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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'm excited to introduce my guest, congressional candidate for Congressional District 2, Greg Cunningham. Greg, welcome to The Chile Wire.
Greg Cunningham:Well, thank you for your hospitality. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Abe Baldonado:My pleasure. Well, Greg, as a tradition here, it's gonna be the hardest question you're gonna get today. Red or green?
Greg Cunningham:Christmas. Alright. That's always the answer.
Abe Baldonado:Alright. We've had a couple of back to back interviews where people have said Christmas. So Oh. It's it's rock you can't there's no wrong answer here.
Greg Cunningham:That's why.
Abe Baldonado:Unless you say you don't like Chile and then we might have to have a conversation.
Greg Cunningham:No. Then I would be running in a different state.
Abe Baldonado:That's right. Well, Greg, I want to give you an opportunity to, share a little bit about more who you are and what got you to this point that we're sitting down in this podcast booth and, you know, what got you to get involved in politics and just I really want people to know your story because I think it's an amazing story. Your campaign rolled out a tremendous video that highlights who Greg Cunningham is. But for folks who haven't seen that, we'll provide a link to that. But, Greg, I want you to share your story with everyone because I think it is truly a magnificent story, but also one rooted in service.
Greg Cunningham:Well, thank you. And really, as I look back at my life, I think that's the key word, is service. And it wasn't something that at the time was at the forefront or it just the choices I made some of them were choices that I was testing myself I wanted to see what I was made of. And other choices like the Albuquerque Police Department, they chose me. So, you know, some were on purpose, some not so much.
Greg Cunningham:I'm from Albuquerque. I was born and raised here in the South Valley Of Albuquerque Southwest Valley. I arrived at Trisco in Central. I went to Valladist Elementary, St. Mary's Middle School.
Greg Cunningham:My grandmother lived off of Barcelona in Isleta. You know, as a kid growing up, you spent a lot of time with your grandma's, right,
Abe Baldonado:at Absolutely.
Greg Cunningham:So I spent a lot of time off of Barcelona. I grew up on the ditches in the South Valley running around, playing in the river, playing on the ditches. I attended Manal High School here in Albuquerque. I graduated in 1984. I went to the old University of Albuquerque.
Greg Cunningham:You know, people don't know that Saint Pius used to be a college. College? Yes. It was the U of A. So I played basketball.
Greg Cunningham:I was playing basketball at U of A, and they closed the school down on me, so or on everybody. You know, at that point, I decided I'm going to pursue a different kind of education, so I joined the United States Marine Corps. And my initial plan was to finish my degree. I was between my sophomore and junior years, get my commission, go back in the Marine Corps as an officer. So I joined the Marine Corps.
Greg Cunningham:The unit here in Albuquerque was a reconnaissance unit Delta Company, fourth Reconnaissance Battalion. So I did boot camp, infantry school, field radio operator school, and then amphibious recon school, which is sort of the marine equivalent of I shudder to say buds, but kind of like that, you know. I don't want to make things more than they are. It took me about two years to get all my certifications. I got back to Albuquerque.
Greg Cunningham:I enrolled in school, actually at Highlands University.
Abe Baldonado:Alright. Go Highlands.
Greg Cunningham:Yes. The I was a football and basketball player in high school, and the coach remembered me. And I had asked him if if I walked on and earned a spot, if if that was a possibility. He said, yeah. Come on out.
Greg Cunningham:So I was going through two days up at Highlands and testing for APD at the same time, Albuquerque Police, And they called me in September 1989, APD, and said, you're in. You're in the academy. So I threw my stuff in the truck and got in the academy and and never looked back. But, you know, the experience that got me there was I accepted the invitation of going to ride along with a friend of mine's, brother. And, you know, it was on it was in the Northeast Heights, it was a summer night, and just that computer in the car and the radio hopping and the uniforms.
Greg Cunningham:When I spoke earlier about something finding me, that's that was it. I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I knew what I wanted to do in this world. I wanted to be a police officer, an Albuquerque police officer. So I got in the academy in 1989.
Greg Cunningham:I went through the academy, seven month academy. And in the meantime, Saddam Hussein decided he was gonna annex Kuwait. Mhmm. So my unit got activated, and then I went over to Saudi Arabia in 1990.
Abe Baldonado:You were there when my dad was there. Really? Yeah. My dad was with the United States Army National Guard and Wow. He got deployed literally two weeks after I was born.
Abe Baldonado:Got his deployment notice and so my dad had a few weeks with me and, you know, my family.
Greg Cunningham:That was enough for him. He said, I'm out
Abe Baldonado:of here. And then he said, I'm out of here for a little maybe almost close to two years. I think it was about a year, year and a half deployment. And, yes, sure enough, he was out in Saudi Arabia as well. And just I know that's always tough on families, and I'm sure your family was a little bit nervous when you got deployed.
