“That was a blizzard of excuses for not caring about what happens at the border. Let’s go back to that fentanyl bust in the South Valley, where there were a million fentanyl pills that were taken in by the FBI. It was the biggest FBI bust in their history,” adding, “Her answer to this whole problem shows how truly out of touch she truly is.”
When Ronchetti pressed Lujan Grisham on crime and her release of countless violent criminals, she claimed, “What is shocking is my opponent’s description of facts that are factless.”
On the issue of health care, Ronchetti said he will overturn bad Democrat legislation that is deterring medical professionals from staying and coming to New Mexico.
Lujan Grisham’s answer was, “Well, we’ve got someone who wants to be governor who doesn’t give a damn about patients and their rights, and I do,” apparently again referring to abortion.
Boyd asked Lujan Grisham the next question, inquiring, “During the #MeToo movement, your campaign settled a complaint with a former campaign spokesman who accused you of sexual mistreatment. Why would you insist you did nothing wrong but still have paid him?”
Lujan Grisham dodged the question to instead talk about her favorite topic — abortion. She said, “Well, these are really, uh, a continuation of the Mark Ronchetti campaign, uh, working diligently on baseless, and frankly, uh, dev- uh, desperate character attacks. You know, we did a couple of things that nobody does. We provided absolute disclosure about this issue and provided that information directly to individuals. We did that because that’s been the issue of our entire government, to be transparent. We’re the first administration to be transparent about every single expense. No other governor has done that. You’ve seen the baseless, false attacks that Mark Ronchetti and his campaign have run against us consistently because these are all desperate efforts to hide the fact that he has no plan, that he has no experience, uh, he’s a T.V. personality. And frankly, when he says he wants to give a choice, look Mark Ronchetti: You’re not invited into the room with me and my gynecologist. Women already have this choice. When you’re talking about the constitution, you’re inviting a resolution to change the constitution. When you’re doing that, you’re doing that solely to reduce my rights. I know that you’re trying to make this sound like somehow it’s balanced. It absolutely isn’t. And having a clinic in Las Cruces is contraceptive care. It’s reproductive health care for women and their families. It’s comprehensive primary care. You’re so concerned about healthcare access, explain to me why you don’t want a clinic for women anywhere in the state.”
When speaking about education and fixing the failed Democrat policies of the current administration, Ronchetti outlined his plan for a voucher system, to expand charter schools, and to remove the racist Critical Race Theory social studies policies of the current administration. Lujan Grisham, of course, pivoted to abortion, mentioning abortion and sex ed programs.
In a portion of the debate where candidates could ask each other questions, Ronchetti said to Lujan Grisham, “Governor, I want to ask you about James Hallinan He was one of your staffers in your last election. And you were in a meeting with him, and you grabbed his crotch, and you said, ‘Is there anything down here?’ Governor, you then had him sign a non-disclosure agreement, so he kept his mouth shut. You then, about two months later, signed a law in New Mexico outlawing those agreements, further allowing people who were the victims of these type[s] of events to be able to talk. Why shouldn’t your victim be able to talk?
Lujan Grisham responded, “Uh, Mark. Again, you have spent your entire campaign attacking my character and my integrity. They are baseless attacks, and you do that including now to hide from the fact that, again, you’re a T.V. personality with no experience.” She continued, “The only thing you actually have a plan for is to ban abortion in the state of New Mexico.”
Lujan Grisham’s question for Ronchetti was, “What is misoprostol?” referring to the drug used in chemical abortions to forcibly eject a baby from its mother’s womb.
He responded, “Here we go again. This is what 25 years in government gets you. This gets you a governor who wants to play Jeopardy!’” Ronchetti added, “People have had enough of the political games. It’s garbage at this point. And you’ve said you’ve been more transparent than any governor in history. Governor, you grabbed a male staffer’s crotch — a gay male — and then you said, ‘Is there anything down there?’ You then paid him $150,000, governor, and then you made him shut up about it. And now, you have the gall to sit up here and not only victimize James Hallinan, but you revictimize him. If you remember back, you said during the Andrew Cuomo scandal if you don’t believe those who go and bring these charges, then you’re revictimizing. So, you’re victimizing, revictimizing, and now — on topper of all toppers — you’re creating yourself as the victim. Governor, this is the sort of thing that people cannot stand. You’ve never come clean. You’ve never said, ‘Look, I made a mistake. Here we go.’ You’ve just continued to lie about this issue time after time after time. And let me tell you about experience. Experience, especially the experience we need in this office, is someone with character. Someone who has been in tough situations and doesn’t lie about them, doesn’t belittle people, and doesn’t try to shrink other people to make themselves feel better. You, on a regular basis, do that in every single way. You shut down stores, and then you go jewelry shopping. You shut down our ability to see our families, and then you hold parties. And then you keep our kids out of school, and you roll up to Navajo Lake, and you have a party with your friends while we’re on lockdown. You are a hypocrite, governor.”
