ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham revved up her campaign for reelection in 2022 with an opening rally at an outdoor museum amphitheater, where the sound of protesters just outside threatened to drown out a series of public speakers.
Inside, the rally displayed a unified front in support of the governor among top Democratic elected officials, from Attorney General Hector Balderas to the two top ranked legislators in the state House and Senate. Aside from members of her Cabinet, other prominent Democrats and some Native American leaders, the venue never filled up and many seats were left empty.
A few dozen protesters gathered outside the Albuquerque Museum and took aim at Lujan Grisham’s mask mandate and pandemic-related public health orders. A sign said, “Governor, we are not your subjects.”