Michelle Lujan Grisham

Lujan Grisham tied for least popular governor in America

25 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to a new Morning Consult poll, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham remains one of America’s least popular governors, with 51 percent of respondents saying they approve of her, while 43 percent disapprove. 

She is the least popular governor in the country, tied with Democrat Jay Inslee of Washington state, with the same number of approvals and disapprovals.

Other unpopular governors include Greg Abbott of Texas (R), Tony Evers of Wisconsin (D), J.B. Pritzker of Illinois (D), and Tate Reeves of Mississippi (R). 

Lujan Grisham is up only three percentage points from the last Morning Consult governor poll taken before the 2022 midterm elections, which showed her at 48 percent approval, with 45 percent disapproving of her. 

She squeaked by in the 2022 election, garnering 52 percent of the vote to Republican Mark Ronchetti’s 45.6 percent. 

Screenshot of poll via Morning Consult: https://morningconsult.com/2023/04/19/joe-manchin-jon-tester-approval-rating/

Following the 2023 Legislative Session, both Democrats and Republicans were angered by the governor, with Democrats claiming she did not act enough on “climate change policies,” while Republicans remained furious over her many bad bills passed, including H.B. 7 to ban pro-life laws and H.B. 4 to rewrite New Mexico’s election code. 

Lujan Grisham is now termed-out as governor, and far-left Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has reportedly made moves toward a gubernatorial run in 2026.

Morning Consult’s surveys were conducted “Jan. 1-March 31, 2023, among representative samples of registered voters in each state, with unweighted margins of error of +/-1 to 5 percentage points.”

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City takes on NM governor, AG in groundbreaking abortion pill lawsuit

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During a press conference outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., the City of Eunice in Lea County, New Mexico, announced a new lawsuit against the state’s Democrat Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The lawsuit revolves around the governor’s recent signing of H.B. 7, preempting local governments from enacting pro-life laws that restrict abortion. It also comes as the state Supreme Court is set to rule on another case spurred by a lawsuit from Torrez regarding local governments and the Comstock Act. This Act relates to interstate commerce, prohibiting obscene materials from the passage between state lines.

“Federal law imposes criminal liability on every person who ships or receives abortion pills or abortion-related paraphernalia through the mail, an express service, a common carrier, or an interactive computer service,” the City of Eunice wrote in the lawsuit.

“These federal criminal prohibitions apply in every state, including states where abortion remains legal, and anyone who violates 18 U.S.C. §§ 1461 and 1462 is subject to five years’ imprisonment for a first violation and ten years’ imprisonment for each subsequent violation. The shipment or receipt of abortion drugs or abortion-related equipment is also a predicate offense under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968, which subjects abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood- and each of their employees, volunteers, and donors -to civil and criminal liability under federal RICO.”

The City of Eunice passed an ordinance mandating abortion facilities comply with U.S. law, which trumps state laws.

“The Attorney General of New Mexico has sued other cities and counties that have enacted similar ordinances on the supposed ground that the Constitution of New Mexico confers a state-law right to act in violation of a federal criminal statute. And the New Mexico legislature recently enacted House Bill 7, which purports to confer a state-law right to ‘access or provide reproductive health care … within the medical standard of care’ and empowers the Attorney General to sue local jurisdictions that infringe this newly created state-law right.”

On the Supreme Court steps, local Eunice officials, including Mayor Billy Hobbs, state Sen. David Gallegos, and Councilwoman Erica Jones, Councilman Chris Hanie, were joined by pro-life leadersEthel Maharg of the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico, Southwest Coalition for Life’s Mark Cavaliere, Lea County Right to Life’s Lori Bova, Dr. Michael New of the Catholic University of New Mexico, Sister Dede Byrne, Mark Lee Dickson of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative, GraceWay Baptist Church Pastor Brad Wells, and others. A live stream of the press conference can be seen here.

“Our attorney is providing local counsel for Eunice, and we will be bringing you updates as the case proceeds,” wrote the pro-life legal group Abortion On Trial, referencing attorney Mike Seibel. 

