New Mexico’s main transparency group is urging U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and his staff to release more information about his health following a stroke two weeks ago.
Why it matters: Luján is notoriously private, but a lack of health updates is making some New Mexico Democrats nervous about the future of his seat in a 50-50 Senate.
Driving the news: The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government said in a statement Tuesday that state residents have been “left confused and concerned” about the lack of information from the senator’s office.
- “While all of us respect the family’s wishes for privacy during this stressful time, a balance must be struck between that privacy and the public’s right to know.”
- “Sen. Luján’s absence from the Senate is an issue of great public importance, particularly with a U.S. Supreme Court appointment on the horizon.”
- The group said Luján’s staff and his treating physician should give daily briefings about his progress.
The intrigue: Last week, Luján’s chief of staff Carlos Sanchez released a statement saying the senator checked himself into a Santa Fe, New Mexico, hospital the week before. Doctors determined he had a stroke in the back of his brain.
- He underwent brain surgery to ease the swelling.
- “At this time, he and his family would appreciate their privacy, and ask for your continued prayers and well wishes,” Sanchez said.
- His office has given few updates since. His spokeswoman, Katherine Schneider, did not return an email or phone call from Axios on Wednesday.
Between the lines: Steven Mintz, an ethics professor emeritus at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, told Axios the public has a right to know what Luján’s condition is on a timely basis, given important upcoming votes.
- Luján also has an obligation to be honest with the public about his ability to do his job, and doctors should give public updates, Mintz said.
- “Whether it’s two months, four months, six months, there’s no guarantee he’ll be 100% capacity in terms of how sharp he will be, his ability to be involved in discussions, for example, on Supreme Court nominees.”
Yes, but: Updates should not come from physicians, but his office, David Beyda, chair of the department of bioethics and medical humanism at the University of Arizona, told Axios.
- “There’s a difference between doing what is right and what is best. Doing what is right could be assumed that everything should be coming out of his office. … They should be giving updates.”
- “However, you still have a person, a human being, who is entitled to dignity, who is entitled to respect, who is entitled to privacy in doing what’s best.”
Background: Luján, 49, a rising star in the Democratic Party, was elected to the Senate in 2020, becoming New Mexico’s first Hispanic U.S. senator in 40 years.
- Before coming to the Senate, he spent a dozen years in the U.S. House, where he rose to assistant House Democratic leader and became the highest-ranking Latino in Congress.
- He’s now one of three Mexican American U.S. senators and one of six Latinos in the Senate — the highest number in U.S. history.