Abe Baldonado:And my dad, I think he calls it a vacation.
Greg Cunningham:Well, God bless that man. I I admire him for what he did. Yeah. Likewise. And thank you for reminding me how old I am.
Greg Cunningham:I appreciate that. Was a reconnaissance marine, which was infantry. So Mhmm. My unit, my team, we were actually in combat. We actually, you know, again, we planned missions and and executed missions across the border into Kuwait before the war.
Greg Cunningham:We called in artillery and and, airstrikes from the from the border and in Kuwait. So we actually were in combat. So I was a a noncommissioned officer in the marines. I'd led marines in combat. I'd been in combat.
Greg Cunningham:You know, I got my total deployment there was probably eight months. Got home and went right back to the Albuquerque police. Yeah. Back to work. Right back to the field.
Greg Cunningham:And so I did uniform with APD for almost seven years, and I worked mostly, the Valley Area Command, which was like South Broadway, Westside, some up in the International District, which, you know, we called it the war zone. Yeah. You know, words matter. Right? We need to call things what they are.
Abe Baldonado:There's there's another side here in Albuquerque that'll tell you, it's not a war zone. It's not bad, you know, and Mhmm. Again, gaslighting folks. But no. Absolutely know what you're talking about.
Abe Baldonado:And you served and protected the area where I live now in the South Valley. And so thank you for serving and protecting our community.
Greg Cunningham:Thank you. I loved it. I loved that job. And so there was a lieutenant that I had that, for some reason, decided I would be good in narcotics. And so in 1990 middle of nineteen ninety six, they asked me if I wanted to go temporary duty there, and it was with Valley Narcotics.
Greg Cunningham:Again, everything was in the Valley, West Side, South Valley. And that was street level stuff, so buying rocks on the corner, doing search warrants like, you know, back then crack cocaine was a big deal in the nineties, mid nineties. You know, crack houses, heroin houses, things like that. So I I got into that line of work, and I did it very well. Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:It's hard to explain, but it was sort of like a fish in water.
Abe Baldonado:I I I couldn't imagine the stories that you have that we'll probably see for another day.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. Don't know that the statute limitations has run on all of them. So most of them, I'm gonna I'm gonna wait until I know the statutes run. Okay? Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:Absolutely. Yeah. It was a different time. Police departments were much less controlled. We had a lot more freedom and I think the natural progression of that, it was crazy.
Greg Cunningham:It was a lot of fun. Loved it. I started doing really good cases, and so I moved up to a unit called the Central Narcotics Unit, which was like kilo weight and above. I started doing good cases there, so the DEA guys had their eye on me, they asked me to join the task force. So I actually worked I was still a Albuquerque police officer, but I worked at the task force for three years.
Greg Cunningham:So I swore in at DEA. I did all my work at the federal level. So I have done wiretaps, I've done border cases, I've done undercover work at the border. So I have a very unique, you know, hands on perspective of what's going on, know, at the border and with crime and things like that.
Abe Baldonado:Which is the district, you know, that you're running in, and it encompasses that whole southern border.
Greg Cunningham:It is. And it's sort of as we kind of go through this story, you'll see at the end or even at some points during the interview that everything that I've done really sort of was preparing me and training me for, like you said earlier, the reason I'm sitting in this chair. I do have a unique perspective about our district and, you know, growing up in it and working in it and raising families in it and going to church in it. You know, basically living my life in it, my entire life. And so the CD two does it means a lot to me.
Greg Cunningham:It does resonate with me. It is who I am. It's where I'm from. And so, you know, the even the border, you know, people, they say, well, the border's secure. Well, the the human invasion is over.
Greg Cunningham:Mhmm. But the same challenges that I faced as a police officer are still there today. You know, I've I've spoken with all the sheriffs along the border. I've gotten many of their endorsements. But, you know, they know me.
Greg Cunningham:They know who I am, and so they speak to me very plainly, and nothing's changed. And so we still have a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of things we need to do, and I would be in a unique position to get that done. So I look forward to that. From there, went to the career criminal side of special investigations, which is the criminal intelligence unit, which was like the CIA of the police department.
Greg Cunningham:We didn't write reports, didn't go to court, but we solved problems. And, I'll leave it at that, probably.
Abe Baldonado:A lot of this interview
Greg Cunningham:is redacted, though. Oh, Thank goodness. But we were problem solvers. We got the job done. I did in 2002.
Greg Cunningham:I I don't know if you remember, again, because you reminded me early how much younger you are than me. I'm gonna ask Not
Abe Baldonado:to you. I was born in the eighties, so it counts. You know
Greg Cunningham:You're teasing me now. So there were some after war protests in Albuquerque in in the early two thousands. I actually infiltrated it wasn't called Antifa back then, it was called Black Bloc. Mhmm. So I infiltrated Black Block.