In an exclusive interview, Seibel told the Piñon Post, “The biggest testimony for New Mexico conservatives is they are willing to dig in and fight for what they believe is morally right,” adding, “The people are doing this, and I’m proud of them.”

City takes on NM governor, AG in groundbreaking abortion pill lawsuit Read More »

During CBS appearance, MLG pressed on NM’s ‘controversial’ no-limit abortions

25 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

While appearing on CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham doubled down on her pro-abortion stance, telling host Margaret Brennan regarding a recent ruling by a Texas judge to halt the use of one of the two drugs used in medication abortions, “if we’re going to use the federal courts as a way to bar and ban access, we are looking at a national abortion ban and more. And I think states have to band together to do as much as they can in opposition to that.”

“So, currently, in New Mexico, abortion is legal. But you don’t actually have a law codifying it. I know you want to write one,” said Brennan.

Lujan Grisham responded, “We do—we do now. So the last time I was here, we didn’t. And you were, and thank you, talking about Colorado’s work. We now have a law both codifying [the] right to abortion, abortion care and access, as well as gender-affirming care in the state. So that just got signed by me,” referring to the controversial H.B. 7 passed this legislative session.

The fate of the bill is currently tied up at the state Supreme Court, where a case regarding local pro-life ordinances is being heard.

Brennan asked, “What so, nail down for me then how do you define because up till now my understanding is there wasn’t a limit on when in pregnancy, a woman could receive an abortion? Have you set any limit on that?”

“There are no limits,” answered Lujan Grisham.

“That’s very controversial,” responded Brennan.

“It can be,” noted Grisham, trying to pivot to a statistic claiming one percent of all abortions are after 21 weeks, claiming, “New Mexico’s position, and mine, is that we should not be interfering with a woman’s right medical situation and her decision about that life-threatening potential circumstance. We shouldn’t be doing that.” 

“So your state has become this haven of sorts for the surrounding states that do heavily restrict abortion like Texas,” Brennan said, with Lujan Grisham chiming in that Oklahoma was also on that list of feeder states to New Mexico for abortion tourism.

Lujan Grisham then noted how she wants to work with tribal “sovereign” nations to institute abortions in those areas for those people as a means to circumvent potential laws in states or national laws protecting the right to life. 

Following the interview, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce, a former congressman, wrote, “Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham doubled down on her decision to keep no limits on abortions up to birth in New Mexico, justifying late-term abortions of viable babies. This very extreme position is far removed from our traditional New Mexican values.” 

During CBS appearance, MLG pressed on NM’s ‘controversial’ no-limit abortions Read More »

Barbara Vigil is out as Lujan Grisham’s CYFD secretary

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On Thursday, it was announced that Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Children, Youth, and Family Department Secretary Barbara Vigil is stepping down from the role after fewer than two years.

“My time at CYFD has been the culmination of a career working in both the judicial and the executive branches of government, always with a particular focus on the well-being of New Mexico’s children and families,” Vigil, a former New Mexico Supreme Court justice, said in a statement.

“Collaborating with child welfare professionals, we built a foundation for lasting change and positive outcomes for our children and families. It’s been my honor to serve these families. I am grateful to the thousands of dedicated professionals – foster families, service providers, and CYFD staff and believe deeply in their capacity to achieve transformational change.” 

CYFD, which has been failing for years, did not get meaningful reform during the 2023 Legislative Session, despite many Republican and Democrat proposals to fix issues at the ailing department.

CYFD has suffered a 39% turnover rate for youth care specialists for the 2022 budget year, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Lujan Grisham said she is conducting a nationwide search to fill Vigil’s position, saying the candidate “must have experience in successfully pioneering major systemic reforms.” The governor’s chief operating officer Teresa Casados will serve as interim secretary.

Although Vigil is leaving the role of secretary, she will remain on the governor-sanctioned Policy Advisory Council to make “recommendations” to the administration. 

Following Vigil’s announcement, House Republican Leader Ryan Lane of Aztec wrote, “While New Mexicans are frustrated that more meaningful reforms did not take place under Justice Vigil’s leadership of CYFD, we will continue to hold accountable the next CYFD leader. House Republicans remain resolute that the children and families within CYFD need better support and more accountability, and we will continue to lead on presenting reforms that benefit the families and not the broken system.”

