New Mexico
About the state
Governor
D
Lujan Grisham
Senators
D
Heinrich
D
Luján
U.S. House Delegation
D
2
R
1
State House
D
44
R
24
State Senate
D
26
R
15
In 2018, Democrats flipped control of the Governor’s office with the election of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. With a Democratic trifecta, legislators enacted laws to strengthen environmental protections, legalize recreational cannabis use, and reform the criminal justice system. Critically, legislators also drew a new congressional map that boosts Democrats' chances to flip NM-02 after losing this seat in 2020.
Winning New Mexico
Our primary objective in New Mexico is to flip NM-02 to help protect Democrats' majority in the U.S. House.
What's at stake
Education. New Mexico is one of the lowest ranked states for K-12 education. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) has made investing in public education and transforming New Mexico's public schools a key focus of her administration. Facing a teacher shortage amid the pandemic, Gov. Lujan Grisham launched an initiative to encourage members of the National Guard to become substitute teachers, and signed up as a substitute teacher herself. Gov. Lujan Grisham is up for reelection this year.
Environmental policy. New Mexico Democrats are leading the way on state environmental policy. In 2021 New Mexico’s Democrat-led state legislature passed a bill—then signed into law by Gov. Lujan Grisham—to allow the state to enact more stringent environmental protections, regardless of fluctuating federal policies. Industries like oil, gas, and mineral extraction are main sources of revenue in the state, including in NM-02 where Democrats will have a chance to flip a seat in the U.S. House. Given this dichotomy, the eventual Democratic nominee will have to strike the right balance on energy policy to appeal to voters in this Republican-leaning district.
Fighting poverty. New Mexico has the highest rate of childhood poverty and third highest overall poverty rate in the nation. Renewing monthly Child Tax Credit payments would help New Mexico families as the state recovers economically. President Biden's American Rescue Plan temporarily expanded and improved the Child Tax Credit to reach more working families in the form of automatic monthly payments of $250-$300 per child in the second half of 2021, which New Mexico parents used to cover basic needs like food and housing. Expanding the Child Tax Credit to monthly payments again would help alleviate some financial stress on families.
What's at stake facts updated January, 2024