ELECTION 2024 candidate column: Beau Sandoval, Sandoval County Commission District 2

Raised in Rio Rancho, I am a proud product of Rio Rancho Public Schools. From my first job, my education and the relationships I’ve built, the sense of safety and opportunity I have experienced my whole life in this district means everything to me. To express this gratitude and give back to my community, I decided there is no better time than now to get engaged. My generation faces an historic American crisis and a blatant void of leadership. It is the first in American history to expect a declining life expectancy and lower standard of living than our parents. Young people in Sandoval County know these problems far too well. Students who are only directed toward college — because we don’t teach the trades anymore — find high-paying jobs largely absent from Sandoval County, and those that do exist are being filled by folks from outside of our community. Our young people enter the workforce and find that a college degree is either not enough or not the right approach. This, paired with ever-soaring prices, the possibility to purchase a home, start a family or start a business — let alone all three — seems impossible. As politicians win election after election, these problems are unaddressed while the burden is left on our young people who often leave the state because they feel they are being left behind and have no place in New Mexico. We do not have to accept this reality.

I’m running to finally address these issues, as someone who deeply understands them. I’m running to fundamentally change how we approach politics. I am the candidate that will achieve policy results that drive us together, that I know we all crave. I am running to represent everyone in the community rather than everyone in one party. This race is an exciting opportunity to build upon our safety and prosperity, but also is a unique opportunity to have a qualified, capable, younger generation of leadership finally have a seat at the table. We need someone fighting for our young people so that they can feel like they have the opportunity to succeed by staying in Sandoval County. As your commissioner, I offer a new generation of leadership that is tired of our senseless division and will work tirelessly to restore our unity to build a community we can all be proud of.

My policies don’t have a political label before them; they represent the needs and interests of everyone in District 2. As I’ve been out connecting with folks, I know there is far more that unites us than national headlines will have us believe. We want safe communities, quality schools, low taxes for our families. We want to make sure our young people feel confident in staying in Sandoval County; we want to come together as neighbors and community members to achieve common-sense policy. I want folks to know they can always connect with me, can rely on me for collaboration and consideration, and can know that my policies are designed to achieve genuine success between Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. Every decision will be made upon the needs of all of my constituents rather than the wants of a party. Our politics don’t have to be like this. It can be better, We can be better.