New Mexico Governor Candidate: Duke Rodriguez

I’m Duke Rodriguez, and I’m honored you’ve stopped by to learn a little bit about me and my passion for New Mexico. Politicians spend far too much time talking about themselves and far too little time getting things done, so I’ll try to keep it brief. I was born to a mother on Medicaid and parents who worked in farm fields. In 1971, my Father sent my Mother, my siblings, and I to Silver City, New Mexico, and unfortunately, he died before he could ever join us. My Mother has always been a bedrock for me, and I remember from such a young age what struggle felt like. This is one reason why I’m so passionate about working for our state. I believe it’s part of the job of a Governor to help all New Mexicans, but especially those like my Mother, who work endlessly to ensure their kids can have a better life than they did. And that’s exactly what Mom did; she worked endlessly so we could have a better life. After years in accounting and being given chances by wonderful mentors, I worked my way up to becoming the COO of one of the largest healthcare companies in New Mexico, Lovelace. What’s amazing about healthcare is how vital it is to our community. This is another reason I’m so passionate about being your next governor; we’re at a crisis point in healthcare, and we all see it. Later in my career, I had the honor of serving as the Secretary of the New Mexico Human Services Department under Gary Johnson, which helped me to understand the government's role in healthcare. The 1990's were a good time for New Mexicans when it came to getting top health care. But a lot has changed... Today, I look at our broken healthcare system and see so many things to fix. I want to get to work with ideas for recruiting doctors and protecting them, and our amazing nurses and technicians. I’ve got bold ideas, like Guaranteed Healthcare for New Mexicans that won’t raise taxes but will reduce waste and consolidate systems. Every New Mexican agrees we need new ideas in healthcare, and I have them. One of my most interesting fights with government bureaucracy was my fight for medical cannabis. After years of grappling with career politicians, nothing was more gratifying than seeing firsthand how much responsible medical cannabis use can help folks like Veterans with PTSD or those struggling with cancer. In that way, my work in cannabis is much like my work with Lovelace; good business and leadership that brings healing and relief. And that brings me to today. I think running for Governor is kind of like a job interview that lasts 11 months! Like an interview, I want to explain why I think I’m the best person for the job. So, I’ll first say, thanks for the opportunity to interview, and I hope to have more chances in the coming months to earn the job of Governor of New Mexico.