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Real News For Real New Mexicans.
The Chile Wire with Abe Baldonado. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The Chile Wire. This week, I am honored to have my friend, Jose Orozco join me in The Chile Wire studio. Jose, man, it's been a long time coming.
Abe Baldonado:We got you in the studio finally.
Jose Orozco:It has been a very long well, really appreciate you, Abe. Thank you for having me.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. My pleasure. And, Jose, on Chile Wire, we always have to ask, red or green?
Jose Orozco:Oh, gosh. Well, depending if it's not too hot, please don't let Vince Taurus hear this. But I usually prefer it Christmas on the side.
Abe Baldonado:Alright. Christmas on the side. That's that's the first response we've gotten. Christmas on the side, we're not judging Vince, don't judge him. Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:Jose, thanks for coming on the Chile Wire. Jose, I just wanna give you a moment to share a little about who you are and and your story. I think you have an amazing story, and I just love for our our viewers and our audience to just get to know Jose Orozco.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. Well, you know, was born and raised here in Albuquerque. I was raised by a single mom. You know, it was definitely very difficult, you know, growing up. We we lived below the poverty line.
Jose Orozco:You know, my dad, you know, decided to to split when we were very young and we were just, you know, having to go through all this adversity, all the challenges in life that we're being faced with, especially the the financial aspect of it was very, very hard growing up here in in New Mexico. But I've been fortunate enough that my mom was able to raise me to be a very strong conservative. You know, we never accepted a handout. We've always had to fight and claw our way out of any situation that we're faced with. So, you know, that's pretty much, you know, a lot of what really molded me to become this person, this this fighter for for the people, for my community, and and the district that I was running for.
Abe Baldonado:Wonderful. And and Jose, on that note, last week, you had some news breakout from your camp and you you dropped out of the Congressional District 2 race for congress. You know, what was that experience like? And, you know, I I gotta tell you, man, I'm impressed because oftentimes we hear a lot of people talk about, you know, hey, doing what's best when we start seeing that there's a district not being represented well. And oftentimes, it takes a lot of humility.
Abe Baldonado:But what I saw in your press release and your announcement was there was a lot of humility that went into that, and we'd just love for you to share a little bit about what led to that. But also, you traveled all around CD 2, man, and I am sure you saw the beauty that surrounds that district and also the opportunities that exist. And I'd just love for you to share about what you saw and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. Well, you're you're absolutely right. Congressional District 2 is one of the largest geographical districts in the nation. 51,000 square miles and a 180 miles of of border between New Mexico and the country of Mexico. It's a very large district, but with a lot of rural areas, but a lot of beautiful places throughout the district.
Jose Orozco:You know, I traveled, all the way from Northwest Albuquerque all the way down to the far the furthest, Southwestern portion of the state, you know, down through Hidalgo and Luna County, Grant County, all the way down to Southeast New Mexico down to the oil patches. And it's just filled with a lot of amazing people. The landscape is just completely beautiful. And I this was a really great opportunity for me to really reach out and and talk to the people and actually get to feel and see and and hear their frustrations of what they're what they're experiencing here in in the state and within the congressional district. You know, last week, I did make an a a press release, an announcement that I was dropping out.
Jose Orozco:And ultimately, the reason why was that I started to see a lot of division within, not necessarily just within our party, but within our people Mhmm. Within our our faith based communities, you know, considering that, you know, there was two of us that was running for for the same district. Two great candidates, myself Absolutely. And and and my previous primary opponent, Greg Cunningham. And, you know, we were kinda just it was like a fork in the road pretty much.
Jose Orozco:And this was it would have been very detrimental not just to our community, but to the party and to a lot of our our great volunteers and a lot of our great supporters within our faith based communities. And ultimately, you know, from what we've been seeing at the national level as well, there's just been complete division. And I just wanted to to just make sure that I wasn't the one that was being a part of this division either.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. No. That that's that's amazing, Jose, because I think that's something that we don't really see often in politics anymore. A lot of times, egos are involved and folks sometimes stay in it even though it's dividing folks, it's creating a lot of division and especially like in faith based communities. But to take that in and really think about it and say, hey, you know what?
