The five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for New Mexico Governor debated at KRWG-TV Thursday. Fred Martino reports.
The candidates agreed on many issues…including the need for state funded pre-kindergarten, tax reform, and abortion rights.
They also agreed the corporate tax cut approved by the Legislature and Governor Susana Martinez was a bad idea. State Senator Linda Lopez called for an evaluation of business tax policy.
Alan Webber said New Mexico must look beyond tax cuts to attract new business, in particular focusing on education and quality of life….and he agreed with the other candidates that the corporate tax cut is a failure.
All of the candidates also agreed on the need for a higher minimum wage…at least $10.10 an hour. State Senator Howie Morales pushed for more $11 an hour.
The candidates also expressed support for a permanent fix for the lottery scholarship. Lawrence Rael said if that permanent fix required money from other sources, he would support it.
Finally, Rael, Morales, Webber, and Lopez all agreed that New Mexicans should be able to vote on the legalization of marijuana so it can taxed and regulated like alcohol. But Attorney General Gary King disagreed.
The debate aired Thursday night on KRWG-TV and New Mexico PBS in Albuquerque. KRWG-TV will repeat the debate Saturday night at 5pm and Sunday morning at 11am.