Michelle Lujan Grisham

DemocratGovernor of New Mexico

Age	66 (b. 1959-10-24)
Gender	Female
In office since	2019-01-01 (~7 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	Hispanic/Latina (Hispano New Mexican; 12th-generation New Mexican of Spanish/Hispano descent)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Education	B.A. (University Studies), University of New Mexico, 1981; J.D., University of New Mexico School of Law, 1987
Prior occupation	Attorney; New Mexico State Agency on Aging / Aging and Long-Term Services Department director (1991-2004); New Mexico Secretary of Health (2004-2007); co-founded and ran a small health-insurance business (state high-risk insurance pool)
Military service	No
Birthplace	Los Alamos, New Mexico
Marital status	Married — Manuel Cordova (married 2022); previously Gregory Alan Grisham (married 1982, died 2004)
Children	2
Residence	Santa Fe, New Mexico (Governor's Residence)
Notable relatives	Cousin Ben Ray Lujan, U.S. Senator from New Mexico; member of the prominent Lujan political family of New Mexico

Wikipedia

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	2010
Previous offices	Director, New Mexico State Agency on Aging / Aging and Long-Term Services Department (1991-2004, appointed) · New Mexico Secretary of Health (2004-2007, appointed) · Bernalillo County Commissioner, District 1 (2010-2012) · U.S. Representative, New Mexico's 1st Congressional District (2013-2019)
Caucuses	Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Chair, 2017-2019) · Congressional Native American Caucus · Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues
Leadership	Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (2017-2019) · Chair, Democratic Governors Association (2021) · Co-chair, Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team (2020)
Ideology	Progressive/liberal Democrat; signed legislation legalizing abortion, recreational cannabis, and clean-energy mandates
Signature legislation	Energy Transition Act (2019) - 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045 · Senate Bill 10 (2021) - repealed New Mexico's 1969 criminal abortion ban · Cannabis Regulation Act (2021) - legalized recreational marijuana · Tuition-free public college (Opportunity Scholarship)

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $250,003–$600,000 (2017) · estimate

Real estate	real_estate · $175,000–$175,000 · 2017
New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association account	other · $175,000–$175,000 · 2017

Scandals & crimes ledger

settled — Civil settlement of sexual misconduct claim by former campaign staffer James Hallinan business

sexual-misconduct · 2018 · Pre-litigation settlement (no court judgment) · Lujan Grisham's gubernatorial campaign committee paid a total of $150,000 (an initial $62,500 plus an additional $87,500) to settle the claim. Lujan Grisham denied the allegations and said she settled to avoid litigation costs and distraction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former 2018 campaign spokesman James Hallinan alleged that Lujan Grisham poured water on his crotch and then grabbed it through his pants during a staff meeting before the 2018 election. The claim was resolved through a pre-litigation civil settlement paid by her campaign committee (a campaign entity, not personal funds, hence is_business_entity=true), totaling $150,000 across installments paid from late 2020 through September 2021. Lujan Grisham and her campaign denied the allegations; the settlement included no admission of wrongdoing. No criminal charges were filed and no court adjudicated the claim.

Sources: Fox News · NBC News · Albuquerque Journal

settled — New Mexico State Ethics Commission Settlement — Turquoise Care Medicaid Procurement Interference

abuse-of-office · 2023-01-30 · New Mexico State Ethics Commission · The NM State Ethics Commission alleged that Lujan Grisham's administration violated the New Mexico Procurement Code when, on January 30, 2023, acting HSD Secretary Kari Armijo — acting on instructions from the Governor's Office — abruptly terminated the Turquoise Care Managed Care Organization RFP. The Commission authorized a civil enforcement action in April 2023. A formal settlement agreement was executed August 10, 2023, following mediation by retired NM Supreme Court Justice Judith Nakamura. Terms required HSD to rescind the termination notice, reinstate the original procurement, and award contracts to the four originally selected MCOs (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NM, UnitedHealthcare of NM, Molina Healthcare of NM, Presbyterian Health Plan). No monetary penalty was imposed and no admission of wrongdoing was made by Lujan Grisham or HSD.

The New Mexico State Ethics Commission formally investigated and settled a case against Governor Lujan Grisham's administration over the January 2023 cancellation of a Medicaid managed-care RFP, which the Commission alleged violated the state Procurement Code. The August 2023 settlement required reversal of the procurement cancellation; no monetary penalty or admission of wrongdoing was included.

Sources: New Mexico Political Report · Santa Fe New Mexican · NM State Ethics Commission (official settlement document) · The Candle Publishing · Albuquerque Journal