Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you, Senator Mary Jane Garcia and Thank You Democrats!

What an amazing day. Looking out over this crowd and seeing all the energy in this hall, I know that you and I working together, can not only take our state back, but more importantly, move our state FORWARD! Good Afternoon, my name is Howie Morales and I want to be the Governor of this great state. Join me in a partnership that will take New Mexico, the state of the future, where it should be second to none. I am the proud product of a working class family, the grandson of a custodian, the son of a copper miner and a mother who worked many minimum-wage jobs such as an educational assistant. We often had to rely on members of our community and public programs to help us get by. But together, juntos, we made it and you never forget where you come from. I have certainly known rough times, but I learned to never stop fighting for a better life for me and my family. I was lifted up and given a life of opportunity through the power and the love of familia. Through educational programs such as Head Start, and through student aid that enabled me to be the first person in my family to graduate from college with a teaching degree. Because of these opportunities Ive always felt called to serve to help others have that same chance. Especially the youth, our future, with whom Ive shared many key life lessons on the baseball diamond or the classroom: Never be discouraged. You can always achieve more. No matter what challenges you face, no matter how overwhelming the obstacles, challenge yourself and overcome it. And when events in life knock you down, get back up and move forward again. The bottom line, believe in yourself. I spent years coaching New Mexicos youth to reach for the American dream. All my work as Senator has been to revive and strengthen that dream here in the state that I love. I am running for Governor because that dream is under siege and we cant wait four more years for change. When asked why are you running for Governor? What keeps you motivated to travel from Taos to Gallup to Clovis to Las Cruces and everywhere in between to share your message? The answer is, because Im angry. And when I talk about my anger, Im not talking in that Republican way of hate, instead Im talking about anger as motivator and call to action through love.

Im Angry that the state that I love and where I have spent my entire life is under siege by a Governor who is more concerned with her approval ratings than the states improvement ratings. Im Angry for countless New Mexicans, including Emilio Torres, who I met back in February, who has been unemployed for two years with limited job opportunities because the Governor is too busy chasing campaign dollars instead of creating jobs. Im ANGRY that we have an Governor who says Kids First, Children First, Kids Matter when her administration could care less about the well being of our children, their safety and their protection. Im ANGRY that people who need mental health services have been affected because this administration has killed NM businesses and handed them over to out of state companies. Im ANGRY because we have a Department of Education who has now become an enemy of public education. Im ANGRY because our beloved Veterans have to jump through so many hoops and red tape to get the services and benefits they so desperately deserve. Im Angry when poverty in our Native American communities and hunger around the state is not considered an issue by an out of state, out of touch cabinet secretary. But all this anger is useless unless we leverage and use it for something positive. We cant afford four more years of Susana Martinez. If we dont act, nothing will change. Well have four more years of stagnation. Four more years of oppression. Four more years of corruption. And four more years in which the people of our great state will continue to pay for our Governors mistakes. When we elect our public officials, we place our trust in them, in the belief that they will do everything they can to improve the lives of all of their constituents. Let me be the one to say - Governor Martinez, you have violated our trust, you have failed to live up to your obligations as Governor and you and your hand picked candidates need to go! November 4th will be the day we reclaim our destiny. A new coach will come to town and it will be a brand new ballgame. We will empower our entrepreneurs, our workers, our teachers, and our students to step up to the plate, to swing for the fences, and to knock it out of the ballpark.

And as we realize the American dream, we will do it our way the New Mexico way: W ith respect for each others dignity, in a spirit of shared responsibility, collaboration, and unity that binds our families and communities. We will prosper together, as one united team. TEAM NEW MEXICO. As we look around us and see what needs to change, the secret to lasting change is this: We must focus all of our energy not on fighting the old but in creating the new. Together in a new way we will create jobs in this state by utilizing our natural resources and talented workforce while also investing in our local businesses and existing industries. Together we will create a new standard of living by increasing the minimum wage and ensuring true pay equity for women, to help tens of thousands of New Mexico families rise from poverty into the middle class. Together we will develop new programs to ensure that quality early childhood education is available from pre-birth to graduation. And we need a new way of thinking when it comes to protecting our precious natural resources, our quality of water and pristine lands. With these changes, with the right policies and priorities, with transformational leadership we will revive the American dream in New Mexico. Cesar Chavez said it best: Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. I pledge to you that I am not afraid and will never back down to anyone who would try to get in the way of achieving the American Dream here in our State! I ask you for your support and your vote here today to be your nominee for Governor. Together, we will reclaim New Mexico and move it forward. Thank you