Michelle Lujan Grisham

Triggered: MLG has full-blown meltdown over Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ budget bill

17 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham erupted in outrage Tuesday following final passage of President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping federal budget overhaul, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The legislation, which passed Congress with GOP majorities and is set to be signed by Trump on the Fourth of July, marks a dramatic reshaping of the federal budget, delivering major tax relief to working Americans and slashing bloated bureaucratic programs.

Lujan Grisham, who has built her administration on expanding state dependency programs and inflating New Mexico’s government spending, issued a scathing statement in which she declared the budget an “abomination,” claiming it was “a betrayal” and warning of supposed “threats” to New Mexicans.

“The Republican budget bill is an abomination that abandons working families and threatens the health and well-being of New Mexicans,” she claimed, despite the bill’s focus on reducing the federal tax burden and prioritizing local control. Lujan Grisham went on to accuse Republicans of “slashing funding for health care and child nutrition to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-rich,” echoing stale class warfare rhetoric.

But the governor’s fiery tirade seemed less about facts and more about partisan fury. In what some critics have called a “meltdown,” Lujan Grisham floated the idea of calling a state special session—not to address state needs, but seemingly to air her grievances with a federal bill she has no authority over.

“Make no mistake,” she fumed, “this Republican budget will hit New Mexico hard.” She then ticked off a series of apocalyptic predictions—from cuts to Medicaid and education to tax hikes on electricity—despite no such measures being confirmed in the final budget text.

The bill, which all of New Mexico’s three representatives and two senators in Congress voted against, including an expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to compensate the plight of the Downwinders in New Mexico. Despite that, the entirely Democrat delegation (due to partisan gerrymandering) voted against it. 

Lujan Grisham blamed Trump and Congressional Republicans for the legislation, blasting what she called a lack of “hearings, debate and transparency”—even though the bill went through regular order in both chambers and was widely praised for simplifying the tax code and eliminating waste. Just in its last hurdle, the bill suffered 12 grueling hours of Democrat grandstanding in a House committee and hours of bloviating from Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York on the House floor before final passage. 

The governor vowed to “fight like hell” to stop what she described as a “fiscal assault,” suggesting her administration would comb through the bill looking for ways to push back.

Political observers say her reaction underscores the growing frustration among Democrat leaders as Trump racks up legislative wins during his second term. With the economy rebounding, inflation stabilizing, and Trump’s approval surging, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is being hailed by Americans as a turning point — or a “Golden Age” of American greatness.

In contrast, Lujan Grisham’s dramatic response is being mocked by critics as political theater. “She’s triggered because Trump delivered what Democrats never could: prosperity through freedom, not handouts,” said one GOP strategist.

As Trump prepares to sign the bill on Independence Day, it’s clear who’s celebrating—and who’s seething.

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MLG gets ‘Public Safety Advocate’ award while New Mexicans fear for their lives

31 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a move that has left many scratching their heads, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce named Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham its “Public Safety Advocate” at Thursday’s 2025 Chamber and Legislative Awards. The ceremony recognized several lawmakers, but few accept the label “public safety advocate” while crime spirals and the governor targets lawful gun owners instead of criminals.

The award comes just months after a flurry of legislative failures on crime. Gov. Lujan Grisham lamented that lawmakers didn’t follow her lead on several public safety initiatives, which critics point out as proof she’s more interested in protecting political optics than actual citizens.

Mike Canfield of Valliant Consulting presented the award, praising the governor: “She has focused a bright spotlight on this issue, and despite her unwavering commitment to policy changes, more progress needs to be made.” The Chamber recounted that Lujan Grisham “told attendees she remains committed and will work with the Legislature in the months to come.”

Yet, while accepting accolades, she’s simultaneously escalating tension with New Mexicans over gun rights, with sweeping red-flag laws and expanding background checks aimed more at law-abiding gun owners than hardened criminals. This has inflamed backlash among Second Amendment supporters, who argue she’s politicizing constitutional rights instead of curbing violent crime.

That violence isn’t theoretical. Albuquerque’s Central Avenue Corridor—dubbed the “war zone”—has witnessed a surge in shootings and drug-related incidents. According to a recent CBS News snapshot, the city recorded 11 homicides in Q1 2025. Aggravated assaults hit 895, robberies at 153, and rapes at 48.

