Which presidential candidates are on the New Mexico ballot, other than Trump and Biden?

AZTEC — While Donald Trump and Joseph Biden are the two presidential candidates that most people are aware of, they are not the only candidates that will appear on New Mexico's Nov. 3 ballot. Only three presidential candidates will have their names on ballots in all 50 states, however six names will appear on the ballot in New Mexico.

These names include nominees from the three major parties as well as three minor parties.

And the top name on the ballot for president and vice president will not be Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Instead, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and his vice-presidential candidate Angela Nicole Walker have drawn the position at the top of the ballot.

Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker

Hawkins is a socialist whose involvement with the Green Party dates back to its inception. He played a key role in forming the party. The New York resident has run various unsuccessful political campaigns in the past, including several bids for governor.

Walker is also no stranger to campaigns. In 2014, she ran as a socialist for sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, and in 2016 she was the socialist vice presidential nominee. 

Their names will appear on ballots in 30 states and territories, including Washington D.C. and Guam.

Hawkins is running on a Green New Deal proposal with two parts: an Economic Bill of Rights and a Green Energy Reconstruction Program.

The Economic Bill of Rights would guarantee a job that pays a living wage, ensure all Americans have an income that allow them to live above the poverty line, provide access to affordable housing, guarantees comprehensive health care, provides lifelong free public education and ensures a secure retirement.

As part of this, Hawkins supports Medicare for All as well as Universal Basic Income.

The Green Energy Reconstruction Program aims to build a 100% clean, renewable energy system for the United States by 2030.

Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen

The second ballot position is Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen and her running mate Jeremy “Spike” Cohen.

Jorgensen, known to her supporters as JoJo, will appear of ballots in 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. She’s a lifelong Libertarian and ran for vice president in 1996 alongside Henry Browne.

Jorgenson works as a senior lecturer of psychology at Clemson University in South Carolina, where she previously received a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology in 2002.

Meanwhile, Cohen is a retired web designer and co-owner of the podcast platform Muddied Waters Media,  and is a podcast.

Jorgensen has criticized the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that she describes as being filled with waste and gave away billions of dollars in corporate handouts to “government cronies and special interest.” She has also criticized the lack of robust COVID-19 testing.

Her policies include addressing the skyrocketing costs of health care, reducing the high rates of incarceration including decriminalizing all drugs and ending energy policies driven by special interests.

On her website, Jorgensen states that ending energy subsidies will create a level playing field that will allow for a transition to cleaner energy sources such as nuclear energy.

She also supports ending qualified immunity for police officers as well as no-knock raids.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Biden and Kamala Harris have drawn the third position on the ballot.

Biden supports reducing dependence on fossil fuels, including proposing a transition to clean energy sources by 2035. One of Biden’s controversial plans calls for ending new leases for oil and natural gas extraction on federal lands. Biden supports carbon capture and states that he would work to lower the cost of carbon capture retrofits of existing power plants.

Biden has proposed initiatives like the Public Health Jobs Corps to help get Americans back to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of his other proposals include canceling at least $10,000 in student loan debt as part of the COVID-19 response and providing free tuition for college students from families that make less than $125,000 a year. He also supports a $15 an hour minimum wage.

Samm Tittle and David Carl Sandige

Sheila Samm Tittle of the Constitution Party and her running mate David Carl Sandige will appear below Biden and Harris.

Tittle highlights her Hispanic descent and ties to New Mexico. She says she is descended from Don Gaspar Garcia, the founder of Old Town Albuquerque.

While she was raised in New Mexico, she currently lives in Virginia.

Tittle ran for president in both 2012 and 2016. In 2012, she sought the Republican Party nomination, but never made the debates despite campaigning nationwide.

She describes herself as a social and fiscal conservative and supports a 10% across board flat tax. She is also campaigning as anti-abortion and as a supporter of Second Amendment rights.

Donald Trump and Mike Pence

Trump and Mike Pence have the next ballot position.

Trump supports an America-first energy policy and states that he has streamlined processes to speed up permitting. He has cut regulations, including rolling back emissions rules such as methane regulations. He also rolled back the Clean Power Plan.

His signature policies include building a wall on the border with Mexico with the intent of limiting the number of people illegally entering the country as undocumented immigrants. He also supports moving to a merit-based immigration system and ending policies like chain migration.

In terms of healthcare, Trump has promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. 

His policies have directly impacted the Four Corners region. Shortly after becoming president, Trump ordered a review of national monuments that led to a reduction in size of the Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah.

Gloria La Riva and Sunil Freeman

The final presidential candidate on the ballot is socialist candidate Gloria La Riva and her running mate Sunil Freeman. This is the second presidential election where the Party for Socialism and Liberation will have candidates on the ballot in New Mexico. La Riva is an anti-war and pro-labor activist who is focusing her campaign on climate change, human rights, ending police brutality and confronting racism. Her name will appear on ballots in 15 states.

The Albuquerque-born activist opposes mass incarceration and issued a statement about the July 13 riot at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center, which the statement blames on “the criminal neglect and abuse of prisoners.” The statement says that 43% of the inmates had contracted COVID-19 and that Navajo Nation had called for investigations into the conditions at the detention center.

Note: This story was modified to correct the number of states where Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen will appear on the ballot.

Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.

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