| Education

Strong Readers, Supported Educators, Successful Families: Education that Works for New Mexico

“From early learning to graduation to workforce development, every step in a child’s journey should open doors.”

No matter their background, every child in New Mexico deserves a fair shot, the chance to dream big, the ability to reach their full potential. Deb is a proud product of public schools and has a plan to make New Mexico a state where kids can find opportunity when they’re grown. That starts with education. By working together with students, parents, teachers, businesses and unions, we can build new solutions.

• Teach kids to read earlier by detecting literacy problems sooner, bolstering universal childcare, boosting reading and bilingual instruction, and expanding summer reading programs and after-school programming.
• Expand career pathways starting in middle school through high school and provide hands-on career experience.  
• Create an Every Child Outdoor Initiative that incorporates outdoor learning into K-12 curriculums and provides implementation resources. 
• Adopt and expand statewide Community School Models that provide wrap-around services like counseling, school based health care, dental, family support, and community engagement at schools so parents and caregivers have convenient services while they’re working and caring for their families. 
• Improve and modernize school facilities by directing uncommitted funds from the Public School Capital Outlay Fund.  
• Expand the Opportunity Scholarship to provide free tuition for New Mexicans, including for graduate education.
• Offer more opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school. 

| Affordability

“I understand what it’s like to not be able to make ends meet despite working multiple jobs – it shouldn’t be this way. We need to make groceries, housing, and health care more affordable.”

New Mexicans are struggling to make ends meet – they are doing everything right and still can’t get by. Deb knows this firsthand – she relied on benefits like SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid and moved forward after starting her own business selling salsa. New Mexicans need higher wages and lower bills, cheaper rent, and a stronger economy. We have the potential to lead in tech, energy, film, and our outdoor economy. Deb will create jobs and deliver on making New Mexico more affordable.

• Give New Mexicans a raise by increasing the minimum wage and increasing the child tax credit.
• Ban landlords from using AI-algorithms that artificially inflate rents, also called rent fixing.
• Crack down on big industries that price gouge at the cost of every day New Mexicans. 
• Aggressively build more housing, focusing on reducing unnecessary barriers and expediting permitting processes. 
• Expand down payment assistance programs for first time home buyers and assistance programs for workers in critical sectors such as education, healthcare, public safety, and social work.
• Establish funding sources that invest in new and unique business opportunities in New Mexico and allow the state to recruit and invest in New Mexico based operations. 
• Invest in more renewable energy to create jobs, lower energy costs, and make New Mexico the energy capital of the country.

| Healthcare

“Donald Trump’s policies are making New Mexicans get sicker and lose access to healthcare. The state is the first line of defense against the Administration’s dangerous policies.”

Healthcare is under attack. Trump is gutting Medicaid and healthcare premiums are skyrocketing across the country. Cuts to Medicaid could mean longer drives,  rural hospital closures, longer wait times to see a doctor, and more medical debt for everyone. The state stepped up to subsidize premiums, leading to record enrollment in New Mexico’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. In New Mexico, we also have a historic doctor shortage. As governor, Deb will fight to protect access to healthcare, address the shortage of healthcare providers, and ensure the state is always fighting for the health of our communities. 

• Address the doctor shortage by joining interstate medical compacts, expanding residency programs to rural areas, and bolstering student loan repayment and housing incentives.
• Increase mobile health clinics to reach New Mexicans in rural areas and protect rural hospitals.
• Ban medical debt from being included on credit reports.
• Protect access for those who use the state’s health insurance marketplace by expanding New Mexico’s Health Care Affordability Fund.
• Use budget surpluses to fill Medicaid gaps and hire more guides to help people keep and access their benefits.
• Launch a full throttle operation to deliver mental health and homelessness assistance to New Mexicans in need.

| Public Safety 

“As Governor, I will focus every day on stopping violent crime, getting guns and drugs off our streets, and addressing the root causes of crime.”

New Mexicans should feel safe and Deb knows that we have a lot of work to do to prevent and fight crime. She will work to keep violent criminals and illegal drugs off our streets and ensure law enforcement has the tools they need to fight crime, while addressing the root causes of crime. She will invest in mental health, substance abuse and rehabilitation programs to get people the help they need.

• Provide law enforcement with the tools and technology to arrest violent offenders, track and detain drug traffickers, and get guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. 
• Make smart moves toward community policing models that supplement traditional police work. Create a Department of Community Safety staffed with social workers and counselors.
• Expand access to substance use and addiction with treatment and recovery rather than just incarceration.
• Create accountability systems that emphasize fairness, trust, and opportunity.
• Expand violence intervention and prevention programs in local communities and schools.