The truth about Steve Pearce

COMMENTARY: I was recently asked by a constituent about my thoughts on why former N.M. Gov. Jerry Apodaca, a Democrat, endorsed Republican Steve Pearce for governor over Michelle Lujan Grisham. My response? I really don’t know, as his column on the topic doesn’t make much sense.

First, I heard his son Jeff on the campaign trail numerous times as we both ran for statewide office. He spoke passionately about investing state endowments in to an economic stimulus package. While Pearce two weeks ago wrote about investing some of our permanent funds in N.M. businesses, Lujan Grisham has been talking about this exact same solution for months as part of a well-thought-out job creation plan.

Furthermore, while Lujan Grisham has been a strong and constant supporter of using some of our Permanent Fund revenues for Early Childhood Education, Pearce refuses to support using this money for kids who need it most.

Additionally, during the campaign:

• Apodaca supported legalizing cannabis. Lujan Grisham does as well, but Pearce is strongly opposed.

• Apodaca supported a $10 minimum wage that would raise over time. Lujan Grisham also supports a higher minimum wage, but Pearce voted against raising it in 2007 and 2013.

• Apodaca supported equal pay for women. Lujan Grisham strongly agrees, but Pearce voted in 2007, 2008, and 2013 against strengthened regulations enforcing equal pay.

• Apodaca supported the N.M. Health Security Act. While Lujan Grisham doesn’t go as far, she does support the Medicaid Buy-In program to give people a true public insurance option. Pearce voted in 2007 to cut Children’s Health Insurance, in 2012 to privatize Medicaid, and in 2017 to strip Medicaid from over 250,000 New Mexicans.

So while Pearce copied one of Michelle’s proposals, her platform actually comes much closer to the younger Apodaca’s ideas. Therefore, why endorse the person your son agreed with much, much less?

Second, the elder Apodaca referenced Pearce as willing to “reach across the aisle.” Yet, he mentioned no evidence that Pearce has ever done this in his political career. Looking at every bill Pearce sponsored during his four years as a state representative, not one shows a Democrat co-sponsor.

As a U.S. congressperson, Pearce helped found the “Freedom Caucus” in 2015. This group is famous for working against compromise on immigration and health care while constantly threatening to shut down the government because they want to gut Medicaid. And according to govtrack.us, out of 435 congresspeople there were only 30 who co-sponsored bipartisan bills less than Pearce. He ranked the 8th most conservative member overall.

For 20 years he has pushed school vouchers, the first step in turning public schools over to corporations. In 2008 he argued against marriage equality, saying LGBT folks would only get married to receive AIDS treatment. In 2014 his wrote in his book that any wife “is to voluntarily submit” to her husband. In 2017 he voted against a bill that would have protected public lands from being sold to the highest bidder.

And while Lujan Grisham has released her tax returns to the public, Pearce has mirrored Donald Trump (whom he supports strongly) in keeping them secret, hiding who he may owe if elected.

So, at what point in his political career has Pearce ever expressed a willingness to work with anyone except hard-line Republicans? The answer is none. He has the track record of an ideological hard-line Trump supporter and no will to collaborate with anyone he disagrees with.

I will stick with Michelle Lujan Grisham. Her values will translate to policies that make life better for people here. Pearce’s sure won’t.

Bill McCamley, a Democrat, chairs the Labor and Economic Development Committee in the N.M. House of Representatives, where he represents the Las Cruces-area District 33. Agree with his opinion? Disagree? NMPolitics.net welcomes your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.