A former New Mexico sheriff has abandoned the Democrat Party and is now running for a Senate seat as a Republican.
Manuel Gonzales is his name, and he was the sheriff of Bernalillo County for about 13 years.
Gonzales, who describes himself as a “man of strong convictions and values” and has been a Democrat all his life, is now running against the Democrat Party because the party has moved too “far left.”
“I’m a law and order and fiscally responsible family man that cares about his community,” he told Fox News in an interview. “My whole career in life has been surrounded by service.”
“My concerns are that of the [Democratic] Party. The party that I was in has gone far left in terms of their ideologies towards families and law and order. I can no longer become complicit in their values because I don’t believe that they align with mine,” he added.
Former New Mexico sheriff Manuel Gonzales isn’t the first, & won’t be the last to ditch the Democrat Party for the GOP. As he launches his bid for NM Senate, he stated that “I want to get things done.”
It’s some encouraging to see people waking up. https://t.co/01bRabTPqy— Daniel Brewer (@DB_USMC2009) January 10, 2024
Gonzales previously rose to fame during the COVID pandemic for refusing to enforce draconian stay-at-home orders.
“Gonzales is gaining national attention for a video he posted on YouTube saying some politicians are turning ‘everyday citizens into villains for simply attempting to live their lives,’ and his department will not enforce any orders that ‘subvert your constitutional rights,'” the Albuquerque Journal reported in December of 2020.
“In the YouTube video, Gonzales said that he has listened to concerns about ‘what has been characterized as oppressive lockdown mandates’ and that he sympathizes with families, business owners and houses of worship who believe their civil liberties are being compromised,” according to the Journal.
Watch the video below:
Dovetailing back to the present, Gonzales told Fox News that his decision to run as a Republican will provide him with additional opportunities to draw support in the race and bring “positive changes” to the state.
If he wins, he plans to prioritize “fighting for jobs” and zoning in on “energy initiatives.”
“The security and safety of the people throughout the country has been compromised,” he said.
He also wants to “get behind efforts to support” law enforcement officers who “don’t feel supported” under the current Democrat administration.
And he plans to prioritize bipartisanship.
“I would definitely be a huge advocate and work collaboratively with both sides of the aisle to get things accomplished instead of continually pointing fingers and blaming [others] like this current administration and this current senator that sits in office right now,” he said.
He demonstrated this in 2020 when, while he was still a Democrat, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with then-President Donald Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr.
He faced hefty criticism for attending the meeting but defended it anyway, arguing that he needed to do what was necessary to complete his work, regardless of party affiliation.
“I understand that I represent the people and not a party when I get elected,” he said. “I can stand on my own two feet. I am my own person, and I’m a person that is very reasonable. I’m also a person that is fair. I have the best interest of everybody at heart. Politics don’t play into my decisions when it comes to serving people.”
“I want to get things done. I want to help people, and I want to serve them because that’s what I’ve been called to do,” he added.
The “current senator” is Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat whom Gonzales says is a “career politician” and “carpetbagger.”
’ . https://t.co/MlZv7Odysl pic.twitter.com/bHBrfEFdTC
— Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III (@MannyForABQ) January 10, 2024
“I want to be the person that has the opportunity in November to challenge him and unseat him so things can start moving,” Gonzales said of Heinrich. “I really believe things are idle here, and I think when people become complacent and comfortable, I think it’s time for them to go home.”
He’s particularly peeved over Heinrich’s silence regarding a number of law enforcement issues that have arisen over the years.
“I did not see any effort or anybody from [Heinrich’s] office reach out to support any initiatives we were doing,” Gonzales explained.
Prior to running for the Senate, Gonzales reportedly tried to run for the mayor of Albuquerque in 2021.
“He lost that election, however, to Tim Keller, a Democrat who previously served as the New Mexico State auditor,” Fox News notes.
Also, according to Fox News, “Last fall, Gonzales and former Laguna Police Chief Rudy Mora were identified in a federal indictment filed in Maryland that accused the pair of participating in an illegal weapons scheme in the state.”
Prosecutors alleged that the two had signed false documents to help gun dealers operating illegally to obtain machine guns.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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