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Next N.M. Governor Highlights Education Reform

Wikimedia Commons Via CC
Governor-Elect Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks in D.C.

Democratic candidate for governor Michelle Lujan Grisham trounced Steve Pearce, winning the seat by almost a hundred thousand votes.

At the Democratic watch party, the crowd was ready for Lujan Grisham, shouting her initials: "MLG! MLG! MLG!"

But her teleprompters just weren’t working. So she winged it. "We’re having a technical difficulty, so I’m just going to speak from my heart. Does that work for everyone here?"

Supporters roared their approval. 

She emphasized education fixes. She promised more classroom time devoted to teaching and less to testing. Early childhood education statewide is a top priority, she said, and she won’t fight a recent landmark education ruling about inequity in the state’s public schools. 

"We know that schools are in fact the backbone of our communities," she said. "And we’re going to ensure that our teachers and their families are clear that the No. 1 priority in this administration going forward is public education."

She also promised to raise the minimum wage statewide. Her administration will work at lightning speed, she said, to get New Mexico off the bottom of the national rankings.

Marisa Demarco began a career in radio at KUNM News in late 2013 and covered public health for much of her time at the station. During the pandemic, she is also the executive producer for Your NM Government and No More Normal, shows focused on the varied impacts of COVID-19 and community response, as well as racial and social justice. She joined Source New Mexico as editor-in-chief in 2021.
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