Howie Morales

Morales attended Silver High in Silver City, New Mexico and graduated in 1991. His father, a Vietnam veteran, worked in a copper mine and his mother worked multiple hourly-wage jobs. Morales began his first job as a teenager to help his parents make ends meet, and later worked as a shoe salesman and maintenance worker.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree, and in 1998 a Master of Art degree in Bilingual Special Education from Western New Mexico University. Morales earned a PhD in Education Curriculum and Instruction with a dual emphasis in computer learning technologies and management and leadership from New Mexico State University in 2007.

Morales began his professional career in 1995 as a classroom teacher of special education students in the Silver Consolidated School District. From 2001 to 2005, he also was the head baseball coach for Cobre High School.

Morales is currently the longest serving volunteer member of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Grant County.

Morales was elected County Clerk in Grant County in 2005. As County Clerk, he oversaw the transition from over 1,000 outdated voting machines to newer Edge Touch Screen Machines. He also created a Bureau of Elections Department within the Clerk's office.

On December 27, 2007, New Mexico State Senator Ben D. Altamirano died of a heart attack. On January 9, 2008, Governor Bill Richardson appointed Morales to the vacant position that Altamirano held since 1971. According to Socorro County Commission Chairman Jay Santillanes, "Morales was personally recommended by the Altamirano family to fill Ben Altamirano's term. Altamirano's wife, Nina, had considered putting her name in for the position, but decided against it."[4]

Morales ran for the office that he was appointed to in the 2008 general elections and defeated Republican Joseph Gros, 9,561 to 4,019, to retain his seat.[5]

In October 2013, Morales officially announced he would run for the office of Governor of New Mexico.[6]

After losing the Democratic nomination in a five-way primary[7] in June, 2014 to state Attorney General Gary King, Morales continued to serve as a State Senator in his district.[8]

During his 11-year career in the New Mexico Senate, Morales held seats on the Legislative Finance Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, both dealing with state budget matters. He sponsored bills addressing public education, environment and universal health care.[9] Morales was an outspoken critic of the Martinez administration's education policies that emphasized standardized testing, and he opposed use of The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment in classrooms statewide.[10] He spoke out frequently against cuts to public education.[11] Morales criticized the introduction of a teacher evaluation system that relied heavily on student performance on the new standardized test (PARCC) in the state's public schools, and he questioned the methodology of the A-to-F school grading system instituted by the Martinez administration.[12] In 2018 Morales sponsored legislation to substantially increase the tax on cigarettes, vaping and tobacco products in order to generate $89 million additional for public schools.[13] Morales' 2017 Senate Bill 106 sought to create a new cabinet-level Early Childhood Services Department with oversight of already-existing programs like home visiting and pre-kindergarten that are currently scattered through various state agencies.[14] On the environmental side, Morales staunchly opposed controversial federal plans to divert the Gila River in western New Mexico, often described as the last wild river in the West, and he pushed for alternatives to wholesale diversion.[15]

Senator Morales was inducted into the New Mexico High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in December, 2017[16], an honor given in recognition of his successful baseball coaching career while achieving prominence in government.  Morales was an accomplished high school baseball coach at both Silver High School and Cobre High School in Grant County, including being the youngest head coach in New Mexico to reach 200 wins. Morales retired (2009) after coaching to an impressive 203-49 record.[17]

Howie Morales Stadium, Bayard, New Mexico

Sen. Morales' team won a state title in 2008, and he coached his team as state runners-up in 2002, 2007 and 2009. He was also part of seven district championships and seven regional championships as a head coach. Morales also enjoys the rare honor of having a baseball stadium named in his honor, in Bayard, New Mexico.[18]

In December 2017, Morales announced his candidacy for the office of the Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico.[19][20] During his campaign, he called for a "New Day for New Mexico" in which innovative and effective policies would be implemented to create more jobs and economic growth, stronger classrooms and student achievement, and strong protections of air, water and land.[21][22] On June 5, 2018, Morales defeated former Majority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives Rick Miera and Doña Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett in the Democratic primary contest. Morales received 47.1% of the vote, and won all but 3 counties.[23][24] In the November 6, 2018 general election, he was elected Lt. Governor along with the Democratic candidate for Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, running together. As Lieutenant Governor, Howie Morales presides in meetings of the New Mexico Senate. In January, 2019 Gov. Lujan Grisham asked Lt. Governor Morales to lead the state Public Education Department (PED) for the first few weeks of the new administration until a permanent Secretary was named[25][26]. During that period, Gov. Lujan Grisham issued two executive orders eliminating future use of the PARCC standardized test in public schools.[27][28] Dr. Karen Trujillo, a former classroom teacher and specialist in educator professional development was named as Secretary at the end of January, 2019.[29] Morales said policy changes under the administration of Gov. Lujan Grisham would have positive results for students, educators and schools.[30] Morales credited the energetic leadership and new priorities of Gov. Lujan Grisham for creating a needed culture shift at the state PED in support of more collaboration with schools.[31]

• New Mexico Lt. Governor website
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Howie C. Morales (NM) profile
• Follow the Money - Howie Morales
  • 2008 campaign contributions