Three of the four candidates in the Democratic race for New Mexico governor visited Truth or Consequences for a gubernatorial forum held in the state’s second congressional district.
New Mexico state senator Joseph Cervantes, Jeff Apodaca, the son of former New Mexico governor Jerry Apodaca, and Dr. Peter DeBenedittis debated their platforms at the first candidate forum hosted by the Democratic Party of Sierra County.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham was unable to attend in-person or via livestream due to the most recent government shutdown. The candidates answered questions from the audience on their plans for the state’s economic and educational policies, among others.
Sen. Joe Cervantes says to create jobs, rural and small businesses like those in Truth or Consequences should be celebrated.
“As a small business owner, I understand what it’s going to take for New Mexico to create jobs through our small business economy, and I want to bring that experience as a small businessman, as a farmer from Southern New Mexico to the state and create those job opportunities for all New Mexicans,” Cervantes said.
New Mexico’s unemployment rate stands at 6 percent, the second highest in the U.S. behind Alaska. Cervantes said creating tax cuts for large corporations, like those in the recently passed federal tax bill, isn’t the way to grow the state’s economy.
“The way we create the economy is by recognizing what’s best about New Mexico: Our proximity to the border, our relationship to other states and frankly our abundant natural resources. These are all the things that are resources we have here in New Mexico that we need to take better advantage of," Cervantes said.
Jeff Apodaca also supports investing in small businesses. He said his jobs plan will create 225,000 new jobs for the state. That plan includes investing in industries like agriculture, technology and renewable energy. He also said he wants to increase training in trade skills.
“Today we have moved so much money out of our schools, our public schools that we don’t train our kids for opportunities," Apodaca said. "Our proposal is let’s move money from PED back into the classroom, back into our schools and create opportunities for our kids in the trade skills, into telecommuting jobs, into STEM programs that maybe not all go to the university, but they will create jobs right here in New Mexico and keep those jobs here.”
Apodaca said he wants to use $1.4 billion of New Mexico’s permanent funds to help accomplish that.
“All we’re asking as governor, I’m going to take 5 percent of your money, it’s New Mexico’s money and we’re going to invest it back into New Mexico. We’re not going to spend it, we’re not going to dip it and take it out, we’re just going to invest it, they’re investment funds," Apodaca said. "So all we’re saying is let’s invest it into our cities, our states, our small businesses. 95 percent of our economy is small business. In fact we do nothing in our state to help small business. We penalize small business. We overtax them, we overburden them, and then there’s no private capital in our country, in our state that basically helps them grow."
Dr. Peter DeBenedittis says he has a three-part plan to help New Mexico’s economy, a combination of teaching entrepreneurship to students to start their own businesses, creating a publicly-owned state bank, and increasing the minimum wage.
“By us raising the living wage to at least $15 an hour, slowly because we can’t hurt businesses, it’s got to go slow, we’re going to double the amount of money in circulation. That’s going to create more jobs and more business,” DeBenedittis said.
DeBenedittis is the Democratic race’s progressive candidate. He says if Democrats wants to win the election, they need to send the progressive through the primaries.
“Everybody says ‘Oh you don’t stand a chance.’ Look at 2017. Every single progressive that made it past the Democratic primary won," DeBenedittis said. "The transgender candidate, two Democratic socialist candidates, Muslim candidates, minority candidates, they all won…but when the milquetoast corporate Democrats made it through the primary, it was a toss-up. Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost... I’m offering a real choice. People are hungry and if we send the progressive through in the primary, we’re going to change the way this state does politics.”
New Mexico’s Democratic primaries take place June 5.
