Why Jeff Apodaca and not Michelle Lujan Grisham for Governor

People in the political world often forget that I am not a progressive or conservative democrat. I am very much in the middle taking sides on issues and not candidates. I vote on the grounds of how candidates come down on issues. I look at what they want to achieve for our state and the people who live in it. I always side on what I think will work for my college level students in the fields of education and jobs. I want someone who is strong when it comes to women’s rights and the fair and decent treatment of women in general. 

I also feel very strongly about candidates spending time with normal people who cannot afford to give large sums of money to support a campaign. I feel that ever since the court ruling on Citizen’s United that normal people have no voice with candidates. Candidates that spend all of their time in private parties and debates never get to know the voters. They claim that parades are their public events but there is no time spent just talking to the people.  They feel no connection or friendship with average people. People that can afford to spend $50, $250, or $500 to spend time in private with a candidate don’t have the same world views or struggles as a single mother trying to make ends meet.

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Now as far as Michelle Lujan Grisham is concerned I have a number of reasons why I will not vote for her. 

She promised a public event in Albuquerque but no one from her campaign ever even bothered to contact me. Then she cancelled debates in this city.

She took money from Senator John A. Smith and calls him her friend while she hates to even spend 5 minutes talking to me about any issue. 

She is unwilling to understand that foreign trade with Mexico could have problems if the President starts a trade war with that government. Yet most of her jobs plan was based on that issue. This approach has not worked in the past and will most likely not work in the future by itself. 

Some of the biggest donors to her campaign are people we don’t want our governor being friends with such as Big Pharmaceutical Companies. The same companies that promote pain killers that are now causing a drug problem in our state. 

I have told Michelle many times that I don’t like how much money she takes from these big donors and she feels that it is the only way that she can win a race. She spends the money on fancy ads and mailers. Paying for staff to run her campaign and other types of items to sell herself to the public but all the public wants is time to tell a candidate what type of issues matter to them. I acknowledge that candidates have to do some private fundraising events but it should not take all of their time away from the voters. 

Jeff Apodaca

Now as far as Jeff Apodaca is concerned I like his stands on issues and his desire to make positive changes for our state. I like that he is willing to lead and not be a follower when it comes to issues.

Yes, the man is angry at how the current system has failed our state. And he is willing to call other candidates out for behaviors that should not be happening. I try to get him to tone this down some and focus on his own issues but at the same time I completely understand the frustration he is feeling. 

 I love that he goes around the state making as many free events as he can afford just so that he can talk to real people and so that he can listen to their concerns. We have not had a candidate who cared about these individuals in years and it has harmed our state.

Yes, Jeff is willing to stand his ground on issues that he has strong feelings about but he will listen to you if you have other ways of dealing with those issues that are grounded in reality. And that I feel is all you can ask of a government official. This makes him come off as abrasive at times but once you get to know him then you understand that it is just that he cares. 

Jeff Apodaca and I are the same age, we speak the same language of business very well, and we have many of the same behaviors. Which makes him an easy person to understand and to support. He can be a little glib at times but so can I when provoked. In other words, I get as good as I give when it comes to this candidate. 

I would never tell another voter who to vote for but I can tell you who I like and why I like that candidate. This year I will be voting for Jeff Apodaca for New Mexico Governor.

Democratic Candidates for New Mexico Governor

Well we are down to two at this point for New Mexico Governor in the primary. 

Michelle Lujan Grisham came out of the state convention with strong support from the state delegates. She has traveled around the state and has been working to support this state as our congresswoman for Congressional District 1 since 2012. Her voting record is well documented. As is her political history. We know that nothing new will be coming out of the closet to surprise voters unless it is made up. She strongly supports early education and funding for teachers in Pre K through Higher Education and is supported by the teacher’s unions but you have to wonder what that will look like. Michelle has developed a strong ground game and has worked hard to know who her voters are in this state. However, Michelle is not favored by the Berniecrats because of her support for the Clintons. The thing to remember is that this state loves the Clintons and they love this state so in the long run because the Berniecrats are not large in number they do not really represent the voters. As a matter of fact, they only represent the extreme left that in most cases are not even democrats. Lujan Grisham’s website is; http://www.newmexicansformichelle.com/ 

Jeff Apodaca is a millionaire who is former Governor Jerry Apodaca’s son. To his credit he has told voters that he does not wish to be governor just because it runs in the family. He grew up in Santa Fe and has firsthand experience watching his father do the job. He is not well known in the state since he has spent many years in the broadcast world both in California and New York. His latest experience is not in government but in the business world. We don’t know what is in his past that might come out during the general election since this is the first public office that he has ran for in New Mexico. Although he is strongly progressive and outspoken on government he has still not been able to harness the support of the Berniecrats because of the fact that he comes from big money. The one advantage that Apodaca has is that he was up early with television spots to help the local voters develop name recognition. His platform is listed on his website; https://apo18.com/

It is healthy that we have two candidates in the primary since it forces a debate on the issues and how each would approach these issues. No candidate should be given a free pass on developing a stand on issues before they are elected. Both candidates should face repeated debates so that the voters can make an informed decision based on their stand on the issues facing our state.