The NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors has completed our thorough recommendation process for statewide candidates. “We are delighted to recommend each of the five Democratic candidates to the thousands of teachers and other education employee members whom we represent statewide,” says President Betty Patterson.
Debra Haaland is recommended by the NEA-New Mexico Board of Directors for the office of Lt. Governor. NEA-NM has previously recommended Hector Balderas for Attorney General; Maggie Toulouse Oliver for Secretary of State, Ray Powell for Land Commissioner and Tim Keller for Auditor.
NEA-NM President Patterson explains the recommendations are based on a thorough review of the candidates’ records, their responses to a written questionnaire and the interviews conducted by our elected NEA-NM EdPAC. “We greatly appreciate the meaningful support the five candidates demonstrate for great public schools in our state. Their positive support for our local public schools, students and employees moves us away from the destructive and mean-spirited policies pushed on New Mexicans by the incumbent Governor,” says President Patterson. “We have taken this unprecedented action because we feel so strongly that the re-election of the incumbent Governor would continue policies that are disastrous for our public schools. We also believe that each of the Democratic candidates for Governor are so superior to the incumbent that we found ourselves in the position of acknowledging the diversity and strength of the Democratic candidates rather than making a choice among equally strong fighters for public schools. We choose simply to strongly emphasize that that the incumbent must be defeated. On top of the damage already done, another four years of the same policy direction will continue to harm our students and schools as well as erode the rights of school employees,” continues NEA-New Mexico’s President Patterson.
“The work of educating a new generation is so much more than ‘just a job,’ as the current Governor believes. The five Democratic candidates show they deeply respect the difficult and important work of our schools and our students, and so they are receiving our support,” concludes Patterson.