MISS INFORMATION – Vote These Extreme Republican Incumbents Out of Office
By Judy Gordon, DPSC Secretary
Three highly-qualified Sandoval County Democrats are facing Republican incumbents who have done little to improve the lives of their constituents but much to make it harder.
The Democratic candidates are:
- Amina Everett—running against incumbent Sen. Craig Brandt for SD 40
- Frank Smith—running against incumbent Rep. Alan Martinez for HD 23
- Luke Jungmann—running against incumbent Rep. Joshua Hernandez for HD 60
The incumbents’ voting records on firearms and healthcare, along with a shout out to Martinez’s spineless behavior toward veterans, paint a vivid picture of why they need to be replaced.[1]
Tough on crime? Not so much. Republicans complain about New Mexico’s crime rate yet make little effort to reduce it. Instead, they choose to misconstrue the Second Amendment as an absolute right to purchase and use firearms without regard for their constituents’ safety and security. It’s no surprise the NRA has endorsed them all.
All three Republicans voted against a minimal 7-day firearms sale waiting period.
Even Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas finds prohibiting weapons in polling places uncontroversial. Yet all three incumbents opposed a bill that would do just that. Finding lawmakers who stand to the right of Clarence Thomas on firearms is almost unimaginable, but they’re right here in our own state legislature.
In last year’s session, Brandt told us it’s fine for criminals to buy guns: He voted against a bill that prohibits knowingly purchasing a firearm for someone who is a felon or for someone who intends to use the firearm to commit a crime.
In 2020, before Martinez and Hernandez were elected, Brandt voted against the “Red Flag” bill allowing law enforcement and prosecutors to petition the court to have a person’s firearms temporarily seized if they are deemed a credible threat to themselves or others.
Healthcare, sure, if they think you deserve it. While claiming to work tirelessly to improve healthcare in New Mexico, Brandt and Martinez voted against making transfers from the General Fund to sustain the Health Care Affordability Fund. The Affordability Fund is designed to make healthcare more affordable for small businesses, employees, and low- to moderate-income individuals through the state’s health insurance exchange program.
The growing number of healthcare mergers and acquisitions are inflating prices and reducing services for New Mexicans. Yet Brandt and Martinez voted against requiring the state to review all healthcare mergers and acquisitions to ensure they serve the public interest and not corporate interests.
If we let them, all three would deny women critical healthcare. In 2021, Brandt and Hernandez voted against repealing New Mexico’s laws making abortion illegal and provision of abortion services a felony.
Martinez did not hold office at that time. However, his no vote for a 2023 bill that prohibits public bodies such as schools, public health centers, and hospitals from discriminating against a person’s right to use reproductive or gender-related healthcare tells us all we need to know. These legislators do not believe women and transgender people are entitled to healthcare.
A dishonorable mention. New Mexico has one of the highest veterans’ suicide rates in the country, but party loyalty is more important to Martinez than veterans’ well-being. While portraying himself as an impassioned supporter of veterans, Martinez failed to show up for a committee vote on a bill to establish a suicide prevention program for service members and veterans—a bill he co-sponsored. Why? Because he was ordered to boycott the vote by Republican leadership.
With stunning hypocrisy, Martinez’s campaign website boasts, “People first, politics second.”
Extremist lawmakers for whom ideology is more important than the well-being of their constituents are not fit to serve. Vote them out!
*********************
Please support Amina Everett, Frank Smith, and Luke Jungmann. Click here to see who’s on your ballot.
[1] All legislation discussed here was passed in the 2024 legislative session and signed by the governor except as noted.