In April, responding to a request from APD Chief Harold Medina, Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency and dispatched 60–70 unarmed National Guard members to Albuquerque. Cloaked in civilian attire and operating in support roles—handling crime-scene security, traffic control, detainee transport, drone operations, and booking support—their job is to free up officers.

Local law enforcement is skeptical. Det. Shaun Willoughby, president of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, asked, “What are they going to do? … They can’t intervene. They don’t have the authority to take anybody to jail. They’re not armed.” 

Despite critiques, often from law enforcement and the public at large, Gov. Lujan Grisham continues to portray herself as tough on crime. At the award event, she reiterated her intent to press for legislative reforms. But the optics of receiving a public safety honor while policing citizen rights and deploying troops to shield local police have many asking: Is this genuine leadership, or political theater?

Meanwhile, Albuquerque’s crime stats paint a dire picture. The city and state continue to suffer from an elevated rate of violence, especially among juveniles and in connection with the fentanyl epidemic.

If Michelle Lujan Grisham truly wants to redeem the public safety narrative, critics say she must move beyond awards and mandates. 

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NM is dead last in child well-being—But MLG claims we’re leading

27 Comments / Editorial, New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a desperate attempt to paper over New Mexico’s dead-last ranking in child well-being, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham took to social media this weekend to share a gaslighting op-ed from two of her newfound allies—State Sen. Bill Sharer and child care center operator Barbara Luna Tedrow—claiming that New Mexico is “not last” in child welfare. The claim flies in the face of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s most recent Kids Count report, which once again places the Land of Enchantment dead last for child well-being.

“Studies and rankings may not reflect this progress immediately because transformative change takes time,” Lujan Grisham posted on X. “But make no mistake, New Mexico is making progress on behalf of its children.” The post reads like classic political spin from an administration under fire.

What the governor conveniently ignores is that the Kids Count report is not some fly-by-night survey. It is a respected, comprehensive review of state-by-state indicators like child poverty, education, health, and family stability—areas where New Mexico has repeatedly failed. But rather than confront the data, the Lujan Grisham regime has chosen to manufacture its own version of “success,” propped up by loyalists and political allies.

One of those allies is State Sen. Bill Sharer, who previously attempted to hike alcohol taxes—a move that disproportionately hurts working families—and stood in vehement opposition to calls for Lujan Grisham’s impeachment after she unconstitutionally suspended Second Amendment rights in 2023. Now, Sharer is moonlighting as a spin doctor, teaming up with Tedrow, the owner of A Gold Star Academy & Child Development Center, to claim New Mexico is a “national success story.”

Their op-ed praises taxpayer-funded socialist “free” daycare expansions at Gold Star’s Farmington locations and state subsidies that allow for employee benefits. But what it fails to mention is that these programs—however well-intentioned—have done nothing to reverse the state’s abysmal child outcomes on a macro level. No amount of anecdotal feel-good stories from one provider will change the fact that New Mexico still leads the nation in childhood poverty and lags far behind in educational attainment.

What’s more, the op-ed reeks of self-interest. Tedrow’s child care center has benefited handsomely from government dollars, with expansion to five facilities and lavish wage and benefit increases. Of course she’s going to claim New Mexico is “leading”—her business depends on it.

Meanwhile, families across the state continue to suffer the consequences of failed leadership. Crime is rampant. Educational outcomes remain among the worst in the nation. And child poverty is still shockingly high. Yet Lujan Grisham and her allies want the public to ignore all of that because a handful of daycare centers added a few hundred spots.

It’s a shameful attempt to gaslight the public into accepting mediocrity—or worse, celebrating it. New Mexicans don’t need propaganda. They need accountability, real reform, and a governor who takes responsibility for the state’s failures instead of spinning them as victories.

No amount of glossy op-eds will change the truth: under Lujan Grisham’s leadership, New Mexico is not leading—it’s losing.

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MLG’s secret email purge: 30-day policy could bury public records for good

22 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

The far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration is under fire after quietly implementing a sweeping new email deletion policy that critics warn could block the public from accessing vital records and communications within state government.

As first reported last week, the New Mexico Department of Information Technology (DoIT) drastically reduced the time deleted emails are kept on file, from one year to just 30 days. After that, they will be “permanently purged,” eliminating the opportunity for journalists, watchdog groups, and citizens to request or recover those communications under public records laws.