Using her final rebuttal opportunity, Lujan Grisham claimed Ronchetti’s answer was a “blizzard of nonsense, right? It’s one character attack. If I was doing anything that was a violation of the COVID rules, you would have a photo of that. I religiously did that,” she claimed.
On an energy question from Bob Clark, Ronchetti blasted Lujan Grisham’s “California energy policy” through the Green New Deal (Energy Transition Act of 2019), which forced the closure of the San Juan Generating Station. He also noted how the governor proposed a bill to raise gas prices $0.35 to $0.50 a gallon through an enviro-Marxist policy.
“I take exception, Bob, that you say that the ETA led to the closure of the San Juan coal fire plant and generating station. That’s just not true.” She then claimed that New Mexico needs the “strongest, toughest standards” to punish the coal and oil and gas industries.
In his closing statement, Ronchetti asked New Mexicans if they want high crime, failing schools, or one that is a “great story for our future?”
Lujan Grisham, of course, pivoted back to abortion in her closing statement, saying you can vote for her “or believe someone whose only agenda, only policy, quite frankly, is to ban abortion and interfere with my private health care decisions.”
Early voting has already started in New Mexico, with expanded voting locations opening on October 22. Election day is November 8th. Ronchetti (R), Lujan Grisham (D), and Karen Bedonie (L) all will be on the ballot.
Watch the full KOAT 7 debate here:
The evil witch MLG will always lie. She has destroyed NM and she is proud of it. Staying up north right now and the morons up here have MLG signs everywhere. This area is beyond woke. Praying more conservatives on both sides decide to do what’s best for our state. Get out and vote this groper, liar, evil queen out of office forever.
MLG has nothing good to run for office. All she has is baby murder and she is very proud of it. She and all those that vote for her are pure evil people.
MLG will have to grope her way through a grueling debate.
The gropes of wrath
This debate was an excruciating experience for MLG, as she was forced to grope for straws.
If MLG is re-elected, four more years of nothing for NM. Open your eyes New Mexico.
Ronchetti had MLG on the ropes and in the gropes.
Ronchetti had MLG on the ropes and on the gropes.
Rope a grope.
Question: Has MLG ever read the constitution of New Mexico? Probably not. Has she ever read the constitution of the United States of America? Most likely not. And if she has she’s certainly not upholding it. If there’s anything our kids need to learn it’s what our nation and our state were founded on. If we keep electing people like her this nation will go down the tubes. We need to elect those who will stand up for what were founded upon.
MLG can barely contain her rage. Shel’s always like that. Do you want someone that angry and vulgar ruling over you. Leaders are suppose to lead by example so lets all follow her high moral examples….🙄 Can’t wait to see your little girls grabbing the crotches of the little boys in her 3rd grade class, or looking like a snarling rat ready to bite you when she doesn’t like hearing the truth.?
People choose the leaders they deserve….do you think that lowly of yourself? Then go ahead and raise up a tyrant to rule over you and like it when she treats you like 💩. This one will never be the wind beneath your wings rejoicing in how high YOU can fly…most likely she will do all she can to clip your wings and keep you in a cage with just enough food and water to keep you alive!
Communists/Socialists will take your freedoms. Go read about how it was in the USSR! I saw it all from a distance back in the 80’s before the walls came down and I see the seeds of it growing now!
https://youtu.be/8emZjgD2uCc
My friend had an apartment in Moscow eventually all people were assigned to a certain number of square feet to live in if you had more than that you had to take in others to live there. Ah the smell of communism the steaming turds that will bury us all. We should send the “migrants” to Santa Fe sancutary city and keep piling them into the homeless “tent” parks. I saw a woman with a baby the other day obviously living hand to mouth trying to sell the baby to an older couple. Everyday we get closer to annihilation as a republic. VOTE like your life depends on it- IT DOES
all you white folks look like thst your no different yourself look inn the mirror,it feels so awesome to be native
“Never underestimate the power of large groups of stupid people.”
Grisham is absent of either conscience or character. The results of this moral bankruptcy are everywhere in this crime and poverty-ridden state and one can safely deduce that her supporters are gullible carbon copies of her. Therein lies the real danger, not only in NM but throughout the nation. Without the brainless compliance of the herd, what we are now dealing with could not have advanced as far as it has. You will never observe this kind of voter take personal responsibility for what they have done because they have no critical thinking skills and will happily follow their fellow lemmings over the cliff.
