By Frost McGahey
“I’ve been knee-deep in the Washington, D.C. swamp, and I’ve got the alligator bites on my ankles to prove it,” Gavin Clarkson said, addressing the monthly meeting of the Grant County Republican Women.
“I’ve never run for public office until now. But after seeing how destructive D.C. can be, both from the outside and on the inside, I’m convinced that the best way to help President Trump and protect New Mexico is to run for the Republican nomination to make sure we retain this congressional seat in November.”
Clarkson served in the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development – Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior until December. Before that he spent 15 years working with tribal governments on financing and economic development. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He resigned his post in December to run for Steve Pearce’s seat, which is Congressional District No. 2.
“Working in the Swamp had shown me all the shenanigans that go on. I have a plan to eliminate over $1 billion in costs by introducing a bill that would eliminate the federal regulation that requires all governmental departments to have 25% of their workers tele-commute. Supposedly these people are working from home, but we found one guy who was hiking the Appalachian Trail on the taxpayers' money.”
“I’ve taken the Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” Clarkson continued, “That means that I will under no circumstances raise taxes. There’s no need once you cut out all the waste and fraud in Washington.”
Clarkson added that he was following in Steve Pearce’s steps by reaching out to the six Indian tribes that have reservations in CD District No. 2. He has a plan to help the tribes and all of New Mexico.
“We can spur economic growth and create jobs on Indian Reservations and surrounding towns if we eliminate dual taxation.” Clarkson said. “If an oil and gas company wants to drill on Indian land, not only are they taxed by the tribal government, but also by the state of New Mexico. Indian-owned businesses are only taxed once. If we didn’t have this policy, I know of an oil company that would build a refinery on the Mescalero Reservation and that would create hundreds of jobs for the Mescalero and their neighbors.
Clarkson earned a doctorate from the Harvard Business School and he also graduated cum laude from the Harvard Law School. While president of the Native American Law Students Association, he repeatedly invited Elizabeth Warren to address their society. She was a law professor at the time. She refused to come. Although highly educated, Clarkson values people who can build, grow and fix things.
“I’ve taught in vocational schools, and I know the importance of skilled trades,” Clarkson said. “I’ve had to replace the wax ring under a toilet, and I don’t want to ever have to do that again.”
He’s focused on creating jobs to keep students here who graduate college in New Mexico but have to move to another state to get a job. “We need to encourage companies to relocate to NM, but they write us off because we are not a Right-to-Work state.” (Right-to-work means that unions cannot make an employer hire only union employees.)
Gavin Clarkson’s method of campaigning is to reach out to voters directly. He certainly did that as shown by the applause that greeted the end of his speech.
Early voting is underway at the Grant County Clerk's Officer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday, June 2. Early voting begins at the Bayard Community Center this Saturday, with hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.