Luke Jungmann Will Be a Tireless Advocate for the People of NM House District 60
Luke is a New Mexico native, born and raised in Albuquerque and now residing in Rio Rancho where he lives with his wife, Dany, their cats, and their dog.
Luke is young, dynamic, and politically committed. He returned to New Mexico after graduate school and is a senior software engineer.
Luke loves thinking about how to improve people’s lives. Even as a child, he was particularly interested in public transportation, including drawing train systems for the city of Albuquerque.
Following the 2016 elections and the punitive treatment of the “Tennessee Three,” Luke came to a Sandoval Democrats First Friday, then a Second Saturday, enlisted in the Democratic Party of Sandoval County, and became a candidate for House District 60.
We asked Luke to describe his legislative priorities. Edited for length, his answers are here.
Healthcare
One of my top priorities is healthcare access and quality. We need to establish and respect standards such as minimum nurse to-patient-ratios; ensure healthcare workers are paid more, which will help alleviate our healthcare provider shortage; and decrease insurance costs, including providers’ malpractice insurance costs.
Our New Mexico hospitals get low ratings, but there are few consequences. When banks fail, the government comes in and gets them on the right track. Some of our hospitals here received failing grades of D’s and F’s from national ratings agencies, yet they keep the same managers and the same practices.
The Paid Family Medical Leave Act did not pass last session but it will be brought back and I will vote for it. Workers should have the security of knowing they can care for a sick family member or a new baby without losing their job. Our New Mexico Legislature needs to act.
Education
I’m lucky to have a wife who is a teacher at the Rio Rancho Public Schools, which provides a firsthand perspective on what our students, educators, and schools need.
The New Mexico government needs to increase its funding for all schools, including Native Nation schools. In addition to increased wages, we can implement budgets for supplies, more programs for before and after school, trades and arts programs, and more to make our public schools better places for all students.
Labor
New Mexico’s median salary is just under $25/hour, which means half of New Mexicans earn less than that. Our minimum wage should be increased to guarantee all New Mexicans live comfortably. In supporting small, local businesses, the state should provide more loans and grants to help with wages and rising property costs. Lastly, our unions should be given further protections from any threats or coercion for their current or prospective members and be fortified when negotiating on behalf of their members.
Public Safety
If elected to the House of Representatives, I would be another voice for common sense gun safety regulation, similar in policy to prospective V.P. Tim Walz. The 7-day waiting period should be increased to 14 days. There should be red flag laws pertaining to gun sales in cases of domestic abuse and severe mental illness.
More fundamentally, we need to change the way we see guns. They are a weapon designed to kill, and we need to respect them.
Women’s Reproductive Rights
Overturning Roe v. Wade was a terrible decision for our country. We need to enshrine the right to choose in the New Mexico Constitution and guarantee easy access to preventative care. Access to reproductive healthcare should be available to every person who needs it when they need it.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is also a priority. We need to increase our road standards to help improve and maintain the quality of our roads and ensure pedestrians, cyclists, bikers, drivers, truckers, and all have safe access to our public roads. Public transit like trains, trams, and buses can also alleviate our ever-worsening traffic. Our goal is to make New Mexico and the Rio Rancho area a safer place for all who use our public roads.
Any Requests?
Please check out my website. Donate if you can. Come walking with me or help me canvass by driving. And help get out the vote! My website is https://lukefornm.com