State Representative Stefani Lord, in a post on January 5, criticized Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for allegedly removing moderate representatives in favor of "radical Emerge progressives" who she claims are "soft on crime." This statement was made on the social media platform X. The post also highlighted the governor's call for public action to address issues of crime and homelessness.

"For years, Republicans and some moderate Democrats have tried repeatedly to fix the crime issues," said Lord. "You single-handedly got rid of a bunch of moderates, who, by the way, represent the majority of New Mexicans, and replaced them with radical Emerge progressives who are soft on crime. You made this mess, woman. Just stop already."

According to Lord, her post included a message from Governor Lujan Grisham dated January 4, urging New Mexicans to contact lawmakers. The governor said, "If we hope to reduce crime and homelessness in New Mexico, I need your help persuading my colleagues in the NM Legislature to act. Please call, email, write a letter or visit the Capitol during the upcoming legislative session and make your voices heard."

Screenshot of State Representative Stefani Lord's Jan. 5 post on X | X

Lord also referenced a report from KRQE dated January 3 that focused on the governor's request for increased legislative action against crime. The report noted that Lujan Grisham is running video advertisements promoting bills aimed at addressing these priority issues. Benjamin Baker, Public Safety Policy Advisor, was quoted saying, "We want to make sure that those voices are heard and that the constituency’s concerns and the real-life struggles that they’re enduring are brought to the forefront so that these very important problems can be addressed."

KRQE further reported that while Republicans support efforts to pass crime-fighting bills in New Mexico, Democrats have blocked these measures. Baker expressed determination despite previous setbacks: "We didn’t get an outcome that we thought was favorable from that, but we are not in any way quitting on the prospect of bringing an improved resolution to New Mexico residents."

Stefani Lord has been serving as a state representative for New Mexico House District 22 since 2021. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology with an emphasis on neurochemistry from Portland State University and has experience as a small business owner. Additionally, she founded a citizen action group called Pro-Gun Women.