Gov. Lujan Grisham: The Latina We Need in Biden’s Cabinet

Lujan Grisham smiling.
File:Michelle Lujan Grisham official photo.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

In this opinion piece, Jessica Vega Pederson, county commissioner in Multnomah County, Oregon, tells why President Elect-Biden should select Gov. Lujan Grisham to lead HHS.

With new national leadership, the long shadow of a pandemic, and socio-economic injustice still in the spotlight, we seek signals that 2020’s end will mark a shift to new beginnings. President-elect Joe Biden’s establishment of his COVID-19 task force right out of the gate is promising, but his choice for the cabinet post for health and human services is the most critical to show a commitment to those severely impacted by the Coronavirus and those so pivotal in electing him to the White House – people of color.


As county officials with the mandate to provide local public health services, we are in dire need of a federal partner with compassion for those affected by the virus and command to manage the crisis. No one is better prepared to step into that leadership role as secretary of health and human services than New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Lujan Grisham – the country’s only Latina governor – would be an effective leader on day one to protect our country from worsening COVID-19 rates that continue to disproportionately harm racial and ethnic minorities. Cases for Black and Hispanic Americans are nearly three times higher than for white Americans. Hospitalization rates are five times higher, and death rates are 1.4 times higher. These are the same communities leading the fight for social justice and the same ones that helped Joe Biden earn his historic victory in Latinx-heavy Arizona. These communities deserve senior representation in the Biden Administration throughout the cabinet.

Time and again, Governor Lujan Grisham has proved she can overcome public health obstacles. She was the first to set up drive-through testing facilities in New Mexico for Coronavirus and opened over 50 testing sites, prioritizing at-risk populations. The result: New Mexico has among the lowest infection rates per-capita and is in the top 15 for per capita testing.

Governor Lujan Grisham was one of the first to shut down schools in New Mexico. She accurately assessed the situation, and was steadfast in her decisions to protect students and their families. In the end, in New Mexico, where Hispanics are 49-percent of the state population, they are actually underrepresented in Covid-19 cases by six percentage points.

The pandemic’s impact is massive, yet there is a wider agenda for HHS in the years ahead, which is why we need a cabinet secretary who can also work broadly to build back our nation’s health care after four years of President Trump undercutting the Affordable Care Act and the health insurance marketplace.

Governor Lujan Grishman has shown she is more than capable of this. In her career, she has worked to reduce inflated prescription drug prices, support senior care, and strengthen access to health insurance.

Lujan Grisham goes to uncommon lengths to bring her passion in public service. Before she was elected to Congress, she served as New Mexico’s secretary of aging, where she went undercover to investigate care complaints at a senior living facility. Under her leadership, New Mexico doubled the number of health centers, expanded in-home care to give seniors more flexibility, built a new state lab, and improved infectious disease prevention programs.

Instead of pharmaceutical representatives like outgoing Secretary Alex Azar constantly kowtowing to industry, we need a cabinet secretary obsessed with the care of individuals, like the New Mexico Governor has proven to be.

Lujan Grisham understands the importance of local government relationships and has the energy and toughness to stand up to critics that President-elect Biden will need as he puts forward a different vision of personal and social responsibility around public health than has been on display from the White House. On top of all this, Lujan Grisham would be the Latinx representation desperately needed in the federal government.

I have advocated in support of care for seniors and the creation of preschool for all here in Oregon, a program that will increase equity in my community. But fighting for equity and inclusion in healthcare here in the West would be that much easier with a strong Latinx leader fighting for us from Washington, too.

As a local public official fighting everyday for my community’s health, I can tell you, we need Governor Lujan Grisham as our secretary of health and human services come January.

She will continue to be the energetic, unstoppable force in Washington that she has always been for the people of New Mexico.

(Jessica Vega Pederson is a county commissioner in Multnomah County, Oregon, where she previously served as the first Latina elected to the State House of Representatives.)

This Viral Video Game Is Changing the Face of Voter Outreach

In 2024, voting campaigns have evolved greatly, to say the least. Creativity is now the name of the game and tongue-in-cheek humor is expertly leveraged to drive action. One example of that is Bop the Bigot, a revival of a viral game created in 2016 by Bazta Arpaio, an Arizona activist group, as part of a campaign to unseat Maricopa County’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio lost his re-election to Paul Penzone that year.

The game has now been updated for the current election cycle and relaunched by On Point Studios, with new features added to enable players to find out what’s on their ballot, confirm voter status, and register to vote.

Much like its former 2016 version, the game allows users to take out their political frustrations by virtually “bopping” GOP candidates in the head. It’s very similar to whack-a-mole, except the mole is replaced by former President Donald Trump, Ohio’s Senator J. D. Vance, and Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading Project 2025.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

B. Loewe, Director of On Point Studios, came up with the concept for this game when working as the Communications Director at Bazta Arpaio in 2016, and is the executive producer of this revamped version. In the first version of the game, Bop the Bigot players used a chancla (flip flop) to “bop” the characters, tapping into Latino culture by leaning on the childhood experience of being set right by a flying chancla from a fed-up mother or grandmother.

This year, the chancla is replaced by a more current element, a green coconut, referencing Kamala Harris’ coconut tree meme. There are also side characters like “the couch,” cat ladies, and more coconuts. All references to jokes about Vice-Presidential candidate Vance, or insults Vance has made about women on the campaign trail.

