(The Center Square) – A new ranking finds that New Mexico’s Michelle Lujan Grisham is the worst governor in the country when it comes to economic freedom.
Grisham is ranked 50th overall in the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) annual scorecard of governors, behind Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee.
“Grisham’s no-energy policies effectively predicted our national economic crisis,” ALEC CEO Lisa Nelson said. “Grisham’s top-down, big government approach is crippling her state’s economy and harming hard-working New Mexicans. It is not a coincidence, given her policies, that New Mexico has the highest unemployment rate in the nation and is among the states most dependent on federal welfare benefits.”
ALEC's report ranked governors based on their executive policies, economic performance and fiscal policy while in office. The New Mexico governor ranked 49th for her executive policies, 46th for economic performance, and 48th for fiscal policies.
ALEC ranked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the top-three governors in the country.
Nelson said governors with strong scores tended to favor lower taxes, energy development, and individual freedom.
“Top-ranked governors tend to have lower taxes, adopt policies encouraging domestic energy production, seek to empower individuals and families as opposed to empowering government bureaucracies,” Nelson said. “Their states also had lower unemployment and less welfare dependency.”
Grisham’s office did not respond to a request for comment.