Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Tuesday she has filed paperwork with the New Mexico secretary of state’s office to run for governor in 2018, giving herself nearly two full years to rally support and fundraise before the election.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is term-limited and cannot run for a third term.
Lujan Grisham has represented Albuquerque and the surrounding area in Congress since January 2013. She previously served in the New Mexico state Cabinet, working under three different governors: Bruce King, Gary Johnson and Bill Richardson.
“Today, after too many years of being pushed backwards, it’s no wonder why so many have given up on our state government,” Lujan Grisham said in her first ad. “We won’t solve our problems overnight, that’s why this is a beginning. But for the last six years, with a governor who refused to acknowledge problems even exist – we haven’t been able to solve anything.”
The congresswoman sits on the agriculture, budget, and oversight and government reform committees in the House. Her cousin, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, is also a Democratic member of Congress from New Mexico.
Othe names who have been floated as Democratic candidates include Attorney General Hector Balderas, U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces, Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, media executive Jeff Apodaca and Santa Fe businessman Alan Webber. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., said last week he will not pursue the governor’s seat.