Greg Cunningham:So I marched with and planned with and had lunch with the precursor to Antifa, which is And Black so, again, I was in the crowds. My job in the crowd was to take the agitators out during the protests. And the horse mounted unit would come in. I would describe the agitator, and the horse mounted unit would create a box with their horses. And they would move through the crowds, surround that one person, and then remove them from the crowd.
Greg Cunningham:It was really
Abe Baldonado:That is interesting.
Greg Cunningham:Very impressive to see. But but I learned pretty quickly. And, again, hands on experience with what's going on in our world today. Right? With the ICE protests Mhmm.
Greg Cunningham:And those kinds of things that we see going on in our country, I've been there. Yeah. I've done it. I've done the work. And so I understand from, again, firsthand observations and work that if you remove the agitators from a crowd, that crowd will again, this is America.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. You can stand on a corner Yeah. And voice your displeasure with your government.
Abe Baldonado:That's Yeah. It's a privilege.
Greg Cunningham:Oh my gosh. It is. In no way am I saying that we should, you know, inhibit that in any way. But there are people in those crowds, and I gravitated to them very quickly when I infiltrated them, that are just agitators. They're just there to create chaos.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. Anarchy.
Greg Cunningham:They're anarchies. You took the word out of my mouth. They are anarchists. And so even to call these anti ICE protests, that's really given them too much credit. It has nothing to do with ICE.
Greg Cunningham:That's the flavor of the month.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. It's part of
Greg Cunningham:the movement.
Abe Baldonado:Right? You look at Black Lives Matter, the No Kings, ICE protests, you know, you name it, you know, all the way going back to post nine eleven. You know, they there there's evidence out there that shows that this is just all highly coordinated events. Yes. Because there's other motives.
Greg Cunningham:Absolutely. And that motive is to create chaos. Mhmm. And I know that because I was with these people. Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:Again, I was one of them. And so, you know, I know that firsthand. So that is not conjecture. That is not, you know, information that I gleaned from an article somewhere. That is I was with him.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. Firsthand experience. I planned civil disobedience with him. And then, of course, I would go right down the hall and give the plan to the SWAT sergeant and they were ready for it the next day.
Abe Baldonado:And they probably said, hey, we're being funded to do this. There's
Greg Cunningham:It wasn't quite that That advanced yet.
Abe Baldonado:Okay.
Greg Cunningham:Like I said, it's really, again, it's been twenty five years now, so it really has evolved into a much more organized and well funded sort But of I was there in the beginning with Black Bloc. Wow. And so, you know, again, as Americans, that is our right and our privilege. Like you said, I like your word to voice our displeasure with what's happening, but it is not our right to create chaos and civil disobedience. Harm others.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. And we're seeing that that's what it's, you know, turning into. I mean, that is the logical end to what's happening. I mean, what happened in Minnesota, that's the logical end to what we're allowing to happen. So that's what I advocate is dealing with the people that are causing that chaos individually, not not an overreaction and deal with the whole crowd.
Greg Cunningham:That's wrong. But deal with the people that are actually causing that chaos, and we we can have our streets back again if we do it intelligently and And
Abe Baldonado:allow for peaceful protests.
Greg Cunningham:Absolutely.
Abe Baldonado:Is a privilege in America where we can air our frustrations with our government and still go home and sleep that night. You don't have government coming and arresting you, you know, and that's why, you know, I laugh when I see these no kings protest. And I'm like, y'all don't live under a king. You don't live under a dictator because you can say those things and still go home to your family at night. You're not being taken off the streets.
Abe Baldonado:You you have that voice. You have that freedom. And it's because of people like you who have fought and defended that freedom.
Greg Cunningham:Thank you. And really, at a fundamental level, the very fact that you're able to have a no kings protest tells you that there's no king involved.
Abe Baldonado:That's right.
Greg Cunningham:So we'll leave it at The
Abe Baldonado:fact that you could protest in general.
Greg Cunningham:We'll leave it at that. So no, so I did my last nine years there. I retired in 2011. Some of this stuff is in the video that you talked about, and part of this process, this political process, is it's sharing things that are uncomfortable. The fact that I lost my wife to cancer, that was mine.
Greg Cunningham:So to share that with the world has been an interesting, experience. But that was part of the reason I retired. I left the police department, was I had two little girls at home. I had another close call on a search warrant, and I just knew it was time to do something else. So, I started my own business.
Greg Cunningham:I started a security consulting business, you know, police officer, what else am I going to do? Right? And but but I worked with Secret Service very closely in the intelligence unit, and I learned some very unique skills. And so I put those skills to work in in forming and running and operating a successful business in New Mexico. So I've I've owned a small business here.