A memo obtained by The Santa Fe New Mexican confirms that the policy applies to the “Executive Branch Microsoft 365 tenant,” a technical term encompassing all cabinet-level agencies and their affiliated offices—essentially every agency directly under Gov. Lujan Grisham’s control.

Pressed for details, DoIT offered a statement soaked in bureaucratic jargon. But the intent behind the move couldn’t be clearer: erase the digital paper trail as quickly as possible and make it harder for the public to hold the government accountable.

“DoIT recently made a change to the default period during which deleted emails are retained before they are permanently deleted,” the agency said. “This was to better manage the state’s digital storage space and avoid unnecessary retention of emails that do not fall under the records retention requirements of the State Commission of Public Records Rule 1.21.2 NMAC.”

In other words, the administration claims it’s about saving space—yet this so-called “efficiency” comes at the expense of transparency. Critics say the new rule could allow public officials to delete sensitive communications and wait out the 30-day clock before anyone knows to request them.

Worse still, DoIT put the burden on individual agencies to request longer retention periods if they “feel” they need more time to back up essential records. “If an agency feels that they cannot back up all emails that should not have been deleted within thirty days,” the department noted, “they can contact DoIT and DoIT will set a longer retention time for that agency.”

The move appears designed to create confusion and loopholes, allowing selective preservation of records while giving agencies under Lujan Grisham’s control cover to delete inconvenient emails quickly and quietly.

“It is the responsibility of each agency to manage its own records,” DoIT concluded, effectively shielding the governor from responsibility if critical documents vanish.

With this new policy, the Lujan Grisham regime has laid the groundwork for an iron curtain of secrecy over state government. It’s a calculated step away from transparency and a slap in the face to every New Mexican who expects honesty and openness from public servants.

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Lawsuit over illegal alien insurance scheme survives legal hurdle

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A lawsuit seeking to expose the inner workings of a government-backed health coverage scheme that would provide insurance to illegal aliens and other uninsurable individuals will move forward, after a New Mexico judge denied a motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday. The ruling by Second Judicial District Judge Daniel Ramczyk allows plaintiffs to proceed with their claims that the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool (NMMIP) violated both the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA).

The lawsuit, brought by businessman Duke Rodriguez—a former Cabinet secretary and potential Republican gubernatorial candidate—and Kristina Caffrey, chief legal officer at Ultra Health, targets what they call a deliberate attempt to conceal the operations of the NMMIP from public scrutiny. The pool was created by the Legislature in 1987 to provide health insurance to high-risk individuals with severe or costly medical conditions. Yet questions persist as to whether it is a public agency subject to transparency laws or merely a private nonprofit operating with public funds behind closed doors.

In defense of the NMMIP, attorney Carlos Padilla claimed it is a “nonprofit organization wholly independent of state government,” arguing that while the pool may voluntarily comply with some transparency practices, it is not legally required to do so. However, plaintiffs argue that this position is intentionally contradictory. The pool accepted a $1.75 million no-bid contract from the state’s Health Care Authority in February under the guise of a “governmental services agreement”—a contract form typically reserved for transactions between state agencies. This contract was explicitly intended to launch a coverage expansion that would extend state-subsidized health insurance to illegal aliens and other high-risk groups.

Attorney Jacob Candelaria, representing Rodriguez and Caffrey, called the state’s subsequent cancellation of the contract a “classic attempt at a movida,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. After granting the agreement without public input or a competitive bidding process, the state suddenly reversed course, citing the fact that NMMIP is “not a governmental or quasi-governmental agency.” Candelaria didn’t hold back, saying bluntly, “They got their hands caught in the cookie jar.”

At the center of the NMMIP is its acting executive director, former state Rep. Deborah Armstrong, a far-left Albuquerque Democrat and close political ally of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Armstrong is also the owner of a private firm that manages all of the pool’s contractors under a lucrative executive services contract. In a prior interview, Armstrong downplayed the controversy, claiming that the Health Care Authority simply misunderstood the nature of the pool’s structure, which she described as “legislatively created, nonprofit, and without hardly anything that would tie us directly to the government.”

But this isn’t the first time the New Mexico Medical Insurance Pool has drawn scrutiny. In fact, its past is marked by numerous red flags. From 2014 to 2017, Armstrong’s firm, Delta Consulting Group, was paid over $2 million in taxpayer money to administer the program, even as enrollment plummeted from 8,500 to just 2,400 participants. The premiums charged by the pool were routinely higher than those on the private market, yet often covered only a fraction of the actual claims. In 2013 alone, premiums covered less than 20% of the total cost of claims, leaving taxpayers and insurance ratepayers to foot the rest of the bill. Meanwhile, budget analysts repeatedly warned that the pool had outlived its usefulness after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which made high-risk pools largely obsolete by providing more comprehensive and affordable coverage options.

