New Mexico Senate Showed Bipartisan Cooperation Is Alive in One Statehouse by Lt. Governor Howie Morales 10.6.25
In this age of intense partisan division in government, the New Mexico State Senate demonstrated remarkable bipartisan collaboration to help ordinary residents of our state during its Special Session meeting last week. I am proud of the Senate, where as Lieutenant Governor I preside over the proceedings, and thank members of both parties for their civility and adherence to decorum throughout. It empowered us to get important things done. Perhaps our state senate here in the desert Southwest offers an example for the nation, especially for leaders in other state capitols stuck in partisan gridlock.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham convened the special session of the State Legislature on October 1st to address dire challenges stemming from federal funding cuts contained in Washington’s budget reconciliation bill. Thousands of families in New Mexico who depend on services requiring the federal support now were at risk. But the work of our Legislature over two days put new State funding in place to protect the basics: food security, affordable health care, and access to care. Mission accomplished, for now.
New Mexico’s forty-two Senators come from different parties, different regions and cultures, and different political beliefs. Yet they admirably rose above the bitter partisan differences that we see so frequently across the country today, even when they fiercely disagreed on policy, and were being strong voices for their constituents. Better than I have ever seen in my seven years presiding, senate lawmakers observed the rules and decorum necessary to encourage a productive and respectful environment that supports effective policymaking. Mutual respect was palpable throughout the Special Session, and the chamber never got bogged down in acrimony.
As President of the Senate, it is my job to ensure that the Senate functions in an orderly and professional manner. I am proud of the good working relationships I have enjoyed with lawmakers over time from both sides of the aisle. Before this Special Session meeting of the Legislature, I made it a point to meet individually with several Republican and Democratic senators to hear their concerns and priorities, which produced constructive agreements about procedure.
The Senate did not duck the tough issues, either. We opened the first day of the session by talking about the terrible rise in political violence in our country and in our state. These are emotional topics with great capacity to carry debate right off the rails, but it did not happen. Instead, we continued with the work before us responsibly, in a spirit of collaboration, to solve New Mexicans most pressing problems. When senators disagreed about the merits of the several bills introduced, they debated and listened to one another respectfully, and then voted.
When it all was over, we accomplished some tangible results for New Mexicans, including emergency support for food and health, financial help for rural care, and expanded access to health insurance. Instead of partisanship, senators focused on results – and got them. That is always how we can serve the people of our state best.
Among New Mexico’s state senators there truly are statesmen and stateswomen who are willing to lead and to move the state forward. It was on full display at the most recent Special Session meeting of the Legislature. Maybe they can be an inspiration to lawmakers in other statehouses which are immobilized by partisan division. In a country that seems deeply divided by labels – liberal, conservative, left and right – our state Senate demonstrated that we are New Mexicans and Americans first and foremost. To those who despair that our politics are broken irreparably, New Mexico shines a light of hope.
###