Greg Cunningham:I know that that's a challenge in and of itself. Yeah. As you're a small businessman, I mean, you know, that's it's you could almost argue that the environment is hostile Yeah. To small business owners.
Abe Baldonado:Lots of red tape.
Greg Cunningham:You have to really want to do it. Yeah. And not just want to do it, but because of gross receipts, you have to be exceptional at it Mhmm. To be and, you know, that's hard to do. I don't know very many of us that are exceptional at everything that we just start.
Greg Cunningham:It takes time. Yeah.
Abe Baldonado:It takes time. It takes failures sometimes. It takes, you know, lessons and sometimes some trials and errors and but you gotta stick through it. If you're that committed and you're in it, you gotta keep it going. And we've had some amazing interviews with fellow candidates like Manny Ladesi Valle who who came on and, you know, he's a small businessman and he he said the same thing.
Abe Baldonado:You know, you have to be committed and you have to be all in and you have to be okay with it. There's gonna be some hard times in a bumpy road when you're doing this kind of work.
Greg Cunningham:I For me, getting used to, you know, being a police officer for twenty two years, you know, you know when your paychecks are coming.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:And you know what amount your paychecks are going to be. And so there's a comfort in that. And then when you start your own business, all of a sudden, that's gone. There there's no net anymore. Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:You know, and so, you know, you eat you eat what you kill. Right?
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm. And
Greg Cunningham:so you gotta hustle.
Abe Baldonado:Yep. You gotta make the you gotta know what you're making, make sure you make some profit that month
Greg Cunningham:and Yes.
Abe Baldonado:Pay the bills, but also maybe have some livable wages as well to to get by.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. You know, again, it's a challenge. And so I appreciate that challenge, and I appreciate and I admire people that take that on and that have that entrepreneurial spirit. Really, as as, you know, a congressman representing, mean, that's one of the things that I wanna help people that wanna start businesses. I want to help businesses to grow.
Greg Cunningham:I want opportunity for our children and our grandchildren and, you know, but intelligently. I mean, not growth at, scorched earth policy at any price, right? No, no, no, intelligently. But it can be done. And so I do have a heart for small business and business in general.
Greg Cunningham:I think, again, that's one of the things that will serve me well as a congressman in CT 2.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And to think about your district, Greg, is that it encompasses a lot of those values and that hard work and that entrepreneurial spirit, you know, given that it is a big district. I think it's the largest district, right? Congressional right?
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. Not population wise, but
Abe Baldonado:landmass wise. Landmass wise, so I'm sure you've put many miles on. Yes. But I think about the industries that exist in that district. I mean, that's the small business mindset.
Abe Baldonado:You look at our agricultural industry, our oil and gas industry. It is a very rich district, but it needs people who understand the work that it takes to go into that. And they need someone that also has that fighter mentality of, hey, I've been hey, I've ran alongside y'all with this. Like, I've started my own business. I know what it takes, and I know how hard it is.
Abe Baldonado:And I know how hard it is when there's government or policies that are impacting you and making it harder to do business. And so to have that that relationship is so important just to say, hey, you know, I'll I'll also, like, talk about this. You know, when I talk to educators and they say, Well, what do you know? It's like, Well, I've actually been a teacher and it changes the conversation. It's like, Okay, you've experienced what I've experienced.
Abe Baldonado:And so to be able to go into that district and have those conversations, it's like, Oh, wow. Barry can talk to law enforcement. He's been on that side of the fence. He knows the problems that exist, the opportunities that exist, and, you know, what's keeping people up in it. But then also on the small business front of, hey, I've I've started my own business too before.
Abe Baldonado:I know I know what comes along with that. And so I think just that human connection is so important. And so the fact that you bring that value is so tremendous to the district. And I'm sure refreshing from the conversations you're having with constituents. It's like, wow.
Abe Baldonado:Greg's just like me.
Greg Cunningham:Yes. People are responding very, very positively to that. And I want to touch on a word that you used: relationships. Mhmm. That really is the key to everything.
Greg Cunningham:As a detective, you know, my problem solving skills are very linear. You know, I understand context complexity because I've done, you know, federal huge cases. But really, I'm linear, like, here's my problem, what's the solution, like, how do we get there? What's the straight line, right? So and really, I found that relationships was a key to that.
Greg Cunningham:It's the ability to pick up a phone and call somebody and say, Hey, I need this or I need that or This is my problem. And when you forge those relationships with people, when they trust you and they know you, you can get problems solved. That's another thing that I would bring to this seat and to this office is those relationships. The ability to pick up the phone and say, Hey Greg, I'm the mayor of any town in CD2 USA. This is what's going on.
Greg Cunningham:This is what we need. And to be able to say, okay, mister mayor or missus mayor, what's the solution? You tell me. Tell me what I can do. Tell me what are within my parameters to get this problem solved and let's get it done.