Barbara Vigil is out as Lujan Grisham’s CYFD secretary Read More »

The ACLU is ‘deeply disappointed’ with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

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Following Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s sweeping vetoes of bills passed during the 2023 Legislative Session, some leftists are furious.

In a Tuesday statement from the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU-NM) director of public policy, Nayomi Valdez, the group showed frustration with Lujan Grisham.

S.B. 84, which “strictly limited re-incarceration for technical violations such as missing appointments or failed drug tests while someone is on probation or parole,” was vetoed due to Lujan Grsham claiming it “failed to get the support of district attorneys and other stakeholders.”

Another bill veto ACLU-NM trashed was SB 187 would have nixed drug possession or DWI charges in another jurisdiction when considering sentencing for “habitual offenders.” Lujan Grisham claimed the bill would actually result in “the opposite of the intended effect” by restricting prosecutors from “encourag[ing] defendants to get treatment for their addiction.”

In a strong statement of rebuke, Valdez wrote, “We are deeply disappointed by the governor’s veto of these much-needed reforms to our criminal-legal system.”

“Simply put, this administration has it wrong on crime and safety. Until the executive branch starts making decisions about our criminal-legal system based on the facts and in alignment with our values, New Mexico will continue to trap people in the same vicious cycle of incarceration without making our state any safer,” she concluded.

The ACLU of New Mexico along with other groups, such as the Office of the Public Defender, continually advocated against incarcerating criminals during the past legislative session, with some success. 

Bills that did get signed by Lujan Grisham include one piece of legislation that will let violent offenders life-sentenced as minors the possibility of parole at 15 years, even if they were convicted of murder or rape. 

The ACLU is ‘deeply disappointed’ with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Read More »

Heinrich rails against Lujan Grisham’s vetoes, sparking ‘26 governor run rumors

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On Saturday, New Mexico’s U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, took to Twitter to voice his frustrations over Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s multiple vetoes of legislation he wanted to see reach the finish line.

Although Lujan Grisham signed many extreme far-left bills into law, such as H.B. 9 forcing New Mexicans to lock up their guns at nearly all times, H.B. 207 expanding the “Human Rights Act” with woke transgender ideology, and H.B. 7 mandating public bodies facilitate “gender-affirming care” and abortions, that wasn’t good enough for the Democrat senator.

He wrote on Twitter, “New Mexico’s state legislature took bold action to deliver for our state. I am disappointed to see many of those efforts now vetoed.” 

Heinrich bemoaned the governor’s veto of an electric vehicle tax credit that was stripped from the omnibus tax package. He wrote, “Our state legislature passed HB547 to lower taxes for families, veterans, & educators. And it would have made NM a national leader with climate tax incentives – similar to the ones I fought to pass in the IRA. But these reforms were vetoed.” 

“The legislature also passed SB426 to give children and others a legal advocate in the AG’s office, responding to CYFD’s systemic failures that continue to place children in real danger. But this legislation was also vetoed,” he claimed.

The measure referenced would have created a “Civil Rights Division” in the state Attorney General’s Office, which would mostly be used as another tool to hunt down New Mexicans over alleged Civil Rights Act and Human Rights Act abuses. 

Democrat state Sen. Joseph Cervantes chimed in on the Twitter thread, writing to the senator, “Among vetoes Senator- keeping NM judges lowest paid in the nation. With her stated reason she’s unhappy with the judiciary’s work. That’s the way to get better judges or motivate? Pay far less than raises she gave her own staff and far less than private sector? Hello?” 

Heinrich, who has been rumored to want to run for the governorship in 2026, sparked chatter on Twitter of his potential run, with one commenter writing, “Someone is getting ready to run for governor.”

POLITICO’s senior political columnist Jonathan Martin wrote, “Notable swipe at [Gov. Lujan Grisham] ahead of Heinrich’s own potential gov race in ‘26 .”

Heinrich rails against Lujan Grisham’s vetoes, sparking ‘26 governor run rumors Read More »

Governor surprises with sweeping line-item vetoes in tax bill

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On Thursday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered New Mexicans a major surprise by vetoing major portions of the Democrats’ tax package, H.B. 547, which is seen as a big win for fiscally responsible legislators.

