Ex-Lt. Gov. Sanchez to lead White House initiative
Former Lt. Gov. John Sanchez has reemerged on the political stage. New Mexico’s former second-in-command will lead a new Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, after appearing at a White House news conference last week with President Donald Trump.
Sanchez, a Republican, spoke during the news conference about growing up in poverty and using cardboard boxes to reinforce the soles of his shoes.
“Today, I have lived the American dream,” Sanchez said, according to a White House transcript of the event. “I look at my brand-new black shoes. That’s the American dream.”
Under an executive order signed by Trump, the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative includes an advisory commission within the U.S. Department of Education that’s tasked with identifying job opportunities and educational options for Hispanic students, including internships and apprenticeships.
Sanchez, who owns an Albuquerque roofing company, was lieutenant governor from 2011 through 2018 under former Gov. Susana Martinez.
He has not run for elected office since his second term as lieutenant governor ended.
TRUMP ADS: With the general election four months away, President Trump is hitting the New Mexico airwaves in a long-shot bid to build enough voter support for an upset victory in the state.
Trump’s reelection campaign is spending more than $75,000 to air television ads this week on four Albuquerque-area network stations, according to public filings.
That’s after reportedly booking an $110,000 ad buy earlier this month.
Top aides for Trump, who held a campaign rally in Rio Rancho last year, have said they see an opportunity in New Mexico, especially
among Latino voters.
However, Democrats swept all statewide races on the ballot in 2018, and a Republican has not won New Mexico’s five electoral votes since George W. Bush did so in 2004.
This year’s presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, has not aired any television ads in the state, although his wife, Jill Biden, participated in a virtual fundraiser with several top New Mexico Democrats last month.