New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham, Gov.-elect Haaland begin transfer of power after historic victory

Outgoing New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham met with her successor, fellow Democrat Deb Haaland, Friday morning on the fourth floor of the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to offer some parting advice.

“This job places you at the center of America’s heartbeat,” Lujan Grisham said at a Friday news conference with Haaland, outgoing Lt. Gov Howie Morales and incoming Lt. Gov. and current state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard. “I want the governor-elect and the lieutenant governor-elect to take every opportunity to advance everything they can that makes a difference for New Mexicans; to get through the tough times, and there will be many; and to celebrate all of the things that really matter.”

Lujan Grisham said she was glad to be in a position where she was handing over control of the state’s executive branch to someone she has long known and respected. The transition marks the second one between the two as Haaland also succeeded Lujan Grisham in Congress representing the state’s 1st Congressional District after the latter was elected governor in 2018.

“This is a gift, I believe, to New Mexico — a true New Mexican who understands what we can do and accomplish,” Lujan Grisham said.

Haaland, who Tuesday became the first Native American woman to be elected governor in U.S. history, was visibly emotional as she embraced Lujan Grisham in the lobby of the governor’s office.

Even as New Mexico has continued to struggle in recent years with poor national rankings in regard to metrics such as crime, education and child welfare, Lujan Grisham oversaw significant growth in the state’s trust funds, established scholarships for tuition-free college degrees and pioneered the first-in-the-nation universal childcare program.

Once she’s sworn in in January, Haaland has pledged to sign an executive order implementing a moratorium on new large-scale data center developments while the state Legislature crafts guardrails around such projects. Earlier this week, she also said she would prioritize naming a new leader for the state’s beleaguered child welfare agency. Beyond that, she has said she’ll immediately get to work on a state budget for the 60-day legislative session that starts Jan. 19.

“The only real promise I made to New Mexicans is that I’ll work as hard as I can to ensure that we are lifting New Mexicans up across the state,” she said Friday.

Day after historic win, New Mexico Gov.-elect Haaland starts accepting resumes

Haaland added that she will “protect and expand Gov. Lujan Grisham’s legacy,” particularly as it relates to universal childcare and early childhood education.

“She has also done a phenomenal job on lifting so many New Mexicans out of poverty,” Haaland said. “I’m also excited to build upon the accomplishments of this current administration with investments in healthcare, affordable housing, affordability in general for New Mexico families across this state.”

Lujan Grisham and Haaland spoke alongside their running mates, who can often get overlooked in conversations about the state’s leadership. Both mentioned the important, behind-the-scenes role a lieutenant governor often plays.

When Lujan Grisham signed the universal childcare program into law earlier this year, for instance, she credited Morales for taking up the issue when he was a state senator and continuing to prioritize it after he joined her administration.

At Friday’s news conference, he said he told his successor to continue a practice that she and Haaland employed on the campaign trail: traveling outside of Santa Fe and Albuquerque to hear the concerns of New Mexicans everywhere.

“New Mexico is very much a rural state,” he said. “Those relationships will be so instrumental when you come into the legislative session that you’re prepared to advocate for the smallest parts of the state.” 

Garcia Richard, who attended the same Silver City high school as Morales, said she planned to do so and to continue Morales’ tradition of working closely alongside the governor.

“A lieutenant governor is only as effective as their relationship with the governor,” she said.