Governor hits virtual campaign trail for Biden

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is hitting the virtual campaign trail for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. The governor, who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick, participated remotely Friday in an Arizona roundtable discussion for the Biden campaign.

The discussion focused on Biden’s infrastructure plan, and Lujan Grisham and other participants — including U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., and a local union leader — voiced support for policies aimed at increasing renewable energy production and addressing climate change.

Lujan Grisham, who has also participated in virtual fundraisers for Biden, said President Donald Trump’s policies have benefited China and other countries more than they have the United States.

“I am so ready to have Joe Biden in the White House,” the governor said at one point during Friday’s discussion.

However, the Republican Party leaders of Arizona and New Mexico said in a joint statement Friday that Biden’s plan would “destroy” the states’ energy sectors by eliminating oil, gas and coal from the power grid by 2035.

The general election will take place Nov. 3, with absentee voting beginning in New Mexico on Oct. 6.

MEETING IN PERSON: The Legislative Finance Committee’s decision to hold in-person hearings in Cloudcroft this week raised a few eyebrows around state government.

While lawmakers met in Santa Fe for a special session last month, other legislative committees that have met since the coronavirus pandemic began in mid-March have

done so virtually.

LFC Director David Abbey said planning for this week’s three-day committee hearing started more than a month ago, when the state’s COVID-19 case numbers were declining.

“We had an expectation the world would open up more than it has,” Abbey told the Journal.

He said committee members enjoy holding meetings around New Mexico to get different perspectives from local leaders across the state.

While some Cloudcroft leaders testified in person at the LFC hearings this week, cabinet secretaries in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration spoke to the committee remotely. Members of the public were not allowed to attend the meetings, which were broadcast online.

A revised public health order issued by the Lujan Grisham administration bans public gatherings of five people or more, but elected officials performing official duties are among those who are exempt from that ban.

Dan Boyd: dboyd@abqjournal.com