Recommendations for US House of Representatives
District 1 — Michelle Lujan Grisham, Democrat
Michelle Lujan Grisham, an Albuquerque Democrat, says she went to Washington with a mission to make lives better for people back home in New Mexico and across the country. Her energy and passion have made her a hit in Washington. Never bashful about her concerns, she has made her opinions well known in the House of Representatives and in the dense bureaucracy. Lujan Grishman earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of New Mexico and her law degree from the UNM School of Law. Since Lujan Grisham took office in 2013, her agenda has focused on health care, women’s and elderly issues, education, the economy and behavioral health. She is the ranking member of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee, and first chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. A native New Mexican, Lujan Grisham is a former small-business owner, Bernalillo County commissioner, secretary of the state Department of Health, former secretary of the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department, and director of the state Agency on Aging. To help create jobs, Lujan Grisham says Congress should approve long-term funding for transportation and infrastructure projects, create a regulatory system that encourages community banks and credit unions to lend money, and invest in anti-poverty programs. She supports an immigration system that enhances border security and allows undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship. She is a staunch advocate for veterans and has been pushing for the Social Security Administration to address concerns over access at its new downtown Albuquerque location. Lujan Grisham has worked in a bipartisan way with her colleagues and other members of the New Mexico delegation, and voters in the 1st Congressional District should send her back to Washington to continue her work.
District 2 — Steve Pearce, Republican
When it comes to knowing your constituency — even one that spans a large portion of a large state — Republican Steve Pearce has mastered it. He has represented southern New Mexico in Washington for six terms, and in Santa Fe as a state representative for four years before that. He earned his economics degree in Las Cruces at New Mexico State University, his MBA in Portales at Eastern New Mexico University, and was raised in and still calls Hobbs, where he ran an oil field services company with his wife, home. And while his district leans Democratic in registration, Pearce’s pragmatic, less-is-more approach to government has appealed to its voters election after election. He took close to 65 percent of the vote in 2014. Pearce understands how overbroad and overreaching regulation stifles business and supports smart, broad tax reform. His business education and experience informs his approach to the budget, keying on tackling fraud and poor prioritization as well as overspending. He has a realistic take on border reform, with security and a guest-worker program at the helm. In other areas, he wants to use the laws on the books, such as existing gun legislation, instead of passing feel-good measures that are politically expedient. And his military service — combat pilot in the Vietnam War, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals, seven other military medals and four exceptional service awards — means that unlike most members of Congress, Pearce has a personal understanding of the importance of foreign policy, national security, armed conflicts, and the missions of the state’s four military installations and three national labs. He knows firsthand what it’s like to put yourself in harm’s way in defense of country, and firsthand how to meet a payroll. U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has served New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District well for six terms. The Journal recommends voters return him to D.C. for a seventh.
District 3 — Ben Ray Luján, Democrat
Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján was elected to New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District seat in 2008 and continues to advance in leadership roles in Washington as he gains seniority. The 3rd District covers most of northern New Mexico, including a small portion of Bernalillo County that includes part of Paradise Hills. Luján’s district also includes areas with major drug abuse problems, such as Rio Arriba County, and he has succeeded in pushing through the House improvements to substance abuse treatment programs for women who are pregnant or postpartum. He also has been involved in congressional efforts to boost spending to fight opioid addiction nationwide. Luján’s prominence nationally increased after he was appointed chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in November, with a goal of increasing the number of Democrats elected to Congress. Before he was elected to Congress, Luján’s positions in public service included a stint on the state Public Regulation Commission, as a deputy state treasurer and as a state Department of Cultural Affairs administrator. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from New Mexico Highlands University. Though not a member of the majority party in the House, Luján is starting to build seniority and has taken on greater leadership roles that could benefit his northern New Mexico district. The Journal recommends 3rd Congressional District voters return Ben Ray Luján to Washington, D.C.