According to one report, Lujan Grisham “struck from the bill a phased-in reduction of the tax New Mexico consumers pay on most goods and services, a 20% alcohol tax increase, an electric vehicle tax credit and changes to the state’s personal income tax system aimed at benefiting low-income residents.”

The far-left enviro-Marxist group the Rio Grande Sierra Club whined on Twitter following the veto of the electric vehicle tax credits, “We are incredibly disappointed to see the [governor] line item veto the climate tax credits in the comprehensive package. This is a climate emergency and merits emergency action.”

The governor also vetoed a 25% tax on cigars, which lawmakers argued would make a $10.00 cigar $12.50, creating a “black market” for the products by bringing them in from other states, as Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo) noted. 

Portions of the bill that remain intact include $500 one-time tax rebates for single filers and $1,000 for married, as well as an expanded child income tax credit of up to $600 per child.

A fiscally irresponsible measure left in the bill includes additional film production tax credits, which critics argue will mostly benefit large production houses out-of-state that will hire temporary workers in New Mexico while continuing to keep post-production out-of-state in the Los Angeles area. 

Another bad portion of the bill that she vetoed is a reduction of capital gains deductions. According to KRQE 13, “Currently, New Mexico allows taxpayers to claim a deduction of up to $1,000 or 40% of the profit of a long-term asset sold. In other words, if you sell stock and make a profit of $10,000 on it, you only have to pay state income tax on 60% (or $6,000) of that profit,” The outlet added that “the capital gains deduction for non-business-related personal sales would be capped at $2,500. In other words, if you sold the same amount of stock as given in the example above, you would have to pay state income tax on 75% (or $7,500) of the profit.” 

“And for business-related sales, capital gains deductions would be capped at 20% of the profit, rather than the current 40%. With a lower cap, the change would presumably help the state generate more tax revenue, while potentially costing some businesses more money by limiting the dollar value of their deduction.” With the measure no longer being in the bill, it is a relief for New Mexico business owners and those who sell assets.

A provision Lujan Grisham struck from the bill, despite previously advocating for it, was a gross receipts tax deduction from 4.875% to 4.375%. She vetoed it. 

The governor wrote in her veto message, “Given the unpredictable nature of the economy and our state’s reliance on oil and gas revenues, I am not confident this package is fiscally responsible.”

Governor surprises with sweeping line-item vetoes in tax bill Read More »

NM bill to harbor criminal abortionists signed into law

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On Wednesday, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed S.B. 13, sponsored by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Albuquerque), which bans the extradition of criminal abortionists and the sharing of information regarding such criminals with other states. The governor was joined by the sponsor and late-term abortion doctor Eve Espey of UNM School of Medicine at the bill signing. 

Section 4 of the legislation reads, “It shall be a violation of the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act to request from a third party, or for a third party to transmit information related to an individual’s or entity’s protected health care activity with the intent to: . . . (6) deter, prevent, sanction or penalize an individual or entity for engaging in a protected health care activity.” 

According to New Mexico Alliance for Life (NMAFL), “This language expressly covers any pro-life communicative activity aimed at stopping abortion. It is hard to imagine a broader, more blatantly unconstitutional restriction. Note that it applies not just to the communications of pro-life groups, but also even to inquiries from pro-life individuals.” 

Section 9 of the bill expressly exempts from extradition criminal fugitives who commit or conspire to commit illegal abortions, so long as the perpetrator remains in New Mexico during the commission of the crimes. 

Therefore, “an abortionist who sends pills to another state will be protected by New Mexico. Additionally, the abortionist must have fled from that state after the commission of the action. This may create a loophole if an investigation is not brought before the abortionist arrives in New Mexico,” NMAFL wrote.

S.B. 13 would isolate New Mexico from other states, as many pro-life legislators pointed out during the debate of the legislation.

The measure passed the state Senate by a vote of 26-16 and narrowly passed the House by a vote of 38-30. 