Greg Cunningham:And so relationships are huge. You also touched on different communities. You know, CD 2 is very it's different. It's diverse in both topography and cultural. But, you know, as a police officer, I would put together these huge cases and I would have different agencies several different agencies state, local, federal and anyone that has never been around agents or police officers, you know, they're type A personalities.
Greg Cunningham:They all know what's best They're all best people. Way to do Yeah, I know the best way. So, but what I was able to do is bring those agents and those people together for a common cause. And that's what we need in CD2. I'm not advocating that the South Valley Of Albuquerque be like Hobbs Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:Or Deming be like I mean, anywhere else. Each community I mean, why a person, you know, why a piece of dirt speaks to a person and why they live there and why that's their home, that's, you know, who knows? But that's their home. And so I don't want to change any of that. I don't want us to be the same.
Greg Cunningham:I mean, that's that's silly. Be who you are. Your culture, your community, why you live here, how you make a living, be who you are. But what I'm asking for is during this cycle, midterms is a common goal. And we all want the same things, like ultimately at
Abe Baldonado:our core. Right? Yeah. We're more alike than we are different. Well, yeah.
Abe Baldonado:And oftentimes, you know, like you said, you know, problem solution right here is usually where we have discord. Right? Is the in between? And we both agree this is the problem. We both agree this would be a great solution.
Abe Baldonado:However, our difference usually lie on how we get there. And so having those conversations because we're more alike, you know, we have conversations on education, crime, you name it. I guarantee you, most of us probably agree. Hey, this is something that actually worries me. Guess what?
Abe Baldonado:It worries me too. Mhmm. How do you think we should get there? Well, I don't agree I don't agree with you on that. Okay.
Abe Baldonado:Well, let's let's talk it out.
Greg Cunningham:That's fine. And and actually going back to one of the very first things we talked about when I said words matter. Really, what I'm seeing and one of the things that got me involved in this was even the problem, I think, sometimes now, we're not we're not even agreeing on what the problem is. Yeah. Like like, how for how long during the last administration did they tell us the border's secure?
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. Everything's fine.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. And we're a border state. Like, we're here. We're going. Is it?
Greg Cunningham:No. We're watching it. Like, what are you talking about? And so there's there is there is a layer of we have to agree on what the problem is Mhmm. And and as a society.
Greg Cunningham:And then, ultimately, yes, you know, the people in Las Cruces, the people in Albuquerque, Deming, Hops, wherever, we all want the same things for our community. We all want good schools our children. We all want economic job opportunities. We all want, you know, a safe I hate the word safe because I'm a police officer. That's not a we all want, you know, but I'll use it in this context.
Greg Cunningham:You know, we all want to be able to let our wives go to the store, you know, without worrying that our car is going to get stolen or she's going to get Mugged. Mugged. I mean, you know, like now, you know, you go into a Walgreens and everything
Abe Baldonado:I think is locked deodorant. Deodorant is locked up.
Greg Cunningham:But but let's let's extrapolate that. We are being asked to live with that. We are we are being told that's the way things
Abe Baldonado:We're are being conditioned to believe that, like Yeah. This is okay. Like, this is normal.
Greg Cunningham:This is not normal. Yeah. What's happening, what we're seeing, it does not have to be this way. It really doesn't. And so, you know, again, that was one of the the things that sort of, you know, back in 2021 to get involved in politics.
Greg Cunningham:And really, it was it was the pandemic for me. It was you know, I've always thought of Americans as unruly, but, like, in a good way. Right? Yeah. You know, like, we're Americans.
Greg Cunningham:We have that renegade spirit.
Abe Baldonado:Have that freedom.
Greg Cunningham:Like, we're free. Like, leave me alone. Get off my back. Right? Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:Let me do my thing. And that's not what I saw during the pandemic. I saw us really just rolling over and
Abe Baldonado:Stay at home. You'll lose your job if you don't get this vaccination. I mean, it was wild. It was wild times. And I think, Greg, you know, Manny and I had this a really good conversation, in a previous episode.
Abe Baldonado:You know, a line was crossed. And that's what he said. He said, look. He's like, I I always did all my ministry work, but then the a line was crossed with me and my family on how we live and what we do. And, looking back to to those times in COVID, I still remember politicians saying, you stay home while they were out and about.
Abe Baldonado:And it was like, woah, woah, woah, woah. What do you mean I have to stay home? But you can go out and you can live your life. But you're telling me that I'm a murderer if I don't stay home because God forbid, I get someone sick or if I get COVID, whatever it may be. But, yeah, it was interesting times for sure.
Abe Baldonado:And I can see why you that line was crossed for you.
Greg Cunningham:Well, it's funny you brought Manny up. Not funny, but not funny, but interesting because, you know, he's a preacher by And really, that was the last straw for me was I go to Legacy Church here in Albuquerque. And when the governor tried to shut churches down and our pastor, pastor Smotherman, stood up and said, no. Yeah. We are not gonna close.
