It’s election season, which means it is that time of the year to vote in new candidates for U.S. Congress and governor of New Mexico.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will be running for her second term as governor of the state. Gov. Lujan Grisham was elected in 2018 when she ran against Republican nominee Steve Pearce. For her second term, she is running against Mark Ronchetti.
Ronchetti previously ran against Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M, in the 2020 U.S. Senate race. Ronchetti lost to Sen. Lujan by six percentage points. After the Republican primaries for governor earlier this summer, Ronchetti was named the Republican nominee for the November election.
With new candidates from both the Republican and Democratic Parties, New Mexico residents have the right to decide who could make a difference; for better or for worse. College Democrats, an NMSU student organization, is providing insight into what we can expect throughout the semester.
College Democrats will be hosting informational meetings regarding the political race for governor and events to help get students registered to vote. NMSU student and president of College Democrats, Ytzel Cano, shared her opinion on what is at stake in the upcoming election.
“New Mexico is the only state with protected access to reproductive healthcare for many surrounding states, and I don’t think people recognize how important this is. There’s so much at stake in this election, and we really need a huge voter turnout this year to keep things protected in New Mexico,” Cano said.
As abortion clinics have shut down due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, many people outside the state who are in need of abortions are coming to New Mexico.
Cano also revealed that candidates will be visiting the NMSU campus to inform the student body of their campaign platforms. Details on this and other upcoming events will be announced at a later date on the NMSU College Democrats’ Instagram page.
“Events being held this semester include ‘Get Out the Vote,’ bringing in candidates to talk to students, and really just give the student body a platform to elected officials,” Cano said.
On Aug. 17, Gov. Lujan Grisham visited NMSU to discuss her campaign plans with Sen. Ben Ray Lujan. She mentioned plans she would advocate for if re-elected to help the state in regard to student loan debt, access to healthcare, and LGBTQIA+ protectors.
According to Cano, Gov. Lujan Grisham was collaborative when asked to come speak to students.
“After expressing concerns of students being such an untouched base that we need represented, the governor agreed and paved the way for her to come onto campus …Within a week, we were able to plan out her getting here and we really couldn’t be more grateful to have had her on our side,” Cano said.
For now, Cano is working to get the word out to students on how they can register to vote before the upcoming election. Election day to select public officials is Nov. 8. and the online voter registration deadline in the state of New Mexico is Oct. 11. Register to vote here.
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