Yet the program persisted—fueled by political connections and backroom deals. Rather than wind down the pool, Armstrong and Lujan Grisham advocated to keep it alive, despite its financial inefficiencies and questionable benefits for New Mexico residents. With millions in public funds flowing into a politically connected nonprofit that refuses to be transparent, critics argue the NMMIP has become less about helping vulnerable patients and more about enriching a select few insiders.

The current lawsuit aims to force long-overdue accountability. Rodriguez and Caffrey argue that any entity created by the Legislature and receiving public funds should be subject to the same openness and transparency as any other state agency, especially when those funds are being used to provide benefits to individuals living in the country illegally. As the case moves forward, it will test not only the integrity of New Mexico’s sunshine laws but also the public’s willingness to tolerate politically protected entities operating in the shadows with taxpayer dollars.

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Lujan Grisham fueled LA riots — Now she wants ‘order’ in NM

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Just days after defending violent anti-Trump agitators in Los Angeles who attacked federal agents and torched city blocks, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is now laughably claiming she has “zero tolerance” for violence during upcoming protests across the Land of Enchantment.

Following the lawless chaos in L.A., where criminal illegal aliens and leftist extremists clashed with federal officers, Lujan Grisham signed on to a Democratic Governors Association (DGA) statement blasting President Trump for deploying the National Guard to restore order. The DGA outrageously accused Trump of “abusing power,” while completely ignoring the fact that federal agents were under siege and risking their lives to stop the insurrection.

Critics swiftly condemned the Democrat governors’ defense of the mob. “Every Democrat governor just endorsed lawlessness and chaos on American streets,” wrote the Republican Governors Association. “Putting people’s lives at risk.”

Lujan Grisham’s own record leaves no room for ambiguity. From removing National Guard troops from New Mexico’s southern border on day one of her governorship, to mocking Trump’s border wall in a campaign stunt, and more recently, signing laws to shield criminal aliens and permit non-citizens to police U.S. citizens, she has consistently sided with open borders and against law enforcement.

Now, as “No Kings Day” protests spread across New Mexico this weekend—with events planned in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Alamogordo, and more—Lujan Grisham is suddenly posturing as the enforcer of law and order.

Asked by KOAT what she expects from the protests, the governor declared: “Demonstrate their opinions in a peaceful, meaningful way, and we will have zero tolerance for violence and illegal acts.”

But the protests she’s now pretending to police are being fueled by the same far-left forces she defended just days earlier. These “No Kings” events are part of the so-called “50501 Movement”—a coalition of radical progressive activists staging anti-Trump demonstrations across all 50 states, including at least 17 locations in New Mexico alone on June 14.

While organizers claim the events are peaceful, they are bankrolled by some of the most extreme groups on the left: the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the League of Conservation Voters, the Human Rights Campaign, Bernie Sanders’ campaign network, the far-left “Center for Biological Diversity,” and even the “Patriotic Millionaires” who push anti-capitalist policies while living in luxury. These are the same kinds of dark-money-backed entities that fueled violence in L.A., where anarchists, criminal aliens, and Antifa-aligned mobs openly attacked law enforcement.

Here in New Mexico, the movement is using the occasion of Flag Day—also President Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army—to sow division and provoke unrest. Their own rhetoric makes it clear. “The wannabe dictator wants a party? Well then, let’s show him some ‘love,’” one post read on social media.

The movement brags that it’s organizing protests “everywhere he isn’t” while calling for “no thrones, no crowns, no kings”—language that critics say is designed to incite rather than inspire.

And New Mexicans are right to be wary. Under Lujan Grisham’s far-left administration, crime has surged so severely that she had to call in the National Guard to help control the streets of Albuquerque—a city already suffering under Democrat Mayor Tim Keller’s failed leadership. Now, those same streets may become the next front in a nationwide campaign of coordinated chaos.

Despite all this, Lujan Grisham wants the public to believe she’s suddenly against violence. After helping stoke the flames of rebellion in Los Angeles, her last-minute pivot to “zero tolerance” rings hollow.