Abe Baldonado:What's best for everyone? What's best for New Mexico? And I think that to me is very selfless of you to put New Mexico first. I that's what I saw was Jose is putting New Mexico first, which you always have. You've always put New Mexicans first.
Abe Baldonado:You've wanted to put New Mexico first, and this is your way of showing it now and saying, hey. There's a greater risk right now and that's potentially having another term of Gabe Vazquez.
Jose Orozco:Correct. You know, and I saw that with Gabe because for the past thirteen years, I was a government contractor for DEA. I worked alongside DEA agents, federal agents on dismantling drug trafficking organizations. Also, you know, lot of these drug trafficking organizations that were operating in New Mexico were being led by Mexican cartels that were operating freely in the state. And I saw that during the Biden administration and including, Guy Bosque's first term, and I started to realize, that's where my eyes started to open up, that when we started to experience this influx of drugs that were coming into our state, this influx of sex trafficking and human trafficking into our state, I realized that there was a problem.
Jose Orozco:There was something wrong with a lot of the negative policies that were being pushed. And considering the fact that New Mexico and Congressional District 2 is a border state. Right? So we're pretty much the first line of defense at the national level. So ultimately, that's what really led me and really encouraged me to to run because of failed leadership and failed policies that a lot of our elected leaders were pushing down.
Jose Orozco:And ultimately, that's the reason why I decided to run. Aside from being a former business partner for a construction company, I also understand that it's really hard right now when it comes to affordability, especially, you know, we're starting to see an increase in gas prices, an increase in grocery prices. Right? You know, being a former business partner, I understood that. You know, I understand what it takes to make payroll.
Jose Orozco:I understand what you have to do in order to keep work coming in so that you can pay your employees that need to sustain their own families. Yeah. So ultimately, that's what I saw within Congressional District 2. And even on top of that, I I saw many families that were struggling, a lot of members of the community that were struggling financially, and I saw myself in them because they were all experiencing the same hardships that I experienced growing up. So that's why I stepped up because I truly believe that we're able to just bring true leadership back to New Mexico.
Jose Orozco:And ultimately, was just doing it for the right reasons, right intentions. Putting political affiliations aside, you know, having some sort of political clout was never my intention. My intention was always to represent the people. And ultimately, that was the decision that really led me to step down from this race.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And again, hitting on affordability, I think your story of how you grew up resonates a lot with what people are going through today, especially in CD two with affordability issues, you know, trying to make ends meet, and trying to deliver someone who's gonna look out for those priorities and say, hey, we wanna make things affordable for you all. We wanna make cost of living feasible for every New Mexican and doing the right thing to try to lead to that. But also now, as you step down from seeking candidacy for c d two, how important is it now for folks to go out and support Greg Cunningham? Because this election has a big consequence, and Gabe Vosquez has continuously fell that district.
Abe Baldonado:Just last week, he was talking about closing ICE detention centers in El Paso. He doesn't even represent El Paso, Texas. And so that to me just shows just how out of touch he is, but also just how he is not invested in New Mexicans. And I, you know, I know plenty of stories about Gabe Vazquez. He doesn't take meetings.
Abe Baldonado:He's also not friendly to the largest industry in Southern New Mexico, and that's our oil and gas industry, which, you know, feeds our state coffers. And I know he is not a friend to the industry and oftentimes avoids conversations with those folks and usually votes against them on bills that harm the industry from doing their work and also keeping that money coming into New Mexico.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. Correct. Well, you know, to to your first point, it's very crucial, especially this midterm election, that we have a lot of our voters understand and they have to go out there and vote for Greg Cunningham because ultimately, Gabe Vasquez has delivered poor results, negative results for the state of New Mexico. Yeah. He's definitely been making decisions based off his own political affiliation which is hurting the industries here in New Mexico, especially the oil and gas industry.
Jose Orozco:When we look at the oil and gas industry here in New Mexico, it's one of the the the largest employers in the state out in Southeast New Mexico with high paying jobs. But aside from it, they're also one of the biggest contributors to the state's economy. Just last year in 2025, they contributed over $13,000,000,000 into the state's economy, which goes into capital outlay, the infrastructure Education. Education system, Even paying our teachers. So the oil and gas industry is one of the the crucial natural resources here in the state that has been sustaining New Mexico for a very long time.
