The worst coronavirus outbreak in the country is now in Navajo Nation and the Trump administration’s response has been so inadequate that New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has stepped in to work with the nation and do what the federal government will not.

This week, CNN reported that the Navajo Nation has surpassed New York and New Jersey for the highest per-capita coronavirus infection rate in the U.S. The nation spreads over Arizona, Utah and New Mexico but the city of Gallup, N.M., which serves as a regional hub for the Navajo and other Native American pueblos, is currently in second place as having the most new cases, per capita, in the last two weeks and in first place for the most deaths during that period.

On The Rachel Maddow Show last night, Grisham said that the outbreak has been so bad that some days two patients an hour had to be transferred from that remote part of the state to Albuquerque and Santa Fe where there are larger hospitals with more acute and critical care facilities.

The reason the outbreak is so severe, Grisham explained, is that intergenerational families live in very tight quarters “hundreds of miles from food, water, health care services, just the basics,” thus making it “ripe for having containment issues that you can’t get your arms around.”

Grisham said she “sounded the alarm to the White House months ago” about the impact of the pandemic on sovereign nations but, not surprisingly, the response was terribly inadequate. So the state of New Mexico stepped in and partnered with the Navajo Nation to get the job done.

Grisham is also working with the “incredible” director of the Indian Health Services, Adm. Michael D. Weahkee to take over testing and contract tracing because, she said, they can do it faster. The state is also investing in more broadband, water, electricity, and public safety and emergency response systems for that area.

Despite the Navajo outbreak, New Mexico is currently the only state to meet the White House gating criteria for Phase 1 of reopening.

Grisham has caught the eye of the Biden campaign. Asked by Maddow to confirm reports that she is being vetted as a running mate, Grisham dodged and deflected but did not deny. She also hinted she’d be glad to take the job.

Whether she gets the VP slot or not, I predict we’ll be hearing a lot from Michelle Lujan Grisham on the national stage in one role or another.