The Democratic National Convention concluded Thursday night with Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party’s nomination for president after days of primetime speeches in support of her and Gov. Tim Walz’s ticket. But that’s not all that was going on at Chicago’s United Center as delegates from across the country met to hash out the party’s platform.

As pro-Palestinian protesters outside the convention faced arrest by police in riot gear, New Mexico delegate Whitney Holland was part of a bloc that advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza from within the DNC. The president of the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico spoke with from Chicago with KUNM’s Nash Jones for New Mexico PBS.

WHITNEY HOLLAND: My understanding, based on some of the communication we’ve had amongst our delegate bloc, is there’s like, the approved, sanctioned group of activities. And some of those were not the activities of the delegate bloc. And I’m sure there’s some overlap in that, but I think there’s kind of two streams of activist work going on right now. Inside the building, inside those caucus meetings, there’s been some disruptions. There’s been some of those interruptions, as far as like speakers and having signs or demonstrations. But, for the most part, it’s been super respectful. I mean, there is, I think across the board, an understanding and shared beliefs. And I think they’re doing a really good job of navigating that, being respectful of that. We’ve gotten buttons and flyers to pass out. But, ultimately, things inside the process are moving smoothly, and I think there’s room for different perspectives on that issue.

NASH JONES: Do you believe a ceasefire in Gaza will become part of the official Democratic Party platform?

HOLLAND: That part I’m not sure of just yet. I think there’s still a lot of hesitancy at the higher levels of the party, but I think they’re making progress. There’s good conversations happening. I think we’re on our way. And I think even the fact that yesterday, during the actual convention, they were saying the words “ceasefire” and “Gaza” in a way that I don’t think we’ve heard before. And so, there is movement. Whether it’s enough I think will be determined. But I think there is progress.

JONES: Right. Even President Biden mentioned it in his address to the DNC.

HOLLAND: Yes, correct. Again, not as much as I would have hoped to see. But, I think for him, that’s movement. I would say, like, “progress, not perfection.” And so, we’re making progress.

JONES: Well, you’re also a labor organizer and a former educator. How do those identities, those experiences, play into what you’re advocating for?

HOLLAND: So, I’m trying to get my New Mexico delegation on board with labor. Though, we have a pretty decent labor presence. But, having conversations about what that means and what that looks like. Especially the education piece. Everyone knows a teacher, everyone has a relative who was a teacher, it seems like. And so, really saying what’s happening in classrooms today is what has happened in classrooms. Like, there are common issues across generations. And so, getting those shared understandings. A lot of that has been happening.

JONES: OK. And, in addition to some of these substantive policy debates that have been taking place at the convention, it’s also an event that is full of primetime speeches.

HOLLAND: Is it ever.

JONES: And your own fellow delegate, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, was among those speeches. Her address on health care was fairly brief, it was fairly broad. What did you think of it? And do you think it represented New Mexico on the national stage?

HOLLAND: I think, even though it was brief, it’s incredible to me that New Mexico gets that platform. We see some of these other larger delegations uplifted. We were kind of joking internally, like, our seating’s a little further up in the stadium. And so, we’re like, you know, we get left behind sometimes. We’re more rural, we’re not a swing state, we’re not really a state in play. And so, I think her having that role, we were proud. I mean, it’s exciting. And I think she really captured not just New Mexicans’ concerns, but across the country. Elections have consequences, and so what’s going to happen based on the election turnout?

JONES: Well, speaking of what’s going to happen, what’s going to happen for you all as the convention closes out? What’s next for the delegation and the New Mexico Democratic Party?

HOLLAND: I think our delegation, across the board, is going to go home and get a ton of sleep. We are going late into the night. I need to recover. And then, I think, based on the conversations we’ve had and the feedback we’re hearing from across the country, what other states are doing, what even these more specific populations — like unionists, educators, what they’re doing —I think that will kind of be woven in through our party as we move forward.

Watch this interview in its entirety Friday at 7 p.m. on New Mexico in Focus on NMPBS channel 5, the show’s YouTube page, or on the PBS app.

Heinrich 49%, Domenici 37% 

A new Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey in New Mexico finds Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump by 10 points, 52% to 42%, with 6% of voters undecided. Harris’ lead decreases to eight points when the candidate undecided voters lean toward is included. With third-party candidates on the ballot, Harris leads by 11, 51% to 40%, while 3% support Robert Kennedy Jr.

“Harris’ lead is similar to Joe Biden’s 10.8 point win over Trump in 2020,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, noted. “Independent voters in New Mexico break for Harris, 48% to 37%. Men break for Harris by a narrow two-point margin, 48% to 46%, while women break for Harris by 17 points, 55% to 38%.” 

The economy is the top issue for 29% of New Mexico voters, followed by crime (18%), immigration (13%), education (11%), healthcare (10%), housing affordability (6%), and threats to democracy (6%). 

“Voters who find the economy to be the top issue break for Trump, 54% to 38%, crime, 47% to 45%, and immigration 89% to 9%. Voters who find education, healthcare, housing affordability, threats to democracy, and abortion all break for Harris significantly, an average of 82% to 15%.”

When asked who they trust more to handle immigration in New Mexico, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, 48% trust Harris more, and 46% trust Trump more; 6% trust neither candidate. 

Fifty-three percent of voters have a favorable view of Vice President Harris, while 45% have an unfavorable view of Harris. Forty-two percent have a favorable view of Trump, while 57% have an unfavorable view of him. 

In the U.S. Senate Election between incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich and Republican Nella Domenici, 49% support Heinrich, 37% Domenici, 4% someone else, and 9% are undecided.

Democratic candidates lead the Republicans in all three U.S. House elections in New Mexico. In the 1st district, incumbent Democrat Melanie Ann Stansbury leads Republican Steve Jones 51% to 37%; 12% of voters are undecided. In the 2nd district, 50% support Democrat Gabe Vasquez, while 41% support Republican Yvette Herrell. Nine percent are undecided. 

In the 3rd district, 52% support Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez, while 39% support Republican Sharon Clahchishchilliage; 9% are undecided. 

A majority of New Mexico voters say they feel less safe in New Mexico than they did five years ago, while 15% feel more safe and 32% feel the same amount of safe. 

Methodology

The Emerson College Polling/The Hill New Mexico survey was conducted August 20-22, 2024. The sample of registered voters, n=965, has a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error (MOE), of +/- 3.1 percentage points. The data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, party registration, and region based on 2024 voter modeling. Turnout modeling is based on U.S. Census parameters, exit polling and voter registration data. 

It is important to remember that subsets based on demographics, such as gender, age, education, and race/ethnicity, carry with them higher credibility intervals, as the sample size is reduced. Survey results should be understood within the poll’s range of scores, and with a confidence interval of 95% a poll will fall outside the range of scores 1 in 20 times. 

Data was collected by contacting cell phones via MMS-to-web text, landlines via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) (both lists provided by Aristotle), and an online panel of voters provided by CINT. The survey was offered in English. 

All questions asked in this survey with exact wording, along with full results, demographics, and cross tabulations can be found under Full Results. This survey was sponsored by Nexstar Media.

FULL RESULTS

SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) – KRQE News 13 has learned more about a shooting near Western New Mexico University earlier this week that briefly put the school on a shelter-in-place. The Silver City Police Department said 44-year-old Tommy Valdez shot and wounded a woman during an argument Tuesday about two blocks north of the WNMU campus.

Silver City High School teacher accused of having sexual relationship with student

Authorities arrested Valdez in Las Cruces the next day. He’s charged with aggravated battery and shooting from a motor vehicle.

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