New Mexicans won’t be fooled. They know exactly where their governor stands—and it isn’t with law enforcement or the law-abiding public. It’s with the mob.

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Gabe Vasquez muzzles voters on X — then blames Elon Musk

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

As elected officials across New Mexico keep their social media channels open for public feedback, including sharp criticism, far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of Las Cruces has chosen a different path: censorship.

Vasquez, the only member of New Mexico’s congressional delegation to disable public comments on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, is drawing fire for what critics call a clear attempt to dodge accountability and avoid tough questions. While fellow Democrats like Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Melanie Stansbury allow public engagement, despite the often rough-and-tumble nature of online discourse (for obvious reasons), Vasquez has instead hidden behind a selective, tightly controlled narrative.

Even Stansbury, who faced widespread backlash for holding a performative “This is not normal” sign during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in March, didn’t shut down public discourse. The moment, captured in a viral image showing Texas Rep. Lance Gooden snatching the sign away, drew more than 24,000 replies. Stansbury’s reaction? She doubled down on transparency.

“Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy and enshrined in our Constitution,” Stansbury said, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. “That is why I will always be an advocate for free speech, whether I agree with what is being said or not.”

In sharp contrast, Vasquez has taken the coward’s way out — hiding behind an arbitrary “policy” that claims his X account is “not a public forum.” His office blames Elon Musk, citing a decline in “monitoring and quality” since Musk acquired the platform. But instead of owning his own aversion to public scrutiny, Vasquez is using Musk as a convenient scapegoat — a move that reeks of political cowardice.

“The purpose of this [X account] is for Rep. Vasquez to communicate… It is not a public forum,” his social media policy reads. In other words: He talks, you listen. No replies allowed.

This heavy-handed approach is especially troubling given that Vasquez represents New Mexico’s only swing district and barely eked out victories in both of his races under suspicious circumstances. His refusal to engage transparently with constituents on one of the most widely used platforms in politics only deepens concerns about his fitness for office.

While his spokesperson claims he’s “talking to residents every day” about issues like rising costs and healthcare, the congressman’s actions online paint a different picture: one of an elected official more concerned with controlling his image than hearing from the people he represents. It is also implausible he is “talking to residents every day” unless he pledges to answer phones or have direct contact with New Mexicans who visit his office each and every day (unlikely), making his lack of openness on social media that much more opaque for voters.

By contrast, even far-left figures like lame duck Gov. Lujan Grisham maintain open comment sections. “The comments section isn’t always for the faint of heart,” her office acknowledged. “But the Governor is committed to transparency and accessibility.”

Apparently, Vasquez isn’t.

As he hides behind firewalls and PR spin, voters should be asking: What is Gabe Vasquez so afraid of? Why does he fear public input on a platform where others in his own party remain unfiltered and accessible?

If his policies are truly helping everyday New Mexicans, he shouldn’t need to muzzle dissent. But by silencing critics and blaming Elon Musk for his own lack of transparency, Vasquez is showing his true colors — and they’re anything but democratic.

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Lujan Grisham defends rioters attacking federal agents in Los Angeles

44 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is once again siding with criminality and chaos over law and order—this time, joining a coalition of Democrat governors condemning President Donald Trump’s deployment of California’s National Guard to restore order in Los Angeles. The statement, issued by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), blasts Trump’s move as an “abuse of power” while ignoring the reality on the ground: federal agents are facing violent uprisings, including attacks from criminal illegal aliens and radical agitators, while attempting to enforce the law and uphold their constitutional duties.

As President Trump acts decisively to quell unrest and secure the streets, Lujan Grisham and her far-left colleagues have responded not with support for law enforcement but with partisan outrage. 

The DGA’s statement claims that deploying National Guard forces without a governor’s approval is “ineffective and dangerous,” and even goes as far as accusing the president of “undermining the mission of our service members.”

But critics say it’s Governor Lujan Grisham who is undermining public safety and the rule of law.

“The Democratic governors are defending the lawless. Every Democrat governor just endorsed lawlessness and chaos on American streets. Putting people’s lives at risk,” wrote the Republican Governors Association in a direct rebuke of the DGA’s statement.

Governor Lujan Grisham’s record speaks for itself. One of her very first acts in office back in 2019 was to remove National Guard troops from the southern border—signaling to both illegal immigrants and criminal cartels that New Mexico would no longer cooperate with federal efforts to secure the border. Her open-borders agenda has continued ever since.