Another new addition is that Harris’ laugh is immortalized as the game-over sound effect, an unexpected detail that adds even more humor and levity to the game.

cartoon renditions of Donald Trump, Kevin Roberts, and J.D. Vance around a Bop the Bigot logoPromotional image provided by On Point Studios.

Bop the Bigot, which is playable on desktop and mobile, is intended not just as a way to vent political frustrations, but also as a tool for activism and securing voter engagement.

For example, the game supports the work of Mexican Neidi Dominguez Zamorano, Founding Executive Director of the non-profit organization Organized Power in Numbers by using the “game over” screen to prompt players to donate to it and support their efforts.

Organized Power in Numbers is focused on empowering workers in the South and Southwest of the U.S. through collective action and comprehensive campaigns. Their mission is to create a large-scale movement that challenges the status quo and advocates for workers' rights, and racial and economic justice.

Currently, Dominguez Zamorano is leading worker outreach to 2 million working-class voters in the South and Southwest through doorknocking, texting, and calls with the help of local groups in North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, and more.

“We have been blown away by the enthusiastic reception for the video game. We knew we wanted to be part of its creative approach because our movement needs more fun and laughter. We need more ways to connect with nuestra gente so we can feel joy among all the absurdity we witness every day,” Dominguez Zamorano shared with Luz Media via email.

“Our people are gente trabajadora and we deserve to feel uplifted even in our toughest moments. We are deeply involved in the South and Southwest so we know what’s at stake in this election and we’re happy this can be a resource to mobilize, raise spirits, and get out the vote," she concluded.

Dominguez Zamorano is a committed activist for immigrants and workers' rights, known for her strategist skills and expertise. She played a key role in the campaign to win DACA and has also held roles in major campaigns, including as Deputy National States Director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to her work with Organized Power in Numbers, Dominguez Zamorano is serving as a Senior Advisor to Mijente’s Fuera Trump Initiative.

Grassroots efforts like these have taken on new life in 2024, with Bop the Bigot adding to the larger, ongoing fight against political apathy and disinformation. Just as it did during the 2016 race, the video game uses humor to soften the serious task at hand—getting people to the polls.

"We want the game to be a fun and comical outlet for anyone who’s been insulted, frustrated, or harmed by Trump in the past and everyone who is ready to move forward as a country after election day," explained Loewe in a press release. "The proposals in Project 2025 and the beliefs of Trump and Vance aren’t just weird, they’re truly harmful. We wanted to give people a humorous and peaceful way to smack down their racism and sexism. We hope it makes people laugh and also feel empowered and motivated to get to the polls on or before election day."

With a mix of satire, sharp political critique, and nostalgia, the game is a call to action. The upcoming election, which is getting closer by the minute, has sparked fierce activism and creative yet grounded initiatives like these aim to ensure voters are engaged, especially young Latinos and disenfranchised groups.

hands holding up yellow protest signs that say Hands Off Our Bodies
Photo Credit: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

Originally published in Common Dreams. Reprinted with permission.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

In November, abortion rights measures will appear on ballots across ten states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New York, where Latinos make up a significant portion of the electorate. For decades, pundits and politicians have recycled long-held misconceptions about Latino voters and abortion access, citing our conservative and religious beliefs.

Anti-abortion extremists have long fueled these misconceptions through misinformation and disinformation campaigns targeting Latino communities with egregious lies and inflammatory rhetoric about abortion. Yet, polling, focus groups, and direct interactions with Latino communities have debunked these outdated tropes.

The Latino electorate will prove decisive in securing reproductive freedom and abortion access through ballot measures around the country, particularly in states where Latinos are a significant portion of the electorate.

For Latinos, the freedom to decide, a pillar of our American democracy, is critical. Meanwhile, Latinos are being hit directly with anti-abortion efforts that take away that freedom such as the six-week abortion ban put into effect by the Florida Supreme Court and the 1864 abortion ban upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, people of color and Latinas have felt the impact of a lack of abortion access, an element of basic healthcare.

A 2023 report by the National Partnership for Women and Families estimated that nearly 6.5 million Latinas, or 42% of all Latinas of reproductive age in the country, live in a state that either had or was likely to ban abortion. Ironically, it will be abortion access and anti-choice efforts to restrict freedom of choice that will mobilize Latino voters this election.

In a poll conducted by three national reproductive justice organizations, 87% of Latinas named abortion and women’s rights as one of their top priorities as they head to the polls. Another battleground poll conducted by Somos PAC and BSP Research found that 61% of Latino registered voters expressed a more positive/favorable view of Kamala Harris after hearing that she will protect abortion rights, versus only 19% of Latinos who said they had a more negative view of Harris after hearing that.

In key states to secure the White House and both chambers, Latinos make up large chunks of the electorate: Arizona (25%), Colorado (15%), Florida (20%), Nevada (20%), and New York (12%). In the face of unprecedented attacks on basic healthcare access and targeted attempts by extremists to mislead and divide our community on this issue, this November Latinos will be key deciders on abortion access across the country.

Mari Urbina, Managing Director of Indivisible, Battleground Arizona Lead and former Harry Reid advisor.

Héctor Sánchez Barba is president and CEO of Mi Familia Vota (MFV).