Lieutenant governor candidates debate, Haaland says she won't
The top two candidates for lieutenant governor faced off in a televised debate on Thursday night. Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard and Republican David Gallegos answered questions from KOB and Albuquerque Journal reporters and even questioned each other.
Garcia-Richard focused on things like affordability and healthcare access while some of Gallegos's priorities included public safety and economic development.
The two differed sharply on the topic of AI data centers. Gallegos said he would like to see data centers treat brackish groundwater and supply their own electricity with nuclear reactors.
"They could put it back on the grid," Gallegos said. "I think it's coming. I think it's how we use it and where we use it in New Mexico."
Garcia Richard took a much firmer stance, saying that she and running mate Deb Haaland would implement a data center moratorium until legislative guardrails are in place.
"These guardrails are things like we're not going to deplete our state's water water resource," Garcia Richard said. "Data centers are going to have to pay their own way. We don't want our ratepayers being, you know, responsible for the large energy that these data centers use."
Garcia Richard mentioned raising the state minimum wage and fully funding the child and working family tax credits to address affordability.
"As we've been traveling the state, the number one thing we are hearing from New Mexicans is that they are being crushed by this affordability crisis created by Washington D.C.," Garcia Richard said. "And Deb and I have a plan to put money back into people's pockets."
Without naming any specific policy plans, Gallegos said he would increase affordability by addressing government regulation.
"So what we're going to do, looking at red tape that's been in place for over 100 years under Democrat control or socialist control," Gallegos said. "And we want to do what's right by New Mexicans."
Meanwhile, candidate for governor Deb Haaland has said she will step away from talks to find a date for a debate with her opponent, Republican Greg Hull. The two campaigns were unable to agree on a date after months of back and forth.
Leger Fernandez joins calls for data center restrictions
U.S Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez has proposed new guard rails on AI data centers. The New Mexico Democrat said in a statement on Thursday, QUOTE "The role of the government is to protect us from greedy corporations."
She went on to say that we cannot let data centers regulate themselves.
Leger Fernandez laid out six points that she's calling the "No Blank Checks for Data Centers" principles.
She wants data centers to use energy sources that meet the state's renewable energy and zero-carbon goals. Leger Fernandez also vaguely stated that data centers should not negatively impact water resources. She wants to protect citizens by ensuring data centers do not cause electric bill increases and that they provide union jobs with fair wages. Lastly, Leger Fernandez called for community approval of all projects and a ban on taxpayer subsidies for data centers.
Leger Fernandez also made a broader call for more federal oversight of artificial intelligence earlier in the week.
Prediction markets threaten tribal sovereignty and critical funding, lawmakers hear
Tribal delegates and the Indian Gaming Association told lawmakers Tuesday that prediction markets like Kalshi are threatening tribal funding for vital services. They fear that online prediction markets will diminish Native gaming revenues.
Native gaming and sports betting must be done in person on Tribal lands and is restricted to people 21 and over. But anyone over 18 can bet on prediction markets from any location.
Federal law requires Tribal gaming revenue to be used for specific purposes. New Mexico In Depth reports that that includes economic development and things like education and housing services. Tribal gaming revenues also help fund state government-- over $150 million went to the state's general fund in 2025.
Meanwhile, revenue from prediction markets flows back to the companies that operate the markets.
Several Tribes and Pueblos have sued Kalshi and Attorney General Raul Torrez filed a separate suit.
New Mexico education officials present new proposed budget
The proposed budget for the New Mexico Public Education Department is almost $6 million for Fiscal Year 2028. That's about 3 percent higher than FY 2027.
PED presented the budget to the Legislative Finance and Education Study committees on Thursday. Source New Mexico reports that budget priorities include continuing to improve literacy rates and chronic absenteeism.
30 million of the requested funds will go to Indian education. Prior to the Yazzie Martinez case, that number was only $2 million. PED statistics show that literacy and math scores for groups identified in the case have greatly improved between 2022 and 2026. State Representative Derrick Lente of Sandia Pueblo said of the budget increases, "we are not fighting over crumbs anymore."
