SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced her campaign Wednesday for U.S. Senate in 2020, taking on six-term U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján for the Democratic nomination.
Toulouse Oliver told The Associated Press in an interview that she wants to expand local economic opportunities and believes the time is ripe for New Mexico to elect a woman to the Senate.
“I’m intimately aware of the challenges and struggles of everyday New Mexicans, of moms, of families, of what we go through to make sure that our kids get a good education, that they’re safe, that we can provide them access to health care,” said Toulouse Oliver, who has two sons. “And I think that direct perspective is perhaps more critical today than ever before.”
Toulouse Oliver, 43, noted her support for infrastructure investments and policies that combat climate change - the so-called Green New Deal embraced by some progressive House Democrats. She also voiced support for the Medicare-for-all model of health care as a framework for extending affordable, quality medical insurance to more people.
Toulouse Oliver’s first Senate campaign trip will be Thursday in Las Cruces, where the tide of asylum seekers from Central America has spilled over into faith-based shelters and a city community center that provide temporary care for immigrants.
“They’re at ground zero of one of the most challenging situations that we’ve experienced as a country, and I just want them to know that their voices are important and that they’re heard,” she said.
As the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border deteriorates, immigration is sure to be one of the top issues in the race as lawmakers of both parties agree there’s a genuine humanitarian emergency, with federal authorities and nonprofits unable to deal with the surge of Central American families seeking refuge in the U.S.
Gavin Clarkson, a former Trump administration official who’s seeking the Republican nomination in the Senate race, has said the country’s broken immigration system is resulting in tragic conditions along the border.
Toulouse Oliver defeated Gavin Clarkson by 20 percentage points in the race for secretary of state. She said she will continue to serve an as secretary of state as she campaigns for Senate, referring any complaints about the situation to the state attorney general’s office - or next year to the state’s nascent independent ethics commission.
In taking on Luján, Toulouse Oliver will compete with a prolific fundraiser with extensive political experience representing the state’s northern 3rd Congressional District.
Luján stepped up to the No. 4 partisan leadership post in the House, after Democrats won back majority control of the chamber in the midterm elections - with his support as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that helps elect House Democrats nationally.
Sen. Tom Udall announced in March that he was retiring.
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