From left, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández raise their hands in response to a question about who had been canvassing individual voters to turn out for the upcoming election. The officials attended a rally Wednesday in Albuquerque, where the Harris-Walz "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus made a campaign stop.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pumps up the crowd at a Harris-Walz rally Wednesday in Albuquerque. Lujan Grisham said the abortion issue is central to this year's presidential election and said the Republican ticket would seek a national abortion ban.
Pam Cordova, wearing a T-shirt in support of Kamala Harris, attends a Harris-Walz rally in Albuquerque on Wednesday. “Women’s rights are human rights, and we have the right to make decisions about our own bodies,†said Cordova, a former Valencia County Democratic Party chairwoman.
Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, left, and state House Majority Whip Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, pump their fists into the air as they approach the Harris-Walz “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom†bus at a campaign rally in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
A hand-painted banner featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández is carried by Cynthia Arellano at the Harris-Walz “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom†bus tour in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
Kyra Ellis-Moore holds up her daughter Katherine Curlee and a sign advocating for reproductive freedom while attending the Harris-Walz rally in Albuquerque on Wednesday.Â
From left, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández raise their hands in response to a question about who had been canvassing individual voters to turn out for the upcoming election. The officials attended a rally Wednesday in Albuquerque, where the Harris-Walz "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus made a campaign stop.
Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, left, and state House Majority Whip Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, pump their fists into the air as they approach the Harris-Walz “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom†bus at a campaign rally in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
A hand-painted banner featuring Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández is carried by Cynthia Arellano at the Harris-Walz “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom†bus tour in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
Kyra Ellis-Moore holds up her daughter Katherine Curlee and a sign advocating for reproductive freedom while attending the Harris-Walz rally in Albuquerque on Wednesday.Â
ALBUQUERQUE — Pam Cordova was out on the Albuquerque asphalt Wednesday afternoon to support her presidential candidate of choice; her enthusiasm wasn’t dimmed by the heat or the fact that neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor running mate Tim Walz was actually there.
“This is probably gonna be the closest thing we get†to a Harris-Walz campaign visit, said Cordova, a Belen resident and former Valencia County Democratic Party chairwoman, standing near the campaign’s “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom†bus.
“New Mexico is a blue state, and she needs to be in the states we need to win,†Cordova said of Harris.
Several elected officials — from a Bernalillo County commissioner to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández and Melanie Stansbury — showed up to speak at the bus tour’s stop in Albuquerque, which the Harris-Walz campaign billed as a “phone bank kickoff†rally for volunteers and voters focused on reproductive rights.
Lujan Grisham said the abortion issue is central to this year’s presidential election and warned supporters gathered in the parking lot of an electrical workers union building former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance will not be content to leave abortion rights to the states.
“Make no mistake, they are after a national abortion ban,†Lujan Grisham said. “Anybody who doesn’t believe that is not paying attention.â€
Jessica Velasquez, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, said she’s proud to be a mother and to have had the ability to choose if and when she would start her family.
“You know who wasn’t a part of that conversation?†she asked. “Donald Trump.â€
More than 50 people, including volunteers and staff, gathered for the rally, many holding Harris-Walz signs or sporting T-shirts with slogans like “Girls just want to have fun-damental rights†— or, in Cordova’s case, a T-shirt displaying Rosie the Riveter with “Kamala†tattooed on her upper arm.
Cordova, a 67-year-old “from the womb†Democrat, said abortion rights are important to her.
“Women’s rights are human rights, and we have the right to make decisions about our own bodies,†she said.
Gaby Vega, an 81-year-old Albuquerque resident described by her granddaughter as a “Catholic who believes in reproductive rights,†sat in the shade holding a Harris-Walz campaign sign.
While she personally doesn’t believe in abortion, she said, she also doesn’t want her young great-granddaughter to have to grow up in a place where it’s not available.
“I support the candidate,†Vega said, lifting her sign off her lap.
Jazmyn Taitingfong, a 35-year-old Albuquerque resident and organizer, said she agrees abortion rights are central to this year’s election.
“[Abortion access] shouldn’t be something that changes by state lines or ZIP codes,†she said.
While New Mexico hasn’t gone red in a presidential election since George W. Bush in 2004, state Rep. Reena Szczepanski, D-·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe, urged attendees on Wednesday to consider canvassing in Arizona.
“We need to elect Vice President Harris,†she said. “We’re not going to leave our neighboring state on the field.â€
Meanwhile, it’s not clear whether New Mexico will get a visit from the Trump-Vance campaign before Election Day, either; the campaign didn’t respond to a query Wednesday afternoon about an in-person stop, although some local GOP leaders are keeping their fingers crossed.
Last week, Sharon Clahchischilliage, a Republican who is challenging Leger Fernández in the 3rd Congressional District race, posted a video on X inviting Trump to New Mexico.
The Republican Party of New Mexico, which retweeted Clahchischilliage’s invitation, said it’s not out of the question Trump could pop into New Mexico.
“As President Trump said today at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, New Mexico is in play,†said Leticia Muñoz, the state GOP’s executive director. “While still not confirmed, we could see him drop in our state any day.â€
Reporters Daniel Chacón and Alaina Mencinger contributed to this story.