Remarks by Lawrence Rael, Candidate for Governor of New Mexico Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 From the New

Mexico State Capitol

Thank you all for joining me. My name is Lawrence Rael and it is an honor and a privilege for me to be able to announce with you all here today that I am officially joining the race to become the Democratic nominee for governor, and with your support in November to become the next governor of New Mexico. I wouldnt be here though were it not for the support of my family who has supported me since the very beginning. My mother Celedonia; my brothers and sisters; my wife Kim, and my three children Benna, Ana, and Lawrence are all here to support me today too. Family is something that is extremely important to me. Family taught me many of the values I have carried with me through my 35 years of service to New Mexicans. While many of you may know me from my work as the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Albuquerque, or as the guy who built the Rail-Runner and brought minor league baseball back to Albuquerque there is a lot more to me. I am looking forward to having an opportunity during this campaign to share my story with you all, and also to learn about the things that are important to you in making New Mexico a place you love and call home. I was born just over 55 years ago at the hospital right here in Santa Fe. Shortly thereafter I went back to my family home in Sile - a small town on the banks of the Rio Grande in between the pueblos of Cochiti and Santo Domingo. What most people dont know about me is that when I was born, doctors told my mom that I likely wouldnt live past the age of three. I had a heart condition and was almost blind.

One thing you will come to know about me is that since the day I was born Ive been a fighter. As your next governor Ill never stop fighting for the values I learned growing up in Sile - working beside my brothers in the fields - and serving my community. We are at a crossroads here in New Mexico right now, and it is my honest belief that we cant afford four more years of the failed leadership of the current administration. That is why I am running for Governor, and with your help, and a little divine intervention, we will be able to get New Mexico back on track and moving forward. A few months ago I was sitting at home thinking about the fact that New Mexico is last on many the good lists, and first on many the bad lists and something struck me. I felt compelled to roll my sleeves up and do what I could to change this. For many years Ive helped grow our local economies. Ive helped people find new jobs and access training. Ive brought large companies to New Mexico. Ive helped support small companies. All this time with the fundamental understanding that giving back to your community is one of the best ways to ensure that your community will give back to you. See, thats what my mom taught me when we were growing up poor in Sile. With nothing, we had to find ways to give back to those who gave to us. Whether it was giving us clothes, or allowing us to pay doctor bills over many years - because we had no health insurance and no money - many people opened their hearts and helped us through some really tough times. Part of the reason why I am running for governor is because I realize that this is the time when I have to open my heart and do what I can to help this state that I love so much. We have a governor whos priorities seem to be outsourcing jobs, and shutting down investments that will grow our own businesses and attract new ones, and that is exactly why New Mexico is being left behind. We have a Governor who looks at problems and immediately tries to find whos to blame, not who needs to be at the table to solve them. But that is what you get when you have a prosecutor for a governor. New Mexico cannot afford four more years of prosecutorial leadership. I believe that my record of getting things done with republicans and democrats, without leaving anyone behind is exactly the kind of record that will help me as Governor to bring everyone to the table to solve our toughest challenges. We have an educational system now that is failing our students, and the only solution seems to be to blame teachers, label schools, and to cut parents out of the process. Well, you know, in my 35 years of service I have never solved problems that way, and I wont as your next Governor. This is also why I have chosen to wear black today to stand in solidarity with educators across our state who today are also wearing black to protest the failed policies of Gov. Martinez, and to send the message that they are prepared to take back the joy of learning, time for teaching and professionalism in public education.

Over the next year I am going to fight for the values that have gotten me here, and I am going to fight for the things that I know are important to you - if you give me the chance. Now is the time for New Mexicans to get our back up and say, enough is enough. As a fighter all my life, I know one thing is true and that is you never go into a fight thinking that you are going to lose. This is why I need your support today. I am confident that with your support and my tireless determination to discuss important issues and to figure out ways to solve our problems with you, we can build the kind of state that my children and your children will feel proud to call home like I have all my life. So thank you again for joining me today. I am sure youll have many questions. But there will be plenty of time to talk about them. I wanted to make sure that everyone in New Mexico knows that I am running not just to be your governor, but to be an example of the kind of values that have built this state - and that will ensure that this state remains the Land of Enchantment for years to come. Thank you. ###