Michelle Garcia Holmes

new mexico candidate uses campaign to spread hope

If you learn nothing else from seeing Michelle Garcia Holmes’ name on campaign signage around the city of Albuquerque, N.M., it’s that she’s persistent.

A native of the area and lifelong resident, Michelle’s name on the ballot is not a surprise for those that know her and her desire to improve her home state.

Running as a Republican in a region that is traditionally dyed-in-thewool Democratic is akin to a salmon swimming upstream, and many know politics can be an ugly, cruel arena. But to hear Michelle’s heart and learn her background is to realize that she’s got some tenacity to weather the grueling nature of running for political office.

“I really consider myself a political activist and I use the running platform to get messages out. When I first started running, no one was talking about the life issue; none of the candidates would admit on the platform that they were pro-life,” she recalled. “So I used the platform to really speak out, and I think we sent a message that it was important. When I would speak about it, we’d get response from the crowd, and I believe it encouraged others running for office to share why they were pro-life. It started to become a platform issue.

“As long as we get the message out about egregious things that are happening, like late-term abortion, crime and things that do not support our community in a positive way, we should never refrain from speaking out about it,” she added.

And she has. Currently, Michelle is running for a seat in the U.S. Congress, representing New Mexico in the House of Representatives. She won her primary in June and will face the Democratic candidate in the November election. An evangelical Christian raised in the Catholic church, Michelle has certainly hit the hot button with her stance on abortion, but she also has used previous campaigns to speak out about taxation of those on Social Security. The rampant crime is a source of concern for her since it hits so close to home.

Michelle started her career in law enforcement with the Albuquerque Police Department in 1984, then a single mother of three. She worked patrol on the graveyard shift so she could get her children ready and dropped at school before getting some rest for making court appearances as needed. She began taking some college courses but it was a juggling act with her busy schedule and she didn’t get far.

After 10 years, she became a detective, working specifically with child abuse, and the daytime hours made it a little easier to pick up classes here and there. When she met the director of the Albuquerque campus of Wayland Baptist, she found a fit in a place that was friendly to law enforcement and flexible. With support from her family and her now-husband Earl, also a policeman with APD, she dove in and completed her degree in 2005.

“It was one of the best experiences. I finally graduated and was really proud of that. I made so many friendships, and there were so many officers that signed up at the same time. There were such interesting people trying to reach goals that were pretty much not achievable for me out of high school,” she recalled. “Graduating later in life and being a mom, wife and police woman was quite a feat for me. You can have all this experience in your career and the degree gives you more credibility. It gives you more opportunity. I don’t believe I would have become the Chief of Staff in the Attorney General’s office had I not had my degree. Resume does matter; college education does matter.”

With that achievement under her belt, Michelle considered law school, but instead jumped at the chance to use her police experience at a higher level by working for Gary King, attorney general and son of former Governor Bruce King. She started as he took office in 2006,

Michelle Garcia Holmes served 22 years with the Albuquerque police force, first on patrol and then as a detective specializing in child abuse cases.

working heavily on his number one goal to create a statewide government corruption investigation division. She also worked on issues involving children and sat on the Child Fatality Panel for several years. Husband Earl was hired as Director of Investigations for the AG, so the pair worked together again.

The office worked closely with legislators to get tougher on crime dealing with children and child predators as well as human trafficking. While DNA evidence was still a relatively new thing, Michelle and her team attempted to pass legislation that would help track criminals through samples, a tough proposition. Her team worked with the District Attorney to get the statute of limitations removed on sexual assault, a monumental move for victims.

But it was an idea from a TV broadcast that gave Michelle the inspiration to lead an effort that would eventually result in the capture of the Ether Man rapist who terrorized the region for two decades, including nine years in Albuquerque.

“I had watched a program on television that talked about taking someone’s DNA and indicting it in the courts. That’s what started the chain of events for that case. I went to the District Attorney’s office and told her about it and showed her all the information and she said, ‘Let’s do this,’” recalls Michelle. “We were the first to indict DNA in New Mexico and the second in the whole country. A decade later (the rapist) was captured through DNA. So you never realize the impact you’re going to have when you do something.”

Michelle retired from the state office in 2014 when King left, and was considering her next move. With the election approaching, she decided to make a run at mayor, convinced she could make strides into the city’s growing crime problem with her experience.

“We jumped in late and it was a total train wreck. We learned a lot though,” she said with a laugh. “I originally ran as an independent, because I didn’t want to be put in a box. I wanted to be my own person. But I have the same group of volunteers I started with when I first ran for office.”

After that, the Republican Party approached Michelle about joining forces. She and Earl, who has served as her campaign manager all these years, jumped in since her values aligned so closely. She entered the 2018 race for Lieutenant Governor but lost in the general election. She decided to try once more, this time for Congress. And while the state is solidly blue, she feels a shift coming as rising crime, the economic recession and COVID protocols have left many rethinking their allegiance. And she wants to make her home city a better place for the next generation, including their seven grandchildren split among their blended family of five children.

And what if this election doesn’t end in victory? Michelle is taking all that in stride and trusting in God to reveal her next steps.

“This may be the last time unless we win, and if so I’ll seek reelection and pray about where God wants me to do my best work. He’s always been faithful, and I trust in the Lord with all my heart,” she said. “I’ve definitely seen some miracles on the campaign trail, and the discernment God gives when you choose to serve Him is phenomenal. We’ll continue on the path wherever God wants us.”

At the end of the day, Michelle is just glad that for a time, she had a voice and a chance to shed light on important things.

“If people think when they run for office that the platforms they talk about don’t matter, they do matter. We’re all in a position to serve the Lord, and this is one of the ways I serve the Lord: talking about issues that directly affect people and lives. If we can be the outspoken one about it, look how we can make changes,” she says.

Michelle in uniform working a parade in Albuquerque.

“We’re all in a position to serve the Lord, and this is one of the ways I serve the Lord.”