As recently as 2018, New Mexico was considered a purple state, even though the New Mexico legislature has historically leaned Democrat. However, New Mexico has witnessed a hard pivot to the far left over the last several years as the legislature has transformed from a moderate body, responsive to their constituents, to a body intent on implementing an extreme progressive agenda, ignoring input from the people. This recent shift has come with a high cost, as New Mexico was named the most violent state to live in by Forbes Advisor.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham recently admitted crime is a significant issue and called for a Special Legislative Session on July 18th to address the problem with several proposed crime bills. This move was surprising because the legislature refused to pass any of the numerous crime bills proposed during the 30-day session that took place at the beginning of this year, without any criticism from the Governor. However, the Special Session was a failure and adjourned after only five hours with the Democrat-controlled legislature refusing to sponsor any of the bills, claiming a special session didn’t provide adequate time to address the issues at hand.
The current crime crisis is the natural consequence of policies not aimed at addressing crime but at promoting social justice, equity, and political agendas.
Emerge America and Emerge New Mexico aim to fundamentally change the political landscape by making it more “inclusive.” According to their stated goals, Emerge aims to replace men, Caucasians, and conservatives in political offices. The organization emphasizes the importance of building a political landscape that promotes DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) – ideologies often associated with neo-Marxism.
The Black Lives Matter movement is the most well-known promoter of DEI ideology. One of their founding leaders, who would later be disgraced for using donated funds to buy herself a multi-million-dollar mansion, explicitly stated “we are trained Marxists” when explaining her ideological basis.
The neo-Marxist principles of DEI and ESG have contributed to the increase in crime in New Mexico by shifting the focus of policymaking from practical crime reduction to broader social agendas. Policies driven by DEI and ESG prioritize social justice and equity, leading to decisions that emphasize leniency, rehabilitation, and alternative sentencing over traditional punitive measures. This shift has resulted in less stringent enforcement of laws and reduced accountability for criminal behavior.
Additionally, the emphasis on equity leads to the implementation of policies that do not adequately address the root causes of crime or provide sufficient support for law enforcement. As a result, these principles weaken the criminal justice system’s ability to deter and manage crime effectively, contributing to the escalating crime rates in New Mexico.
As New Mexico continues to struggle, the question of how to stop and reverse this trend needs to be explored. The first step is to hold those responsible for these policies accountable. While New Mexico’s crime problem is multifaceted, the responsibility for statutes falls squarely on the legislature. In New Mexico, currently 31 percent of the house and 12 percent of the Senate are Emerge graduates. The entire legislature is up for reelection in 2024 and Emerge seeks to expand its cohort to 40 percent of the House and 19 percent of the Senate. The tables below list these incumbent and new candidates all up for election in November:
All these women were required to pledge their allegiance to the Democrat Party Platform to be associated with Emerge. This sisterhood of ideologues are committed to legislating for a “fairer economy, universal healthcare, and environmental justice,” among many other progressive ideals. The Democrat platform states we need to “heal the soul of America”, which means oppressing others for claimed inequities in our society and enacting ambitious measures to ensure equality of outcome. Instead of being judged on the content of your character as Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, Emerge promotes being judged by the color of your skin, sex, and gender identity.
These legislators have sponsored and voted for laws that have done very little to address the contributing factors of crime with the necessary quantitative measures for accountability. Addressing complex issues like poverty, poor education, addiction, and mental health requires comprehensive and data-driven approaches. Without such measures, the policies inspired by DEI and ESG exacerbate the very problems they claim to solve, contributing to the ongoing crime crisis in New Mexico.
How is the systematic decline of New Mexico stopped? First the public must recognize that they will get the same results if the same people continue to be put in office.
New Mexicans have the opportunity within the next few months to choose a different e trajectory for our state and significantly reduce Emerge’s influence on policymaking in New Mexico. Instead of being compared to states like California or Washington where people are leaving due to taxes, crime, addiction and homelessness, New Mexico could be transformed into the moderate state it once was. It is up to the people to get out and vote.
- Biased Gatekeepers: Election Interference from New Mexico’s Election Officials - August 18, 2024
- Emerge’s Responsibility for New Mexico’s Hard Pivot to Progressivism - August 9, 2024
- Accountability on the Bench: Unveiling Corruption or just Incompetence in Judicial Appointments, Part 4 - July 31, 2024