Greg Cunningham:That was my line. That was where I said, this is crazy. Yeah. We can't do this anymore.
Abe Baldonado:And that was the conversation Manny and I elaborated on was the whole context of separation between church and state. Mhmm. And a lot of people assume that that phrase is for that the church doesn't get involved in politics. No. It's actually opposite that the government doesn't get involved in churches or, you know, encroach on churches and what they're allowed to do.
Abe Baldonado:And so that was one of those moments of, hey, this is a separation between church and state. You government cannot come and tell us that we cannot convene our congregation.
Greg Cunningham:And really, again, going back to the one of the root causes of why I did you know, got involved in this was that was it. It's that premise that we are Americans and that we have, you know, rights, inalienable rights given to us by God. You know? And so to infringe upon those, for me, that was the last straw. You know?
Greg Cunningham:Just looking around, watching what was happening, watching We didn't have church, we called them peaceful protests. Because remember, if you remember back then, you were allowed to protest.
Abe Baldonado:You were allowed to protest.
Greg Cunningham:You can
Abe Baldonado:go out in the streets. Black Lives Matter, all those were out there.
Greg Cunningham:We didn't have church service. We had peaceful protests. So I want to make that very clear. But again, you know, Charlie Kirk used to come to our church when he came to New Mexico. So I listened to Charlie Kirk speak several times, and I met him there at church.
Greg Cunningham:And both pastor Smotherman and Charlie Kirk were really the first men that challenged me as a man to stand up and get involved in politics. So I did, you know, with my wife's permission, of course. You know, you have to have a
Abe Baldonado:Jen's giving us a thumbs up in here. She's in the studio. She's watching.
Greg Cunningham:For any married man out there, and you know what I'm I'll talk to the camera now. You guys know what I'm talking about. Anyway
Abe Baldonado:I concur.
Greg Cunningham:And I mean that in the nicest way. Absolutely. Know, to shape the world in the church's point of view, instead of letting the world shape the church in its point of view. That's a big deal to me. And so everything combined, you know, again, was a marine, I served my country, I was a police officer, I served my community.
Greg Cunningham:This, to me, was just sort of my next battlefield. It was the next because everything we're talking about, I think and I just wanna be clear. I it's my observation that really this is some of the things that we're being asked to being conditioned to believe, I believe we're in a spiritual war. Yeah. This is this is light versus dark, good versus evil, and and we are fighting for our children's and grandchildren's souls and futures.
Greg Cunningham:And so the battle is being played out in politics, you know, in legislatures and in senate rooms across the country, but ultimately, the the battle is spiritual. Absolutely. And, you know, I believe that wholeheartedly. That's my observation. And that, you know, you can't win a fight until you realize you're in a fight.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. And I want people to stand up and realize that we're in a fight and act accordingly.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. And elections have consequences. These are usually where these fights happen is that we elect the wrong people who are part of agendas, like you said, that are in very deep contrast versus one another is that you have light and you have dark. And I've had this conversation on the podcast many times is that we're naive to believe that we don't have enemies out there and evils that don't exist, that don't want to see harm on us, whether it's in The United States or foreign enemies who want to see The United States have a downfall. You know, we cannot be be naive to that fact that there are larger agendas out there, whether it's threats from China, India, Iran.
Abe Baldonado:You know, you can't run from it. That that there are groups out there who want to see the demise of America, and they always have been, and you're never gonna change their minds, and there's no negotiating with them. But they do exist. And and there's also, you know, people here at home who wanna help that and and defend that and that that's not okay. And, you know, we just cannot be naive.
Abe Baldonado:And it's important that New Mexicans see the differences that, hey, there are evils that exist out there. There are people who do not want you to have these freedoms that you have. And, you know, and I think we're a little bit privileged oftentimes as Americans is that, you know, we live a very comfortable life and compared to other countries.
Greg Cunningham:Oh, very much so.
Abe Baldonado:Right? And I'm sure you've used a lot
Greg Cunningham:of I've been on the other side of the planet. I've seen the other side of the world.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely.
Greg Cunningham:You used the word privilege, and that was a very politically correct word. I'm going use the word spoiled.
Abe Baldonado:Spoiled.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. We are spoiled. And and the the mistake that Americans have fallen into is that we are so spoiled and so privileged that we believe the rest of the world thinks like we do. Yeah. And that's a mistake.
Greg Cunningham:The rest of the world does not think like us. Like you said, there is a whole other world out there with differing viewpoints, cultures, religions and beliefs, and we need to wrap our minds around. Not all of those are compatible with ours.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. Yeah. And the the most important thing, folks, is educating yourself. When you say, hey, I'm pro Palestine. Do you know what that means?
