ABQ Times

Democratic Party of New Mexico issued the following announcement on July 29. 

RPNM ignores best practices to slow the spread of COVID-19 by opening offices, recruiting door knockers

In the last week, the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) has again shown their disregard for the health and safety of all New Mexicans by flouting public health orders and ignoring best practices designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. 

On Thursday, RPNM sent out an email announcing that “The Party is looking for motivated, driven people who will knock on doors to help us get out the vote.” As COVID-19 continues to present a threat, going door-to-door, repeatedly touching surfaces touched by others, and likely coming within six feet of multiple people is incredibly dangerous. If just one canvasser were to be an asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19, they could spread it to dozens of people in a single day. 

Just a few days later, Republicans again showed their unwillingness to do what’s best for New Mexico, holding a large event to celebrate the opening of their office in Bernalillo County. The event was attended by dozens of people, and a candidate even called for participants to “move in closer” during her speech. These kind of parties are unnecessary and can be key super-spreader events that lead to an explosion of cases in an area. 

This blatant disregard for New Mexicans’ well being comes as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in our state. Just yesterday we saw 467 new cases, the highest single-day increase on record so far.

While Republicans continue to fuel this spread, the Democratic Party of New Mexico has been adapting to online organizing, reaching out to tens of thousands of voters through phone banks and bringing on volunteers through apps like Reach. 

DPNM Chair Marg Elliston released the following statement regarding RPNM’s refusal to do their part in preventing the spread of COVID-19: 

“It’s disgraceful to see Republicans putting politics ahead of health and safety. In these extraordinary times, Democrats have risen to the challenge of campaigning in the midst of a global pandemic. Instead of meeting that challenge themselves, Republicans have chosen to ignore the reality of COVID-19, risking the health and even lives of countless New Mexicans. There is no justifiable reason for the GOP to be blatantly flouting public health orders and allowing their staff to come into contact with hundreds of voters each day.”

Original source can be found here.