Democrat Sen. Pete Campos of Las Vegas was the lone vote against the measure in the Senate. Democrat Reps. Anthony Allison of Fruitland, Ambrose Castellano of Ribera, Harry Garcia of Grants, D. Wonda Johnson of Church Rock, Patricia Lundstrom of Gallup, and Joseph Sanchez of Alcalde opposed the bill in the House. 

After the signing of the legislation, the pro-abortion New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice wrote on Twitter, “We are proud to say New Mexico protects reproductive freedom at all costs,” boasting about the harboring of criminal abortionists in the state.

NM bill to harbor criminal abortionists signed into law Read More »

NM Supreme Court rules on judicial pandemic emergency protocols

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As New Mexico’s COVID-19 pandemic emergency is set to end on Friday, the state Supreme Court has just ruled that face masks will no longer be mandated in courthouses statewide. 

“Face masks will no longer be required in [New Mexico] courthouses after March 31, under [a] decision by state Supreme Court. Jurors will also not have to complete health screening,” wrote Dan Boyd of the Albuquerque Journal.

The decision “comes as pandemic-related public health order set to expire after three-plus years,” he added. 

Earlier in March, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Department of Health announced the end of the emergency declaration. However, the governor continued to urge residents to get jabbed with the COVID-19 inoculation.

“I urge all New Mexicans, and particularly those who are older or who have compromised immune systems, to get vaccinated or get their booster shots if they have not done so already,” she said at the time.

“New Mexico declared a public health emergency at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since then, the State of New Mexico has aligned its emergency orders with the federal government to ensure every available resource was utilized in the state’s COVID-19 response,” wrote the Department.

Under Lujan Grisham’s strict pandemic emergency orders, around 40 percent of small businesses in the state shuttered, according to the New Mexico Department of Tourism.

NM Supreme Court rules on judicial pandemic emergency protocols Read More »

NM GOP calls for probe into MLG following Trump arrest rumors

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On Tuesday, the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) demanded an investigation into Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over claims by a former staffer, James Hallinan, that the then-candidate for governor groped him.

The calls from RPNM come amid Manhattan, New York’s district attorney Alvin Braggs trying to indict President Donald Trump for “allegedly falsifying documents as ‘legal expenses’ concerning hush money paid to Stormy Daniels and potentially breaking New York campaign finance law” as the party put it in a news release.

The Party continued: 

These seven-year-old accusations resurface after Stormy’s hush money case was previously dismissed by a federal judge who ruled the suit “irrelevant.” Stormy also filed a defamation case against Trump and lost, also losing a subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court. Daniels’ lawyer has since been found guilty of extortion and fraud.

The return of these accusations against Trump shows the signs of another political witch hunt. Even those critical of Trump have blasted the district attorney’s potential indictment. One such critic, lawyer and former Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz, highlighted the political agenda surrounding this case saying, “This is 100% political. 

There is no basis for this prosecution, but with the judiciary in New York, you never know.” These claims are especially cogent when district attorney Braggs has recently vowed he would not prosecute numerous non-violent crimes.

While the investigations into former President Trump have turned up fruitless, there are almost identical charges against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that New Mexico prosecutors refuse to investigate.

RPNM Chairman Steve Pearce, a former congressman from New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, wrote, “Instead of harping on finding fault in Trump, who, after years of probing investigation, is continually vindicated, the left should begin an investigation into the eerily similar charges against our Governor.”

Ahead of the 2022 gubernatorial election, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign paid out $150,000 in alleged hush money to her former campaign staffer, who accused her of grabbing his genitals and making sexually demeaning comments to him. The Lujan Grisham campaign then refused to explain an additional $87,500 payment, labeled “legal expenses,” to the law firm believed to have represented the Governor in her sexual harassment case.

“This is a perfect example of the left’s hypocrisy. While the media continues an uproar over weak accusations against Trump, no investigation has been made into the substantial accusations against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham,” wrote Pearce. 

RPNM continued in the press release, “We call for New Mexico prosecutors to investigate the accusations against Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. RPNM believes nobody is above the law and that truth, not politics, should determine justice.”

NM GOP calls for probe into MLG following Trump arrest rumors Read More »

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