New Mexico Republican candidates visited campus on Thursday to campaign and tell students how they plan to fix corruption and the economic crisis.
Matthew Chandler, New Mexico’s 9th Judicial District Attorney, is running for Attorney General and said political corruption has reached epidemic levels. He said the difference between him and his opponent, current Attorney General Gary King, is that he will represent New Mexico’s people and not a political party.
“We need a prosecutor to not only recognize corruption, but also handle it and hold public officials accountable,” Chandler said at the forum hosted by UNM Conservative Republicans.
Candidates including Chandler, Simon Kubiak and Larry Kennedy discussed employment, limiting government and stopping corruption. The three are running for the positions of attorney general, Bernalillo County Commissioner and state representative, respectively.
Kubiak, an attorney and Albuquerque businessman, zeroed in on unemployment and what can be done to correct it. He said Democrats and liberals have endorsed deficit spending and stimulus packages to jumpstart the economy and create jobs, but it hasn’t worked.
“Two years and trillions of dollars later, the economy has not recovered, and we continue to lose jobs nationwide,” he said. “The story is no different for New Mexico. Republicans and conservatives offer a better way to promote job growth and economic prosperity, which in turn will ensure there are good high-paying jobs for UNM students upon graduation.”
Kennedy, a local businessman who is also a partner for Walla Engineering, said the solution for creating jobs is to invest more in the private sector instead of the public sector.
“I want to do what I can to make it easier for businesses to create jobs, reduce paper work, so businesses can use the capital to hire more employees. People in the district need jobs,” he said.