Abe Baldonado:Like, do you understand what you're saying? Because trust me, I think if you found out the cultural views and values of Palestine, they probably conflict with American values.
Greg Cunningham:See, and this goes back to the anarchist I was telling you about. That just that that vein we have in our country that just hates our country that taps into, you know, that was one of the of the month that
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. Those emotions like, this this is the emotion that's really hot right now. Let's tap into that.
Greg Cunningham:And that's another thing I'm glad you brought up is Okay. As a police officer, I learned pretty quickly that when somebody's angry, you can't reason with them. If you think about this, you know, in your own personal life, because, you know, we're all human beings. Right? We all get angry.
Greg Cunningham:You're angry, you can't two plus two is not four. You're just angry. Yeah. And that's really what the progressive left has done a good job of doing with America and its voting voting base. They're just keeping them angry.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:So we sit here and we say, well, can't you see how this policy is adversely affecting this group of people or how it doesn't work? Like, we're looking at it on paper logically and we're like, how
Abe Baldonado:come
Greg Cunningham:why don't you see this? Because they're angry.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:It's not they're not they're not ignorant. They're not dumb. They're just angry. And so that's why you just keep seeing them point to, yeah, but Trump. Yeah, but Trump, because that stirs up people's emotions.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. And as long as they're angry, who cares about the issues? Right. I'm just angry.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. So it's I don't like this person, so I'm just angry.
Greg Cunningham:Yeah. It doesn't matter. Yeah. Gas prices, wars, I mean, all these things, you know, food prices, I don't care. I'm just angry.
Greg Cunningham:I just hate this or I hate that and that's bad and this is bad. And as long as I'm digging my heels in and that's how my feelings are, because really feelings aren't facts, right? But as long as people are acting on their feelings and not facts, we're going to have this conflict in our We all need to settle down, take a breath, take a step back and say, what's happening? What are we doing? How do we move together forward in a calmer and better fashion?
Greg Cunningham:And that's what we offer.
Abe Baldonado:Yeah. That human connection, Greg. I love it. To be respective of your time, Greg didn't wear his short sleeves today. But if you get a chance, we're going to provide you a link to his video because it really tells the story of who Greg Cunningham is.
Abe Baldonado:It is a wonderful tribute to your your life and what you've experienced and also your future of what you hope to accomplish. And I hope more New Mexicans get a chance to see this because it is a truly amazing story and how you tie in your tattoos to your life and where you were at in life when you got this tattoo into where you're at now. And so sorry, all Greg. Greg didn't get the memo. He didn't wear the short sleeves today, but he shared a little bit about who he is with us.
Abe Baldonado:And we hope you get to learn more about who Greg is. Greg, for folks who want to learn more about you, your campaign, where can they go?
Greg Cunningham:Well, our website is cunninghamfornm.com. And again, that'll give you all the resources you need. That answers any questions and who we are, why we're here, policy, all those sorts of things. And there's ways on there to delve deeper. Like, if you want to talk to me and you want to have a conversation with me, I'm open to that.
Greg Cunningham:So it's not just like a it's not a dead end. Yeah. The website is not we'll just go there and no, not a dead end. Like I said, relationships, right? Absolutely.
Greg Cunningham:I mean that. I want relationships with people to start solving some of these problems.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. And Greg, on relationships piece, one thing I learned from a few of my mentors over the years is that you can build those relationships. One of the hardest things is maintaining those relationships. And that's like another component that, you know, having this conversation, you want to maintain that relationship with New Mexicans and, you know, everyone in CD2. And so I think that's so important because we don't hear people talk about that anymore, especially a lot of folks who get into politics.
Abe Baldonado:A lot of times they're not talking about like, no, hey, I want to build a personal relationship with me as your representative and you as my constituents. I want that relationship, and I want to earn your trust as much as I hope that I earn yours. And, you know, that that's so important. I think that's a that's a wonderful conversation that more folks need to have more of is that, hey, let's build this relationship because at the end of the day, we're all human.
Greg Cunningham:And and ultimately, what you just said, you know, the way to start a relationship and and it's part of me being here in the video, is I'm being genuine.
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm.
Greg Cunningham:I'm being authentic. Like, the stories I'm telling, the history I'm telling you about is all real. It really is who I am and where I was. And so I'm starting off in a place of authenticity. And then from there, it's about building trust.
Greg Cunningham:It's about maintaining who you are as a person, and you show that person. Yeah. We're not always gonna agree on stuff. Right? Yeah.
Greg Cunningham:You and I
Abe Baldonado:And we shouldn't. Like, we shouldn't always agree. Right?
Greg Cunningham:That's true.
Abe Baldonado:Like, we we should like, you know, we should say, hey, maybe I don't agree with that. Okay. Well, give me well, first and foremost, have some reasons and some, like, real, like
Greg Cunningham:just because you're angry.
