Light from a LAMP

By Kiser Davis, Micaela DePauli, Liz Pritchard, Kayla Kuhn

Following the presidential debate last night between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, New Mexican Democrats are feeling more confident. 

With only 54 days until election day, this was the first opportunity for Harris to debate Trump on hot-button issues that impact New Mexicans. 

Kamala went over her plans for an “opportunity economy” which included a $6 thousand tax cut for first-year parents, a $50 thousand tax deduction for startup small businesses, and a $25 thousand grant for first-time homeowners. 

When it came to abortion Harris said she stands by women’s reproductive rights and will always support a woman’s right to choose. She brought up working towards getting Congress to reinstate the protections Roe v. Wade grants. Harris also attacked Trump on the issue saying that he would push for a national abortion ban.

Harris mentioned Biden’s administration enforcing stricter asylum policies. In 2023, the number of illegal border crossings dropped from 206,702 in May 2023 to 144,566 in June 2023. She boasted about supporting a border security bill that would send 1500 more border patrol agents to the border in an effort to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

She also briefly mentioned her stance on fracking saying, she does and always has supported fracking.

Democrats hosted watch parties in Nob Hill, and party supporters were extremely happy, with some saying they felt uplifted by Harris during the debate.

Rayellen Smith, a Democrat party supporter, told KOB 4, “It really has so far made me feel like she believes in us as people, as humans, as Americans, and wants to lift us up”. 

The participants used the watch party as an event to have discourse and hear what other party supporters were thinking.

We then took to the street to see what Democrats outside of the watch party were feeling. Blair Wolf, a University of New Mexico biology professor, provided his insight on the debate saying, “[Harris] is the only person that’s really stood up to Trump and held her own.” He noted that he felt much more confident after the debate because it exposed more people to Harris in a positive light.

It wasn’t just citizens who had a positive reaction to the debate. Many Democratic politicians in the state also found Harris’ debate performance to be a massive win for the party. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich took to X to share his thoughts after the debate saying, “Tonight, VP @KamalaHarris reminded us what real leadership is: fighting for working families, defending our fundamental freedoms, and standing up to those who seek to divide us and tear our country apart. Her vision is one where every American has the opportunity to succeed.”

The current polling data sponsored by The Telegraph shows that Harris is currently projected to be a five-point favorite over Trump, and with that Nov. 5 date getting closer, confidence and optimism is high among New Mexican Democratic Party voters and representatives alike.

Liz Pritchard is a student at the University of New Mexico. Follow her journalism at lightfromalamp.com.