That last line is echoed in our “vaccine” rates and the readiness of people to accept her ridiculous mandates “to be safe.” We had droves of people standing in line, ready to take syringes of a substance they knew nothing about (patient disclosure on the vaxes was and still is non-existent) and doing it repeatedly. People wagering their current and future health for a $100 payout. There is a lot of evidence against the covid “vaccines” being safe and we already know they aren’t effective like true vaccines should be. There are legions of documented side effects, health problems and deaths attributed to them, But the lemmings follow each other happily!
Critical thinking is extinct in this state from what I can see. I see it a lot on Twitter. If you dare speak out against this governor and her disasterous policies, even if you give them facts that have been previously documented, you get labeled a “MAGA extremist.” Well, excuuuuuuse me! I never thought I’d see the day when being a conservative, Christian, patriotic, hard-working person who cares about my fellow citizens, their children’s schooling, our ability to live affordably and our safety in society as “extremist.” MAGA = Make America Great Again. These “people” that keep getting elected don’t want that.
Absolutely right! One of the main goals sought by grisham and her fellow ilk has been the destruction of our nation’s society. We are now almost completely divided. As long as non-critical thinkers fail to discern the truth behind the lies, our nation will continue to fall. Hatred for conservatives and especially for Christians is increasing everywhere. Although realizing that this was prophesied by God, I often literally cannot believe what I am seeing and am astounded by how many people have been taken in by the deception.
So many will be deceived in the end times. Deception is the evilest plague in this world today.
Last night, as I watched NM Gov’s debate, it was quite easy to notice MLG’s demonic obsession with abortion and who she actually represents but the brutal reality is that many NM voter’s will end up voting for her again. Pray for discernment.
I am voting for “Pro-Life” and this is why.
Mark 12:31 “……..love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these”……..(referring to the two greatest commandments),
My interpretation of this verse is different than that of California Gov. Newsom. For me, the infant in the mother’s womb is her closest neighbor and by loving the unborn……she will provide life.
John 15:13 “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
An infant in the womb is the woman’s closest friend and a woman who perseveres knowing it may cause her life……truly embodies Jesus’s words.
Revelation 3: 15-16 “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I will spit you out of my mouth!”
As a Catholic Christian, I will do my best never to judge or condemn others, but Christians who believe babies in the womb is not a life and can be discarded—- and support candidates that do—–are perhaps being lukewarm—–or just plain cold—–I’ll let God decide. As to me, I will always vote for those who hold and exercise the Judeo-Christian values that this country was founded on, so please join me and vote Pro-Life. Besides, I truly believe Jesus will expect nothing else.
God Bless Us All
Absolutely right!
Ronchetti… wrong for New Mexico.
Born in Vermont.
No political experience.
Supported by Big Business Republicans.
Mark WRONGCHETTI, weatherman, WRONG for New Mexico.
Grisham…criminal career politician born in New Mexico.
Responsible for destroying state’s economy.
Responsible for deaths due to inability to access preventative health care via her ordered lock downs.
Responsible for promoting infanticide.
Responsible for increase in suicides resulting from lock downs which led to destruction of small businesses/loss of jobs/income.
Responsible for damage to children (including suicides) via school closures/lock downs.
Responsible for unemployment via destruction of oil/gas industry.
Responsible for raging crime/homelessness/drug culture.
Responsible for her personal behavior re: groping incident of male staffer (and another male as well). Responsible using campaign funds to silence victim.
Responsible for displaying moral bankruptcy by marching in parades supporting infanticide and drag queens.
YOU: Responsible as an accomplice if you support her ‘accomplishments.’
Congratulations.
And let us not overlook…
Responsible for removal of Border Patrol agents which has led to exponential increase in illegal alien invasion and increasing crime throughout the state. One result was the attempted rape and murder of a 12 year old male child last week.
Again…
Congratulations.
Grisham….right for New Merxico???
Born in New Mexico….but has lost her way, no longer holds the values of New Mexicans—God, Family, Country, Law and Order!
Lots of Political Experience……Typical lip service, knows how to pivot and spin, as evident in the debates.
Supported by the Elitist Democrats……Pelosi, Schumer, and other Liberals and the Hollywood Crowd who pervert Judeo-Christian values.
Michelle Grisham, The Extreme Abortion Queen, Definitely WRONG for New Mexico.
You sound like a commercial ad.
Here’s one for you,
killing babies is bad for New Mexico.
Grisham….right for New Merxico???
Born in New Mexico….but has lost her way, no longer holds the values of New Mexicans—God, Family, Country, Law and Order!
Lots of Political Experience……Typical lip service, knows how to pivot and spin, as evident in the debates.
Supported by the Elitist Democrats……Pelosi, Schumer, and other Liberals and the Hollywood Crowd who pervert Judeo-Christian values.
Michelle Grisham, The Extreme Abortion Queen, Definitely WRONG for New Mexico.
all you white folks look like thst your no different yourself look inn the mirror,it feels so awesome to be native