ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been selected as the new chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association for 2021.

The first-term governor had previously served as a vice chair and was among those seen as possible U.S. Cabinet candidates for the post of health and human services secretary in the Biden administration. During the course of the pandemic, her administration has imposed some of the toughest public health restrictions in the nation.

Lujan Grisham, a former congresswoman, said in a statement that she was honored to lead the group and planned to focus on more gubernatorial victories for the party.

The vote by the nation’s Democratic governors came Thursday during the group’s annual meeting.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will serve as vice chair. Outgoing chair New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was picked to serve as the group’s finance chair.

Murphy said he was proud of the association’s work over the past year in helping to get Democrat incumbent governors reelected.

He also mentioned record fundraising levels that will benefit the association in coming years.