Jose Orozco:And to have Guy Vazquez not even take meetings with them or hear them out or even hear the issues that they have is very, very poorly done by Gabe.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And so Jose, how do we get voters now to get out and vote? Like, this to me is very important. We need folks to go to the ballot box. Like, folks in CD 2 need to ensure that we don't see another term of gay bosquez.
Abe Baldonado:How do we get there?
Jose Orozco:Yeah. Well, we definitely have to start working on GOTV, getting out the vote, pushing a lot of voter registration as well. Congressional District 2 has over 700,000 people that live in the district, and only 400,000 are registered voters. Historically, during the midterms, we always have a low voter turnout. Mhmm.
Jose Orozco:And we really need to start going out there, getting people engaged, having a lot of our viewers that are watching this podcast tell a friend, tell a family member, tell their coworkers to go out and vote because this year is gonna be very crucial for New Mexico, and we need a strong conservative leader that can actually have a voice for New Mexico and Washington and represent the best interest of our state.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And, you know, just from what I've seen, think a big chunk of those 700,000 citizens of c d two and the 400,000 voter registered voters are actually disenfranchised right now because I don't think leadership matches to their values and what's most important to them as far as keeping our borders safe and secure, but also our oil and gas industry and our agricultural industry, the strongest in the nation. You know, we have someone currently in office that does not lead that, and has played very one-sided politics during his time in DC. And I think now it is imperative for New Mexicans to verse themselves in who their elected official is and how he's voted historically during his time as a US representative and how important it is now to say, hey, c d two, I think we need a change.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. You know, it's I don't mean to necessarily just bash on the Democratic Party, but unfortunately for a very long time here, especially in the state of New Mexico, the Democratic Party has always kept the population uneducated and dependent off government.
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm.
Jose Orozco:So when it comes to going out there and having the right messenger delivering the right message to our constituents, to the voters, and letting them know, like, these are the crucial issues that are at hand. This is the reason why we need to win in November. So, you know, it's gonna be on on Greg's campaign in order to deliver that message, but we gotta be able to rally up and let our voters know we need to vote for him.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. Yeah. And, you know, I lot of friends, lots of family, people I know are Democrats and, you know, I I believe that they've been sincere, but I think they've been sincerely wrong in a number of issues. Yeah. And you and I kinda know who who has said that.
Jose Orozco:We we
Abe Baldonado:share that relationship. But it it's it's definitely true. It's that I think they're they're sincere, but they've been sincerely wrong for New Mexico for a very long time because we've not seen the return on investment in New Mexico given how much money is pumped into our state coffers, how much money is generated even to federal dollars from our industries, and just the large role that New Mexico plays in our agricultural industry nationwide. Our our energy industry is second to none, and manufacturing, we have the Santa Teresa border in CD 2 as well. Just understanding the larger role that New Mexico plays in domestic security and energy and energy independence is massive, and it's all right here in New Mexico.
Abe Baldonado:And I think a lot of times we we take that for granted in New Mexico. We don't we don't realize just how large of, influence, and impact that we have on our nation as a whole, and what we provide, but there's certain policies that are holding those industries back from even delivering more.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. Absolutely. And a lot of these policies are driven by poor leadership. You know, I always make this this analogy is and and you've heard this before as well, where we have New Mexico and Arizona, the two twins that were separated at birth. Yeah.
Jose Orozco:Right? Where we both became states on the same year, 1912. How is it that Arizona has four times the GDP than New Mexico does? Yeah. When Arizona doesn't have the natural resources that we do.
Jose Orozco:We are a very wealthy state, but a very poorly run state with poor leadership. Starting from the governorship down to the state house, state senate, and all the way down to or all the way up to our five members of congress, which is both our three members of congress and our two US senators, where they've always been capitalizing off the downfall of New Mexico, but yet they don't represent what the people need here.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. I I I've always told people, give a decade for new leadership to come into New Mexico, and let's see the big changes that we see in New Mexico's economy and our growth, but also the perspective of The United States on what New Mexico has been able to do in a decade with new leadership, newly elected folks. And I'm not talking about electing progressives because I think they're gonna take us even further back, but just common sense folks that know, hey, we need good business policy, we need, good energy policy, and we need great just human policy and understanding what's gonna actually lift people up, get them out of poverty because our government dependence in New Mexico is only gonna further exacerbate poverty. Like, that's just the reality.
