Candidate Comparison:

New Mexico Governor

Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)

Marc Ronchetti (R)

Wages & Hazard Pay

Lujan Grisham enacted a bill in 2019 raising New Mexico’s minimum wage over four years. She recently said that raising the minimum wage was “creating a positive impact for thousands and thousands of New Mexicans all across the state.”	Ronchetti has been silent on the minimum wage. His proposed tax policies are geared towards corporations, and not working New Mexico families. [2]
Lujan Grisham has advocated for low-income and working families by expanding two tax programs, the Working Families Tax Credit and the Low-Income Comprehensive Tax Rebate, to help low-income and working families.
Lujan Grisham signed a bill with a refundable child tax credit and a 2021 cash rebate for New Mexicans [1]

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Under Lujan Grisham’s leadership, New Mexico instituted paid sick leave and paid parental leave policies. Lujan Grisham said, “This is, point blank, a humane policy for workers.”	Ronchetti has offered no plans for helping New Mexico families with paid time off or paid sick leave. [4]
As governor, Lujan Grisham expanded access to childcare for low-income families. Lujan Grisham has publicly committed to instituting universal preschool for New Mexico families. [3]

Health Care

Lujan Grisham is committed to ensuring New Mexicans have access to quality and affordable health care. She enacted a bill that will lower the cost of health insurance and medical expenses for working families, saying that it was “an important step toward helping tens of thousands of uninsured New Mexicans gain access to affordable health insurance.”	Ronchetti has no plan for lowering health care costs. [6]
She also made it easier for uninsured New Mexicans to obtain affordable health coverage through the state income tax system.
Lujan Grisham signed bills that cap monthly insulin copays, allow New Mexico to import lower-costs wholesale prescription drugs from Canada, and signed an executive order establishing a Prescription Drug Task Force. [5]

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

Lujan Grisham signed two bills to alleviate the impact of rising prices for New Mexico families including tax rebates worth $500 for single tax filers, $1,000 for joint filers, and relief checks of up to $1,500 for more than 1.1 million New Mexicans.	Ronchetti has not proposed any solutions aimed at tackling inflation or rising prices. [7]
Lujan Grisham joined with other Democratic governors asking congressional leadership to suspend the federal gas tax until the end of 2022. The Governors wrote that, “At a time when people are directly impacted by rising prices on everyday goods, a federal gas tax holiday is a tool in the toolbox to reduce costs for Americans.”

Unions & Labor

Lujan Grisham is a strong supporter of workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain, signing a bill that allows union membership to be a condition of employment and prevents counties from enacting their own right-to-work laws.	Ronchetti has been silent on workers’ rights in New Mexico.[9]
Lujan Grisham has said, “New Mexico is a proud pro-union state, and we will always stand with workers seeking to improve the conditions of their employment and who fight for the collective benefit of their colleagues.”
Lujan Grisham has been endorsed by multiple unions, including United Steelworkers, National Education Association-NM, National American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers – New Mexico, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), and the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees – Council 18. [8]

CHECK THE FACTS:

Santa Fe New Mexican, 12/28/2021; KRQE News, 12/28/2020; Twitter, @GovMLG, 1/3/2022; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/6/2021; Twitter, @GovMLG, 10/28/2021; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 3/8/2022; Associated Press, 3/8/2022.
Mark Ronchetti, The Economy, accessed 6/9/2022; Twitter, @NikkiHaley, 1/16/2021.
Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/8/2021; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 12/31/2019; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/28/2022; KTNV, 5/3/2022; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/28/2022; New Mexico Voices For Children, 6/7/2019; Associated Press, 1/15/2019; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 3/4/2022; The Los Alamos Daily Post, 5/5/2022; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/28/2021; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 7/28/2020; U.S. Senate, S.3548, 3/19/2020.
Daily Caller, 5/10/2022; Twitter, @NikkiHaley, 3/12/2022; AFL-CIO, 3/11/2021; Carlsbad Current-Argus, 5/10/2022.
Office of the Governor, Press Release, 4/8/2021; Twitter, @GovMLG, 4/11/2021; Human Services Department, 3/3/2022; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 2/1/2022; American Diabetes Association, 3/4/2020; Los Alamos Daily Post, 6/13/2022; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 2/16/2020; Los Alamos Daily Post, 6/13/2022.
Mark Ronchetti, Protecting Our Freedoms, accessed 6/14/2022; New Mexico Democrats, accessed 6/15/2022; Albuquerque Journal, 5/6/2020.
Hobbs News-Sun, 3/20/2022; Twitter, @MarkRonchettiNM, 5/17/2022; Mark Ronchetti, The Economy, accessed 5/9/2022; White House, Press Release, 5/10/2022.
Office of the Governor, Press Release, 3/5/2020; New Mexico Legislature, HB 85, 12/17/18; The NM Political Report, 3/29/2019; Office of the Governor, Press Release, 10/5/2021; USW, 6/26/2017; Los Alamos Daily Post, 4/4/2018; Los Alamos Daily Post, 4/21/2022; AFT, 11/6/2018; PR Newswire, 9/4/2018; AFSCME Council 18, 4/25/2018.
Twitter, @NikkiHaley, 6/13/2022; Twitter, @NikkiHaley, 1/5/2022.