Reminder Readers: 290 and 67. The 290 represents how many U.S. House of Representatives members it takes to override a presidential veto (all Representatives are up for reelection this year). It takes 67 U.S. Senators to override a presidential veto (35 Senators are up for reelection this year with 22 of those being Republicans—the ones we have to concentrate on the most). These numbers are very important this year at the ballot box because it will take this number of votes to help right this vast ship of a country for all of us, not just the billionaire class.
Dear Secretary Haaland,
You have placed me in an interesting philosophical and principled position in how I might vote in the New Mexico Gubernatorial race. With early voting about to begin here in our great state, many of us voters are having decide on many races, including governor.
As a registered Independent, who in full transparency leans heavily progressive Democrat on most things, a candidate must earn my vote rather than automatically receiving it out of party loyalty. We have seen what party loyalty has earned us with the election of Donald Trump and spineless elected Republicans at all levels of government.
Do I want your opponent Greg Hull as governor? Not really. Although it might be a good thing for the state to have an opposition government with a Republican governor and Democrat-led legislature. Would this create too much animosity that nothing would get accomplished, or might this cause our elected officials to actually sit down, negotiate and compromise, to truly assist us New Mexican’s?
I don’t know the answer, and there is a bit of fear with the current national political climate. We’ve seen the power of Executive Orders. Do I want a Republican governor running rampant with Executive Orders in the Round House in the same way Trump has done from the White House? The answer to this question is a resounding no.
But, Secretary Haaland, I don’t know that you’ve earned my vote yet.
I have had the privilege of hearing you speak in-person twice since the start of your campaign. Once at the rally with Mayor Pete as the main draw, and once at a Las Cruces Indivisible general meeting.
At the rally with Mayor Pete, you came across as strong and confident in your voice and your words.
At the Indivisible general meeting, you came across as soft-spoken, tripping over your words.
These two live performances were like night and day. The only real difference that I’ve been able to garner is that one event had prepared remarks and then you were off the stage. The other had a few talking points followed by questions from the Indivisible capacity crowd audience—the Q&A was where you stumbled.
In the Q&A, you struggled to answer questions, referred often to your staff to assist, and did not come across as someone who was knowledgeable on the issues or would stand up for New Mexico. Again in full transparency, due to this performance, and the fact that I asked some follow-up questions via e-mail to your campaign staff with no response, I voted for your primary opponent Sam Bregman (I had also watched videos of Bregman speaking and answering questions, and other videos of you in the same situation, leaving me with less confidence in you over Bregman).
Ms. Haaland, your campaign slogan is, “Be Fierce.” In your refusal to debate with Hull on October 8, you are showing us voters that you are anything but fierce. If you can’t stand up and answer questions on the fly, as governor’s often must do, and defend your “Be Fierce” promise, how can I, and other voters, trust you to actually stand up for New Mexican’s, or to call Donald Trump on the phone or meet him face-to-face and “Be Fierce” for us when you dodge debating Republican Gregg Hull.
It all comes back to my dilemma, even to the ire of some of my friends, should and will I vote for you Ms. Haaland. All of my instincts, and all evidence, party aside, says that you haven’t earned at least my vote. I, like many, are tired of voting for candidates because of the R or D by their name; we want substance and actual demonstrations that our candidate of choice will actually fight for us, “Be Fierce” for us.
When you won’t debate your opponent, I don’t think of fierceness, I think of cowardliness. I’m sure this is not how you want the electorate to think of you.
My ask is, as a voter, as a citizen of New Mexico, Ms. Haaland, that you stop this nonsense and cowardice. That you change whatever plans you are using as an excuse not to show up on October 8, and be there to stand up against Gregg Hull. The optics alone of Hull being on the stage, at the podium, answering questions with an empty podium next to him will speak volumes about your character and your “fierceness.”
Who I choose for governor is still up in the air. You, Hull, or a non-governor vote, is still in the air.
Convince me you can “Be Fierce.”
Thank you!
Frank
P.S.—Make sure to check your voter registration weekly at vote.org (not Musk’s VoteSafe.org, which, based on reports, and my own opinion, is collecting data to be used in ways you might not like). Republicans across the spectrum are doing all they can to suppress your vote. Check your status to ensure you have time to fix it before showing up to vote, when it may be too late to correct.
P.P.S.—If you vote by mail, make sure to follow-up if you do not receive it when expected. Once complete, please do not mail it back through the post office. Drive it to the closest Drop Box where you live. If you aren’t able to drive, ask a friend, a relative, a neighbor, or if you have one, the local bus service, to take you to drop off your ballot at a Drop Box. Don’t let the Trump and Republican shenanigans stop your vote from being counted.
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