Well, it’s official. Two members of the state’s congressional delegation are running for governor, and given their name recognition, proven political acumen, and hefty Rolodexes of supporters/volunteers/donors, it’s likely that Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Republican Rep. Steve Pearce will win their parties’ nominations.
The best way to predict how the two would govern New Mexico is to examine the way they vote in Washington. So here’s a quick look at how Lujan Grisham and Pearce scored on the latest ratings tabulated by four limited-government organizations (0 is worst, 100 is best):
The Club for Growth “is a national network of over 100,000 pro-growth, limited government Americans who share in the belief that prosperity and opportunity come from economic freedom.”
The National Taxpayers Union works “to achieve favorable legislative outcomes using the most powerful, effective pro-taxpayer lobbying team on Capitol Hill and in the states.”
Citizens Against Government Waste‘s “mission is to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government.”
FreedomWorks is “over 6 million Americans” who “all share three common traits: a desire for less government, lower taxes, and more economic freedom.”
As the four organizations’ vote-tracking indicates, Lujan Grisham and Pearce have profoundly different notions about the proper role of government, and if they are the major-party nominees, voters will have a very clear contrast. But remember that politicians can be unpredictable. Ohio Republican John Kasich, once a vocal budget hawk in Congress, is now a Medicaid-expansion-loving governor. And last year, a glowing profile in The Wall Street Journal (“An Island of Rationality in Blue-State New England”) praised Rhode Island’s Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, for pushing regulatory reform and tax cuts.
Do you really think a moderate conservative has a real chance in state that is pro immigration, that gives legal documents and free health care w/ legal advice to illegals? A state where a third of the revenue is from oil and gas, that is taxed and restricted to death. A state where the jails and courts are a revolving door leading to high crime rates and drug trafficking.To put it simply a sanctuary state and try to turn it around? We can only hope
It does make you wonder!
Great post Jeff. Let’s face it “HOPE” is a pipe dream- faith without works is dead. It’s our responsibility to get out there and remind/ask everyone how well “free documents, health care and legal advice to illegals” is working for them. It is our responsibility to take OUR State back and make it as prosperous ass we know it can be. Congressman/Governor Pearce can and will do this with our help.
It would be poetic justice that Congressman Steve Pearce spends some time in a nursing home. New Mexico has a dismal ranking of 49th in the indicator for “affordability and access to long-term services and supports,” based on the cost of nursing home care and long term care insurance. Medicaid pays for most of New Mexico elderly people in nursing homes.
Now our Congressman Pearce in a disgraceful gesture to these elderly people has voted for steep cuts in Medicaid as part of the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Under federal law state Medicaid programs are required to cover nursing home care. Under Pearce supported legislation New Mexico will have to drastically decrease the amount they can pay or restrict eligibility for coverage. A combination of longer life spans and spiraling health costs has left 64 percent of Americans in nursing homes dependent on Medicaid.
Congressman Steve Pearce, who got wealthy by milking his years as Congressman, has undermined New Mexicans, who have worked their whole lives some with strenuous jobs and paid into the system Now Pearce is supporting a system that fails them in the last years of their life. I would vote for Grisham.