In one of her most infamous political stunts, Lujan Grisham released a campaign ad in which she literally ran through a wall in an attempt to mock President Trump’s border security policies. The bizarre video was widely ridiculed but symbolized her ongoing hostility toward any serious effort to control illegal immigration.

She recently signed legislation to allow non-citizens to become law enforcers in New Mexico, as well as legislation to ban compliance with federal authorities acting to find criminal aliens present in the state.

Now, she’s extending that hostility to President Trump’s efforts to protect American communities from violent unrest.

Far-left Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico’s First Congressional District defended the illegal alien rioters, claiming they were the United States’ “own people,” which is false, and not acknowledging that the rioters were attacking federal authorities, requiring a federal response, as Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and other Democrat officials refused to stop the lawlessness.

Antifa, radicalized terrorist sympathizers, George Soros-linked groups, among others, helped organize the Los Angeles protest, according to multiple reports.

While President Trump is working to restore order in Los Angeles, where federal officers are under siege by violent mobs, including illegal aliens, Governor Lujan Grisham is busy penning statements of outrage, defending criminals, and undermining the brave men and women who are risking their lives to defend the public.

Her allegiance lies not with the citizens of New Mexico or the law-abiding residents of America’s cities, but with the radical fringe that seeks to dismantle law enforcement and sabotage efforts to restore peace.

As violent unrest spirals out of control, Americans are watching closely. And they will remember which leaders stood for order—and which ones, like Michelle Lujan Grisham, chose chaos.

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Fourth candidate likely to join crowded Dem primary for governor

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Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, a two-term Democrat under current far-left Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, known more for his roots in Silver City than for leading statewide, is expected to announce this week whether he will jump into the 2026 gubernatorial race or seek a different political lifeline: the presidency of Western New Mexico University, which is still reeling from a multi-million-dollar severance scandal.

Morales, 52, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that he wasn’t leaning toward a run for governor until he received “an outpouring of encouragement” from supporters. “The calls coming in really made me second-guess the way I was leaning,” he said Tuesday. Morales plans to meet with advisers before making a decision.

But skepticism remains about whether Morales, who finished a distant fourth in the 2014 Democrat primary for governor, has the political firepower to mount a serious campaign, especially against better-known and better-funded opponents, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

So far, three Democrats have entered the race, including former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland under Joe Biden, who reportedly raised nearly $3 million in just three months. Bernalillo County District Attorney and gun confiscation activist Sam Bregman and former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima round out the field. That leaves Morales potentially splitting the vote with another southern New Mexico contender, while two well-known Albuquerque-based candidates may dominate the race in the state’s most populous region.

Morales himself acknowledged that a larger field would help his odds. In 2014, as a relatively unknown state senator, he received just 14% of the primary vote. Though he now holds the second-highest elected office in the state, his statewide political impact remains modest.

Moreover, Morales openly admitted he’s not sure if vocal encouragement will translate into campaign donations—an essential question for any serious contender. “Not necessarily,” he said when asked if money would be the determining factor. “I have children who are still in school.”

That personal angle hints at another option Morales is eyeing—one arguably more aligned with his background in education and his current lifestyle: becoming president of Western New Mexico University, his alma mater. However, that position comes with its own set of challenges.

The university, located in Morales’ hometown of Silver City, is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Former President Joseph Shepard received a $1.9 million payout to resign, approved by a group of regents appointed by Gov. Lujan Grisham. Shepard was then offered a $200,000-per-year teaching position that required only two online business classes per semester.

In light of that controversy, four new regents (also appointed by Lujan Grisham) are overseeing the search for an interim president this summer, with a full-scale national search expected to stretch into 2026. Morales, who holds a doctorate in education and once coached high school baseball, says the school has deep personal meaning for him. “I grew up on that campus. It’s special to me,” he said.

Still, if Morales seeks the WNMU job, he’ll face fierce national competition. And while he’s positioned himself as a “down-to-earth” public servant, it remains to be seen if the university’s leadership, marred by allegations of mismanagement and self-dealing, can regain public trust, no matter who takes the reins.

In a Democrat Party already leaning toward nationally connected, far-left candidates, Morales would either have to moderate himself with cheesy slogans and costumes like Bregman or embrace the far-left radicalism of Lujan Grisham or Haaland. 

In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull remains the lone candidate, while others have expressed interest.

