Lujan Grisham pledges support for Biden, but has had concerns

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said this week that she has been concerned about President Joe Biden’s path to victory as the Nov. 5 election looms, but pledged her full support if he decides to stay in the race.

In an interview with the Journal on Wednesday, the Democratic governor said for the first time publicly that she has worried about how the latest issues with Biden’s performance at the June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump would affect New Mexico voters.

“Given the debate, people were incredibly concerned and really focused on whether, ‘Can he do more of the job or not.’”

The New York Times reported that at a July 3 private meeting of a group of Democratic governors and Biden, Lujan Grisham said Biden was at risk of losing her state. She hadn’t commented publicly about her comments and the meetings until Wednesday.

“I shared with the White House before the debate that I was concerned,” the governor said.

“What I said in that July 3 meeting (was) New Mexico is a bellwether state, we’re very predictive, and our Hispanic voters are very predictive, and if people have questions that you aren’t thoroughly answering ... here’s maybe some more information you and your campaign, and your family (need to consider).”

She emphasized that Biden needed to be “mindful” and “thoughtful” about continuing his quest for a second term, even though he won New Mexico by “double digits” in the 2020 presidential election.

“He’s delivered. I’ve worked and met with a lot of presidents in my political/public career and he’s done more for us than any,” Lujan Grisham said, such as using his bipartisan relationships in Congress to get New Mexico $6 million for a vital water project.

Since Biden “looks like he’s staying in the race, then New Mexicans should expect me to fight for him,” Lujan Grisham said. “This (the presidential race) is about moral rights and wrongs. So New Mexico should expect me to turn the tide here for us.”