A campaign for all New Mexicans
Recently, an editorial in The New Mexican (“The governors race heats up,” Our View, July 12) called for a “vigorous, principled campaign” for governor, imploring all candidates to “talk about issues, with focus on solutions and not slogans.”
As someone who is running to lead this state, I couldn’t agree more.
New Mexicans are hurting. Our economy is lagging, our education system is broken, our streets are overrun with crime and too many families are mired in poverty that they just can’t escape. This is not the time for a campaign focused on scoring political points. Our elected leaders have become consumed by that mindset.
The same old way of doing business in Santa Fe has to end. Yes, we will run spirited campaigns. Every candidate has a vision to share with voters. But when the votes are counted and the next governor is sworn in, that person will have to represent all New Mexicans, not just one political party.
Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas — or bad ones. I butted heads with former President George W. Bush about the Wall Street bailout. I disagreed with former President Barack Obama over tax increases and unbalanced budgets. I’ve told President Donald Trump that his proposed border wall won’t work and voted against a measure in Congress to fund the wall without any hearings or debate. I’ve also supported each of these presidents on policies that serve New Mexicans well.
The first duty of elected officials is fighting for the people they represent. I’ve run for office because that’s where my passion lies. Campaigns are the first step to making a difference on a policy level. And making a difference requires bringing people together to do something positive.
To that end, I partnered with Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso, to craft legislation aimed at reuniting families separated by our broken immigration system and providing better training for Border Patrol officers. Congressman O’Rourke and I don’t agree on much — in fact we barely agree on anything, but we found common ground. I also led the bipartisan legislative effort to help Native American families on tribal land obtain affordable housing and financial independence. Many lawmakers in my own party disagreed with these efforts, but I believe in putting New Mexico first. I always have, and I always will.
I presently have the honor of serving the people of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which is only about one-third Republican by voter registration. Representing my district means visiting every community, listening to a wide scope of ideas and working toward a common goal with people from all sorts of backgrounds. That’s how I’ve done my job in Congress, and it’s exactly how I will do my job as governor.
Our next governor must have a singular focus on moving our state forward. We have to remove the obstacles that prevent companies from doing business here and the obstacles that force them to leave. Teachers, not bureaucrats, need to be empowered to make decisions on how to best educate our kids.
We have to bring opportunity to communities across the state, not just Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and attack poverty at its roots. And we must support law enforcement and give them the resources they need to keep our streets safe.
I believe that if we’re willing to work together, we can accomplish this and more on behalf of New Mexicans. It will require putting the tired partisan fights of the past behind us in order to change the trajectory of the state we love. I have the training, I have the experience, and I’m up for the challenge.
Steve Pearce is a Republican candidate for governor and currently represents New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.