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Boxing matches and panic: MLG’s unhinged interview raises eyebrows

21 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a revealing and often contradictory interview with the left-wing Source New Mexico, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham painted a dire picture of looming budget challenges—but instead of offering meaningful solutions or taking responsibility, she doubled down on political blame games, ideological deflection, and fearmongering.

At the center of the interview is Lujan Grisham’s claim that federal Medicaid reforms under the GOP-led House could cost New Mexico between $1 billion and $3 billion, depending on how the final budget takes shape. Rather than acknowledging the fiscal necessity behind these national efforts to rein in unsustainable entitlement spending, Lujan Grisham portrayed the cuts as apocalyptic.

“People will get hurt and they will die,” she claimed dramatically, without evidence.
“We could be on the hook for up to $300 million if the cuts, as we know them, were voted on today.”

Despite this rhetoric, Republicans in Congress are pursuing modest reductions aimed at long-overdue federal spending discipline, not the wholesale elimination of Medicaid or SNAP. Nowhere in the governor’s 6,000-word monologue does she address the ballooning cost of social programs or the abuse and inefficiencies that plague them.

Instead, she frames fiscal prudence as cruelty while boasting about her own administration’s reliance on reserves to possibly delay the impact:

“My pitch to the Legislature today… is we should try to sustain to the degree that we can for a year,” she said—effectively kicking the can down the road.

While claiming to focus on solutions, Lujan Grisham repeatedly resorted to hyper-partisan attacks. She described officials from the Department of Homeland Security as “terrifying,” accused the Trump administration of targeting New Mexicans, and said of former President Trump,

“There are not two sides… He is vile and abhorrent and doesn’t seem to understand or care that he creates real risk and people are harmed.”

Ironically, while slamming Trump’s leadership, Lujan Grisham admitted her own administration is unprepared to handle the consequences of any political confrontation.

“I don’t want New Mexicans to be targeted when I may not have all the things I need to protect you adequately,” she said, before adding, “I’m not going to invite them to drive over here and get into a boxing match.”

On public safety, the governor defended her decision to send National Guard personnel into Albuquerque, denying concerns that the deployment resembled martial law.

“A tank and people in uniforms like soldiers are not coming into your neighborhoods under this administration,” she insisted, brushing off fears even as crime surges statewide and law enforcement faces a staffing crisis.
“I’m running out of state police to cover all of that additional work,” she admitted, noting 100 current vacancies.

But rather than take ownership of the public safety crisis or offer concrete plans to fix it, Lujan Grisham shifted focus to grievances with past administrations and external factors, blaming Gov. Susana Martinez’s handling of behavioral health and the layout of Albuquerque’s interstate corridors.

When asked about the state’s struggling foster care system and dysfunction within the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), she conceded,

“We have had some missteps. There’s no question about that,”
but quickly deflected, saying,
“Nobody wants to work there.”

Throughout the interview, Lujan Grisham sought to portray herself as a pragmatic, solutions-oriented leader, yet her remarks often came off as defensive and ideologically rigid. On the Biden administration’s retreat from federal DEI enforcement amid lawsuits, she said she was pleased that her administration had been “vanilla” in response.

“We don’t violate any of those rules right now. Thank you so much for reminding us that there’s no discrimination allowed,” she said sarcastically.

Despite repeated questions, Lujan Grisham offered few policy specifics about how she plans to navigate the challenges ahead, be it in healthcare, public safety, education, or immigration. She also revealed that she’s been unable to secure a meeting with President Biden over energy matters, saying,

“I couldn’t get in to see the president. I got in to see some very nice liaisons.”

She admitted the White House refused her request to collaborate on a felony warrant task force or fentanyl drug bust efforts, instead prioritizing mass deportations. Her response?

“No, thank you. That’s not a deal I’m willing to be engaged in.”

In short, Lujan Grisham’s interview amounted to a laundry list of grievances—against Trump, Republicans, the courts, Homeland Security, and even her own agencies—punctuated by dramatic language and sparse accountability. While Republicans work to right-size bloated federal programs, the governor is more concerned with ideological purity and political positioning than pragmatic governance.

As the state faces major budget challenges and an increasingly dangerous public safety environment, the governor’s remarks raise more questions than answers—and confirm that New Mexico’s leadership remains committed to the very big-government policies that created the problems in the first place.

Boxing matches and panic: MLG’s unhinged interview raises eyebrows Read More »

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