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Creating A New Mexico That Is Safer For All Of Us

  It has been my great honor to serve as New Mexico State Auditor since 2007. For nearly eight years, I have worked to transform the Auditor’s Office into a fiercely independent watchdog agency that combats fraud, fights for government transparency and holds public officials accountable.

As your Auditor, I have aggressively exposed financial mismanagement and public corruption that disrupts vital government services and harms our citizens. My auditors and investigators have built cooperative relationships with law enforcement and strengthened accountability across state and local government agencies. I also launched a toll free, statewide hotline that citizens can use to report suspected fraud, waste or abuse of public resources.

Our efforts have led to sweeping results. For example, in Sunland Park we found widespread violations of law which prompted a state takeover of the City’s finances. In the Jemez Mountain Schools my auditors uncovered a $3.3 million embezzlement scheme. Today, New Mexicans can depend on the Auditor’s Office to serve their communities and schools by safeguarding against threats to public resources.

Every New Mexican deserves safe communities, justice for victims and fair treatment under the law. As a young boy growing up in Wagon Mound, New Mexico, I was fortunate to live in a safe community under the protection of my mother. She and my grandfather raised me in public housing, on food stamps and income assistance. My family and others provided me opportunities to succeed in a safe and protected environment. As a father to three children, I know that we only get one shot when it comes to protecting our kids. Protecting my kids is my job as a father, and protecting all of New Mexico’s kids so they grow up safe and unafraid will be my focus as your Attorney General.

I am proud of my public service record of protecting our children and their educational opportunities. As a prosecutor in the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office and as a special prosecutor, my experience taught me that serious violent offenders deserve serious consequences. A safe community is a prosperous one, and I am committed to the aggressive pursuit and zealous prosecution of criminals who threaten our communities.

As a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives I led a crackdown on sex offenders and sponsored bills that created new tracking systems and stronger penalties. I also worked with members of both parties to pass a law requiring recording of police interrogations, ensuring the highest standards of ethical behavior and certainty that criminals do not escape on technicalities. And as Auditor, I provided independent oversight of public school financial operations and exposed corrupt officials who diverted public money for their private gain.

As your Attorney General I will work with parents, families and schools to ensure our children are protected and have the future they deserve. I will expand cooperation between the Attorney General’s office and other law enforcement agencies, and keep our operations effective and economical. I will also collaborate with other law enforcement agencies to ensure successful stings and investigations to stop potential predators before they can hurt a child, not after.

We owe it to our children to ensure they are protected from predators and to secure justice for victims and perpetrators. New Mexico deserves an Attorney General who can fulfill this promise. With your help, I will work with our communities to defend New Mexicans and our children. I ask for your support in creating a New Mexico that is safe for all of us.