Vote the person, not the party

How many times in this decade have we seen the criticism of people putting party before country (“Losing candidates have hard choices to make,” Our View, Aug. 1)?

As a moderate New Mexico Democrat for the past 30 years and from one of the founding Spanish families, I find this sad. I am unabashedly a Catholic; that is, a pro-LGBT, pro-life, pro-veteran and military; pro-Second Amendment, pro-DACA. I believe if you are physically able to work, you can get welfare, provided you go get a job. Some call me middle of the road, a nonextremist, not on the left or right. For sure, I am not a socialist — where my party seems to be leaning — disturbing at best.

How many times has The New Mexican said Republicans should work with President Barack Obama? How many times has the paper said that Republicans should not blindly support President Donald Trump? Gov. Susana Martinez and Congressman Steve Pearce, R-N.M., have gone on record at different times disagreeing with President Trump; were they wrong? Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., has worked with Trump on issues; was he wrong? Going even further, we are hearing stories that people are ceasing to be friends because of politics. Totally ridiculous.

If we are to have everyone blindly agree and never talk to people with differing points of view, then we have giant problems, and our state will never be fixed. I have friends of all parties, ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious beliefs and races, who know we’ll just agree to disagree and call it a day. It’s called civil discourse.

This November, I am the Democratic crossover vote who will be voting for a fellow New Mexican who grew up poor, attended our state universities, is a decorated veteran, didn’t abandon our state, actually stayed to start a family and a successful business. He is someone who gives fellow New Mexicans jobs, is a former New Mexico legislator (who crossed the aisle many times) and represents a district that is majority Democratic — Republican Steve Pearce, my choice for governor.

Allow people to follow their beliefs and not just their party.