OPINION: Learning from bold leadership: A model for New Mexico's political future

In an era when political campaigns are too often marked by vague promises and platitudes, New York City Councilmember Zohran Mamdani’s platform stands out as a model of clarity and conviction. As New Mexico faces persistent challenges like scarcity of good jobs for the next generation and deep-rooted problems in public health, education, housing and workforce development, it’s time for our candidates to learn from Mamdani’s approach: offer real-world solutions, not just safe abstractions.

New Mexico is well-positioned to pay for innovation and expand affordability. With an annual budget exceeding $10 billion, robust permanent funds and more than 20 multimillion-dollar state agencies including Health, Education, Housing, Transportation, Agriculture, Early Childhood Education and Care, Workforce Solutions and Economic Development, the state controls the infrastructure, resources and personnel needed to prioritize increased access to vital services.

Mamdani provides an instructive example. His campaign energized New Yorkers with decisive policy proposals focused on bread-and-butter affordability: rent freezes, fare-free public transit, universal child care. He didn’t simply declare values, he transformed them into sharp, credible plans that spoke to the “kitchen table” concerns of middle- and working-class voters. That’s exactly the kind of vision New Mexico needs.

New Mexico’s young people and families are increasingly worried about paying rent, affording food and securing transportation. The same demographics Mamdani mobilized: young adults, college graduates and middle-class earners, are crucial in our state’s cities, suburbs and pueblo communities. When campaigns speak candidly about real issues, proposing bold, pragmatic ideas with clear implementation roadmaps, voters respond.

Actionable strategies for New Mexico candidates

Lead with specific, values-driven policy on affordability.

• Don’t just talk about “opportunity.” Deliver plans people can actually feel. Commit to making affordable housing, accessible health care, early learning and rural transportation top priorities. Advance concrete policy proposals grounded in New Mexico’s realities. Broad declarations aren’t enough; voters want to see how ideas translate into their lives.

Showcase results — turn policy into action.

• Show how big ideas can be implemented, one step at a time. Pilot new affordability initiatives in select counties. Model success, report back and scale what works. Celebrate each step forward, creating a track record of progress instead of waiting for one-size-fits-all solutions.

Organize a broad, prideful coalition rooted in local power.

• Build multigenerational, multicultural momentum. Bring together advocates from all 33 counties, especially Hispanic and Native American youth, to co-create solutions. Campaigns anchored in local culture and pride make people feel seen and heard.

Communicate with honesty and detail.

• Show voters exactly how you’ll make housing, health care, healthy food, transportation and early childhood learning affordable and accessible in every community. Be specific about creating good-paying jobs in health care, education, technology, research and social services; industries that can transform New Mexico’s future.

The path forward

What’s needed from every candidate is bold vision: The willingness to harness the power of our vast assets, institutions, cultures and people; to turn good ideas into action; to communicate clearly and truthfully; and to build coalitions strong enough to lift every community.

If New Mexico’s candidates heed these lessons, they’ll move beyond uncertainty and into lasting opportunity. Voters don’t want another campaign of platitudes. They want, and deserve, leadership as bold as Mamdani’s: courageous, unifying and relentlessly grounded in real life. The future belongs to those willing to deliver it.

Bill Soules, D-Las Cruces, represents District 37 in the New Mexico Senate.