John,  

Last week, I delivered my second State of the State address before the New Mexico Legislature. I was the one up on the (way too tall) podium for those 47 minutes – but this speech was the culmination of an entire year’s worth of too much coffee, hard work and conversations with New Mexico families fighting for a better future.

This past year, I received letters from hopeful students and phone calls from concerned parents. Across the state, I talked to police officers and educators and small business owners – people with their finger on the pulse of the communities they support, people who want to build a place where they can raise their families, grow their careers and retire knowing they have the support they need to thrive. 

From everyone, I heard one resounding message about our first year in Santa Fe. It wasn’t “Great job, we can pack up and go home.” It was “Keep going – what’s next?”

Yes, we made New Mexico eighth in the nation for job growth. Yes, we began to reinvest in our schools and educators. Yes, we made a commitment to a green energy future. And yes, we even stood up to the Trump administration when it turned its back on border communities and the people of this great state.

But this isn’t the moment to look back. This is the moment to look forward. I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together – but we must, must press onward. 

I laid out a bold agenda to build a brighter New Mexico – and the steps we can take to get there over the 30-day session. 

Foremost, I want to make sure New Mexico’s education system supports students from cradle to career. That means making investments in early childhood education, providing a world-class K-12 school system to prepare students to succeed in college or technical careers and giving every one of our 55,000 New Mexico students the opportunity for tuition-free higher education.

We can’t stop there. If we’re going to continue to grow, we need to pursue new economic opportunities for our state, including recreational cannabis legalization and rural investments. Good jobs are how we keep our communities together, and I’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure New Mexico’s students don’t have to move out of state for work.

But building a brighter future isn’t just about students and jobs; this year, we can give our seniors the opportunity to live independently, with dignity, for as long as they can. It’s a vision of a New Mexico that supports every single one of us at every step of our lives. It’s our future, it’s right now, and I hope you’ll join me to work hard and build the foundations we need to make this happen.

John, will you share your bold vision for New Mexico with me? I want to know what you think of my agenda and make sure we’re doing everything we can to fight for New Mexico families. I have a short survey – and I’m counting on hearing what you think of what we’re doing.

I promise you that I will fight relentlessly for the people of New Mexico – just as I have since the day I took office, and just as I have for my entire career. And I can’t wait to start this new chapter and build a sustainable future for our great state. 

Thank you for being a part of this.  

Michelle Lujan Grisham