Four-time mayor from border region joins race for governor of New Mexico

Competition for the Democratic information for politician successful New Mexico is heating up arsenic erstwhile four-term Las Cruces politician Ken Miyagishima launched a run with a absorption connected nationalist safety, affordable lodging and wellness attraction solutions

SANTA FE, N.M. -- Competition for the Democratic information for politician successful New Mexico is heating up arsenic erstwhile four-term Las Cruces politician Ken Miyagishima launched a run with a centrist absorption connected nationalist safety, affordable lodging and efforts to enactment up the state's wellness attraction workforce.

Miyagishima hopes to win Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham arsenic she presumption retired of bureau astatine the extremity of 2026 amid nationalist vexation with crime, homelessness and nationalist education.

The Democratic information besides is being sought by erstwhile congresswoman and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a tribal subordinate of Laguna Pueblo, arsenic good arsenic Albuquerque-based District Attorney Sam Bregman, the begetter of Major League Baseball prima Alex Bregman of the Boston Red Sox. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull says helium volition statesman campaigning for politician adjacent month. The superior predetermination takes spot successful June 2026.

Miyagishima won 4 consecutive elections arsenic “Mayor Ken" successful a fast-growing authorities assemblage town, acceptable connected the Upper Rio Grande amid chili farms and pecan orchards, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northbound of El Paso, Texas, and the confederate U.S. border.

“Sure, my past name, it sounds similar an obstacle course,” said Miyagishima, who is of Japanese and Mexican heritage. “But ... spot maine to marque our assemblage safer, marque lodging much attainable and bring the champion doctors backmost to New Mexico."

The politician of the Mexican borderline metropolis of Ciudad Juárez attended Tuesday’s run announcement, arsenic Miyagishima emphasizes orderly borderline enforcement and economical cooperation.

At the aforesaid time, Miyagishima has voiced qualified support for invoking the Alien Enemies Act to code transgression enactment — without unjustly targeting radical based connected practice oregon nationalist background. His U.S.-born begetter was detained arsenic a kid astatine a World War II incarceration campy for Japanese Americans — and went connected to service successful the U.S. Army.

Trump has utilized the 18th period wartime law to swiftly deport Venezuelans accused of being pack members to a situation successful El Salvador, amid tribunal challenges.

“I enactment protecting the border. I deliberation it’s important to person an orderly mode to travel into the U.S.,” helium told The Associated Press. “To marque it a subject zone? I don’t know.”

Miyagishima, a territory manager for a large security company, is touting his know-how successful authorities finances and the backstage sector. If elected governor, Miyagishima said helium hopes to marque lodging much affordable done state-backed loans and an enlargement of the operation workforce, including vocational grooming for radical convicted of nonviolent crimes.

He opposed the state's determination successful 2021 to legalize recreational cannabis, and present is proposing instauration of a authorities “metro” constabulary unit to augment the capabilities of section instrumentality enforcement successful crime-torn cities including Albuquerque.

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