eNewMexican

Will governor’s wedding go on amid fires?

Wedding is set to be officiated by Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C., on Saturday

By Daniel J. Chacón dchacon@sfnewmexican.com

Here comes the bride — or maybe not.

As firefighters continue to battle the largest wildfire in state history and thousands of residents remain displaced from their homes, a burning question in the political world is whether Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will go through with her wedding Saturday.

“No decision has been made yet,” Jared Leopold, a personal spokesman for Lujan Grisham, wrote in an email this week.

Leopold said Thursday a statement on the governor’s planned nuptials was expected to be released Friday.

Lujan Grisham announced last month she and her longtime fiancé, Manuel “Manny” Cordova, planned to wed Saturday in a small ceremony officiated by Vice President Kamala Harris

in Washington, D.C.

At the time of her announcement, the fire was underway but not widespread.

During a wildfire briefing with reporters at the state Capitol earlier this week, Lujan Grisham was asked about her wedding and hinted the wildfires may put a damper on her plans.

Lujan Grisham and Cordova, a small-business owner in Albuquerque, previously postponed getting married as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re delighted to celebrate our wedding in front of family and close friends,” Lujan Grisham and Cordova, who have been a couple since 2012, said in a joint statement when they announced their upcoming nuptials.

“Like so many New Mexicans, we’ve postponed family celebrations over the past two years during this pandemic. We feel fortunate to be with our loved ones in celebration of our marriage,” they said.

After tying the knot in the nation’s capital, the newlyweds planned to celebrate their mar

riage at an event for family and friends in Santa Fe in late May.

The governor’s press secretary, Nora Meyers Sackett, wrote in an email that Leopold was the person to contact about Lujan Grisham’s wedding. But she wrote the governor is “squarely focused on New Mexico’s wildfire response and doing everything she can to ensure that impacted New Mexicans have the resources and support they need.”

Sackett also wrote Lujan Grisham “has been relentlessly demanding accountability and advocating to the White House and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] on New Mexicans’ behalf, securing the earliest presidential disaster declaration relative to an ongoing disaster in recent history. Her top priority is — and will remain throughout the duration of these disasters — New Mexico’s wildfires, and all other scheduled events are being evaluated on a day-to-day basis.”

LOCAL & REGION

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https://enewmexican.pressreader.com/article/281681143487886

Santa Fe New Mexican