Jose Orozco:Yeah. You're absolutely right. You know, it's it's about giving the hand up, not the hand down. Absolutely. And that's what we really need to focus on this cycle and going into the future within the next ten years.
Jose Orozco:Right? Because we we can't really accomplish a lot of things in two years or four years for the governorship. It has to continue on. And one of the greatest things that I was very was very blessed about was when I was going to the communities, talking to the business owners, talking to the members of the church leaderships, the congregations, is even when I would go into a lot of these hot locations where they're heavily Democrat, when I would have these dinner conversations with them, dinner table conversations, a lot of them are conservative. Yeah.
Jose Orozco:You know, when we talk about the basic issues of hard work brings prosperity
Abe Baldonado:Basic values, the way we developed, the way we were raised.
Jose Orozco:Exactly. They they all will nod their heads and say, like, yeah, I agree with what you're saying. Unfortunately, they just have this generational mentality, unfortunately, where they their great grandparents were Democrats and their grandparents were Democrats, and then now they continue to vote Democrat. But what they don't realize is that the Democratic Party has moved away from them, from their own values.
Abe Baldonado:They're not the the JFK Democrats.
Jose Orozco:Exactly. They're not. So that's the reason why we gotta be able to keep this open dialogue with a lot of our voters, with our constituents, and just be honest with them. Tell them, like, look. This is what I believe in.
Jose Orozco:This is what I'm running for, and this is what I'm gonna do to represent you. And that was the reason why I was running was because I wasn't running just because I was a Republican. I was running because I came from there. If I was able to pull myself up, so can they. Because I have a personal relationship with a lot of the communities down in the South Valley where I grew up below the poverty line.
Jose Orozco:And I was just very blessed and fortunate to have a really strong woman like my mother to raise me to become conservative, and she always told me, don't complain, always stand up and do something about it. Be a problem solver. And that's the reason why I took it upon myself and and including my wife, which was a really hard sell when I decided to run for office. But she knew what was in my heart, and she knew that I was doing it for the right reasons. But we gotta continue on having this dialogue with a lot of our voters, with everybody within the community to know this is what's happening, but this is what we're gonna do for you.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And Jose, on that note, those of us who've worked in this world for a long time know it's not easy to make that decision to jump into a a political race, because there's a lot of sacrifices that come out with it. There's a lot of time away from family, but it's also your family, your wife, your kids, they all sacrifice that time with you so you can go out on the road and meet with other New Mexicans. So oftentimes, it's not just you that's running the race, it's your entire family and it's it's it's a it's a big thing to take on and so God bless you and your family for even taking that first step because those decisions don't come lightly. They're they're very hard.
Abe Baldonado:And in this case, you know, conceding as well is also a very difficult decision to make and so just God bless you for that and God bless you for thinking about New Mexicans first. Hey. I just wanna see New Mexico thrive, succeed. And I have no doubt this is not the last we've seen of Jose Orozco, and I'm I'm looking forward I'm looking forward to hearing what's next. And so and hopefully, we'll get you back on the podcast as
Jose Orozco:Oh, you will.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. So that way we can continue talking about it. But, Jose, it's so important right now for us to get out voters, and and I'm sure you're gonna be leading that charge to get folks who have supported you throughout your entire career to make sure that they get out and vote. If you live in CD 2, you need to vote this election. Absolutely.
Abe Baldonado:And you need to vote for Greg Cunningham.
Jose Orozco:Exactly. Vote for Greg Cunningham.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. Not Gabe Boscas, y'all. Well, Jose, God bless you. Thank you for coming on to Chile Wire. And as I said, looking forward to hearing what's next and looking forward to get you on the Chile Wire again soon.
Abe Baldonado:And just always appreciate you always being a friend.
Jose Orozco:Thank you so much. I appreciate you, Abe. Thank you for always being there for me. Absolutely. And, you know, for me and my family and, you know, we truly consider you a really good friend.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. Well, Jose, God bless you guys. Thank you. And, y'all, that's it for this week's Chile Wire. We'll see you next time.