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After the primary election in June, Albuquerque couple Robert Anderson and Jeanne Pahls registered as write-in candidates to run for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, respectively.
Anderson, a veteran and CNM political science professor, finished his American Studies Ph.D. at UNM in 2000. Anderson and his wife started local anti-war group Stop the War Machine a decade ago to protest the military-industrial complex.
Pahls, a local middle and high school teacher and special education coordinator, has been an educator for more than 20 years. She said she has always “put a lot of faith in the grassroots movement.”
“I really think that could be a kind of saving grace for this country,” she said.
Anderson said that because he and his wife both work at schools in Albuquerque, they know that there are not enough classrooms or teachers, class sizes are too large and educators are underpaid.
He said a lot of money funds the war industry through Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, which causes a lack of funding in the education system. He said he would like shift the money so more of it goes toward education.
Anderson and Pahls said they would like to cut government spending on military research at UNM and put the money into quality education and scholarships for students.
They said they fund their campaigns out-of-pocket and with the help of their supporters.
“We don’t represent any corporation’s or bank’s interest,” they said.
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