Henry C "Howie" Morales was born on January 5,1973 and is an American politician and educator serving as the 30th lieutenant governor of New Mexico.
24 Facts About Howie Morales
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Howie Morales's father was a copper miner and his mother was a school education assistant.
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Howie Morales earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in bilingual special education from Western New Mexico University.
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Howie Morales was an educator at Grant County public schools before entering politics.
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From 1995 to 2000, Howie Morales was a special education teacher in Silver City; from 2000 to 2005, he was the special education and transition coordinator for the Cobre School District.
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Howie Morales was inducted into the New Mexico High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in December 2017 in recognition of his successful career as a high school baseball coach.
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Howie Morales was a baseball coach at Silver High School and Cobre High School in Grant County, including being the youngest head coach in New Mexico to reach 200 wins.
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Howie Morales' team won a state title in 2008, and he coached his team as state runners-up in 2002,2007, and 2009.
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Howie Morales was part of seven district championships and seven regional championships as a head coach.
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Howie 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.
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In October 2013, Howie Morales announced he would run for governor in the 2014 New Mexico gubernatorial election.
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Howie Morales sponsored legislation to create a universal, state-level single-payer healthcare system for New Mexico.
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Howie Morales was an outspoken critic of the Martinez administration's education policies that emphasized standardized testing, and he opposed use of the PARCC assessment.
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Howie Morales spoke out frequently against cuts to public education.
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Howie Morales criticized the introduction of a teacher evaluation system that relied heavily on student performance on the new standardized test in the state's public schools, and he questioned the methodology of the A-to-F school grading system instituted by the Martinez administration.
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In 2018 Howie Morales sponsored legislation to substantially increase the tax on cigarettes, vaping and tobacco products in order to generate $89 million additional for public schools.
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On environmental policy, Howie 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.
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In December 2017, Howie Morales announced his candidacy for the office of the Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico.
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Under the slogan "New Day for New Mexico," Howie Morales called for policies to create more jobs and economic growth, stronger classrooms and student achievement, and strong protections of air, water and land.
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Howie Morales was endorsed by the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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On June 5,2018, Howie Morales defeated former Majority Leader of the New Mexico House of Representatives Rick Miera and Dona Ana County Commissioner Billy Garrett in the Democratic primary contest.
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Howie Morales participates in the national Council of State Governments, serving as a co-chair of its Fiscal Health Subcommittee tasked with exploring policies that support resilient state budgets and the fiscal status and operations of states to ensure state governments are financially prepared for unexpected crises in the future.
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In 2020, Howie Morales was a fellow of the Hunt-Kean Leadership program, which brings together senior-level political leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and desire to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level.
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Howie Morales continues to regularly participate in their panels and discussions on early childhood education policy.