High priorities for New Mexico's Dem voters: Health care, education, border security
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(New Mexico News Connection) A New Mexico delegate to last week's Democratic National Convention said he heard specific themes he expects Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz to emphasize ahead of November's election.
Third Congressional District Delegate Isaac Dakota Casados serves as Secretary for the state's Democratic party.
He said voters in the Southwest are especially concerned about healthcare, education, and border security. He said he hopes they'll hear more from Harris about those issues and others on the campaign trail.
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"I think they're going to continue to talk about freedom and joy and the things we need to do to make things better for this country," said Casados, "not just for large corporations or individuals with large wealth, but everyday Americans that are struggling every single day."
Since 1912, New Mexico has voted Democratic nearly 60 percent of the time and Republican about 43 percent. But in recent decades, voters have chosen Democrats 83 percent of the time and Republicans only about 17 percent.
During his term, Republican President Donald Trump tried, but failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act. If reelected, he says he won't pursue it again.
Nonetheless, Casados echoed remarks by New Mexico's Governor on day three of the convention, that health care must remain accessible.
"If Trump is reelected into office," said Casados, "millions of Americans will have their pre-existing conditions protections wiped away, and they're not going to have access to that life-saving care that they need."
Casados said he hopes the nomination of Harris, a Black and southeast Asian American, will inspire New Mexico's children of color to get excited about their possible future in politics.
He said the state's Democratic party is already seeing more enthusiasm.
"We are getting inquiries and we are seeing record numbers of voter registrations happening all across the state," said Casados, "and that's really, really exciting."
