Here's what New Mexico leaders had to say about Biden's State of the Union address

Mar. 7—President Joe Biden's focus on the economy and democracy in his State of the Union address seemed to resonate with New Mexico's congressional delegation.

But New Mexico's Republican Party chairman said the speech deflected responsibility.

Corey Sukala, government professor at New Mexico State University called Biden's address an election year speech.

"We're all getting ready to practice democracy, and (Biden) talked about democracy, American ideals, for longer than any other subject that he talked about tonight," he said. "And he framed himself as the person who encapsulates those ideas."

Here's what state leaders had to say about Thursday's address.

Sen. Martin Heinrich: "Under President Biden, we secured the largest expansion of health care for our nation's veterans in generations. We created an American manufacturing boom by making historic investments in our workforce and in our infrastructure. And we've taken unprecedented strides toward lowering costs and accelerating a clean energy future," said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján: "President Biden and Congressional Democrats have led the way in recovering from the pandemic, rebuilding our infrastructure, helping lower costs for families, and investing in research and development. President Biden and Congressional Democrats have consistently delivered for the American people," Sen. Ben Ray Luján.

Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández: "The issues (Biden) raised from the power of women to claim our own freedoms, the power of the electorate to claim their own democracy, that's the kind of freedoms that he talked about that Americans I think, will value. And I loved it when he said we can make things in America, and when he focused on how important it is to build semiconductor chips in America ... We're doing that in New Mexico," said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury: "Donald Trump made excuses. While Joe Biden and Democrats went to work, and because of that work, we're investing millions into infrastructure projects in New Mexico and across the country," Rep. Melanie Stansbury wrote on X.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez: "Tonight as we hear from the President's address, I continue to look back to why I ran this race in the first place and why I'm here to serve New Mexico ... I consistently hear from constituents in my district that the number one thing is the economy, that our families cannot keep up with the rising cost of living," said Rep. Gabe Vasquez.

Steve Pearce, New Mexico Republican Party chairman: "The president's address was riddled with inaccuracies, deflection of responsibility, and hollow promises. When New Mexicans see the increase in their cost of living, the alarming crime rates, and the ongoing border crisis, it's clear the state of the union is in decline," said New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce.