It’s been reported earlier today that New Mexico Democrat State Sen. Jacob Candelaria has left the Democrat Party, citing “unconstitutional acts” by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
“I announce today that I’ve submitted to the Secretary of State a reregistration, changing my registration,” Candelaria said during the start of a special legislative session aimed largely at redistricting.
“It’s been a beautiful chapter — it’s been incredibly rewarding — but it’s also incredibly demanding,” Candelaria said, explaining his decision to retire from state government. “At this point, I’m happy to say that my husband and my future children require my full measure of attention. They need to come first, and I just can no longer give what it requires to do the job, honestly, and it’s time for someone else to step in and do that.”
“We need more people challenging the status quo in this state because we should be demanding more of our state government and its institutions,” he said. “We should demand more from people in elected office, and I think as a private citizen, all of those folks can look forward to me being even blunter about my views.”
In New Mexico’s election code, decline to state is the designation for voters who do not wish to align themselves with any political party. Candelaria’s reregistration now makes him the sole independent member of the state Senate.
“His announcement comes on the heels of a New Mexico Supreme Court case where he and a Republican senator successfully petitioned the high court to compel Lujan Grisham to hand over spending control of federal relief money to the Legislature. Days after the court’s ruling, Candelaria announced that he was going back to the court to ask that justices censure the governor for allegedly spending a portion of the federal funds after the court’s decision. Lujan Grisham’s office maintained that the money was owed for services that were completed prior to the ruling,” the Epoch Times reported.
