A New Mexico-based group whose stated goal is to get Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham out of office now is calling for her to symbolically fall on her sword as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did earlier this week - and for the same reasons.
Brett Kokinadis, Second Vice Chair of the Santa Fe Republican Party and "StopMLG" founder, took to social media to call for Lujan Grisham's resignation.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
| governor.state.nm.us/
"Gov. Cuomo resigned after sexual harassment allegations, and @GovMLG must do the same!" Kokinadis said in his Aug. 10 Twitter post.
He also called on visitors to his Twitter post to join him "in sending your voice to the RoundHouse and the Governor's office at stopmlg.com."
Kokinadis' Twitter post came shortly after Cuomo announced his resignation over multiple sexual harassment allegations.
StopMLG does not describe itself or its membership. Its landing page is all about the petition Kokinadis encourages New Mexicans sign to pressure Lujan Grisham to resign. The page does not say how many have signed the petition thus far, but it does have a donation option.
"The Me Too movement has set the standard in sexual assault cases and that we must believe the victims of sexual abuse," the landing page of StopMLG's website says. "Public campaign financial reports (by) Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham show five monthly payments of $12,500 for 'legal expenses' totaling $62,500 at her donors' expense to silence a victim."
The website links to an NBCNews story in April about Lujan Grisham's payment of $62,000 to a former staffer as part of a sexual harassment settlement.
"Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham must be held to the same moral standard while being honest with New Mexicans and take personal responsibility by resigning from office," the website says.
Last year, Kokinadis ran for the U.S. House in New Mexico's 1st Congressional District but lost the Republican primary in June of last year to Michelle Garcia Holmes. Kokinadis came in third, taking less than 12% of the vote.