Abe Baldonado:Not just because you're angry. Like, okay. Hey. Are there some facts? Maybe there's something that you've seen that I haven't that you believe that this might be wrong or,
Greg Cunningham:you know,
Abe Baldonado:maybe incorrect.
Greg Cunningham:You're right. Well, and I think that's one of the things that's that's, you know, my wife and I, we have six children, and we have nine grandchildren. So we're rooted in this community.
Abe Baldonado:You guys have big Christmas parties, don't you?
Greg Cunningham:We do. And actually, our house is the house everybody comes to all the time, so But we but one of the things, you know, I learned is, you know, we have five daughters. So in some form or another, I've had one woman mad at me since 1989. Okay? But what I've learned is I could be wrong.
Abe Baldonado:Mhmm.
Greg Cunningham:Like, I have to listen. Like, if I come into every conversation, we talk about relationship, even with you, if I come to it thinking, well, I'm right, automatically, I'm already in a place where we're we're probably not gonna find a solution. So I have to be open to the fact that the people I talk to, I could be wrong. Yeah. And I have to be open to that and be willing to say as much.
Greg Cunningham:You know what? I was wrong about that. You convinced me. You showed me why. How do we move forward together?
Greg Cunningham:And so being willing to listen, being willing to be wrong, and being willing to change course to get the problem solved are all things that, again, my history shows, and we'll we'll get it done.
Abe Baldonado:Wonderful, Greg. We appreciate that. We appreciate your commitment to service and public service and the great humility that you bring to this candidacy, I think, is refreshing. And so just want to thank you for that because we need real people who don't take themselves entirely serious. But at the same time, you know, hey, I'm Greg Cunningham.
Abe Baldonado:I'm just like you born and raised in New Mexico, lived here my whole life, you know, defend and protected my community and built strong relationships with folks, Democrat, Republican.
Greg Cunningham:Absolutely.
Abe Baldonado:You know, at the end of the day, just built those relationships. Yeah, just truly inspirational, Greg.
Greg Cunningham:Thank you.
Abe Baldonado:We wish you all the best. We know that decisions like these don't come lightly. I'm sure it took a lot of prayer, a lot of talking with Jen, of course, and, you know, getting that permission slip like, hey, let's do this.
Greg Cunningham:Actually, if you'll give me thirty seconds, So I'll tell
Abe Baldonado:you
Greg Cunningham:I ran for office. I didn't win here on Albuquerque's West Side. People were talking to me I say people, the infamous they were recruiting me for this. I agreed to take a call from the National Republican Congressional Committee. And I asked those same questions.
Greg Cunningham:Why are you calling me? And I know we're out of time. This is just you and I talking So now. They told me, hey, President Trump won CD two in 2024. And in my house seat here in Albuquerque, I outperformed the president by four points.
Greg Cunningham:And so mathematically, the path was there. Politically, I fit the mold, I fit the profile. But I took that call on September 10, and about three hours later, Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
Abe Baldonado:Oh, wow.
Greg Cunningham:And I knew right then what I was supposed to do. Jennifer, my wife, at that moment looked at me crying. She said, don't even think about it. But about two days later, after a lot of crying and emotions on her part, and mine, to be honest, She looks at me and she goes, do you remember what Charlie Kirk said? I said, you know, which time?
Greg Cunningham:She said he said, run for office. If you lose, run again. If you lose, run again. Keep running until you win. And my wife looked at me with tears in her eyes, Avinicio, and she said, you have to do this.
Greg Cunningham:And that was that was the bow. Was the culmination of everything. That was, I believe, God telling me the day Charlie Kirk was assassinated, but then my wife looking at me with tears in her eyes and saying, you have to do this. I knew. I knew where my battlefield was.
Greg Cunningham:I knew what I was supposed to do, And this is part of that process. We're gonna get her done.
Abe Baldonado:Absolutely. Well, and I will tell you, I will attest with a wonderful wife who I love dearly. When you face a strong man, you know that there's a strong woman right behind And so kudos to you, Jen. We're glad to have you here. And just again, what what a perfect way to end this segment on that story because it's about family.
Abe Baldonado:It's about community, and it's about making a difference and and realize that we're fighting something bigger here. And as you said earlier, there's light and then there's dark. And, you know, it's really the the light will always win. Always. Always.
Abe Baldonado:Greg Cunningham, thank you so much. Appreciate having you. And we look forward to calling you Congressman Cunningham in the next few months. And we wish you all the best of luck here at the Chile Wire. God bless you, your family, and please take care and stay safe.
Abe Baldonado:God
Greg Cunningham:bless you. Thank you for your hospitality.
Abe Baldonado:My pleasure. Well, y'all, that's it for this week's Chile Wire. We'll see you next time.