The candidates on the primary ballot for the New Mexico governor’s race—Democrats Sam Bregman and Deb Haaland and Republicans Gregg Hull, Duke Rodriguez and Doug Turner—on the primary ballot for the New Mexico governor’s race gathered at The St. Francis auditorium in Santa Fe on Wednesday to share their views on some of the state’s biggest issues. The event, titled New Mexico’s Next Governor: Candidate Perspectives, was hosted by several chambers of commerce and small business was a prominent theme for both the guests and candidates.
"I'm a big supporter of small businesses; our parents own a small business in Rio Rancho," attendee and Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce member Tasha Ruth said. "I think that we need to keep the money in our our own economy and our own community."
Republican candidate Greg Hull, the mayor of Rio Rancho, wants to strengthen the relationship between the governor’s office and small businesses.
"The first thing I would do, so that we would have some markable results in job growth, is create a liaison from the governor's office to work directly with the small business community," Hull said. "These are the companies that have made investments in our communities."
Hull also mentioned cutting regulatory red tape for small businesses. Democrat Sam Bregman said the same thing about zoning and building plans.
Republicans Duke Rodriguez and Doug Turner both spoke of lowering or eliminating state income tax and gross receipts tax. Every candidate agreed that creative solutions are needed to address the state’s housing shortage.
Another prominent topic was universal childcare in New Mexico, which Rodriguez recently challenged in court. Bregman called the state’s plan to fund early childhood education, “amazing,” but acknowledged that the plan is not yet a reality.
"Now the challenge will be how we ensure that we really do have access to early childhood care," Bregman said. ”Throughout the entire state, we know there are certain places that are far underserved."
A state employee who asked not to be identified said the program has profoundly affected her life.
"Because of the child care funding, we made the decision to move to Santa Fe to be closer to work," she said. "It saves us four hours a day of commuting."
But, she was quick to note that finding available childcare was challenging. Democrat Deb Haaland wants to use state funds to expand New Mexico’s early childhood education workforce.
"This is a statewide issue because children are all of our responsibility. I truly support expanding the Opportunity Scholarship so that people who would like to move into early childhood education, can have the opportunities to climb the career ladder or to change careers."
Several candidates noted the interconnectedness of these issues, pointing out that supporting early childhood education can lead to a better prepared and more resilient New Mexico workforce.
