Wednesday, October 14, 2020Record Setting Number of Openly Gay And Lesbian Candidates In Legislative Contests, Plus: Southern Nail-Biter Watched In DC And Playing For Senate Pro Tem Continues
There was a flurry of controversy when it was revealed that northern state House candidate Roger Montoya, a respected community organizer and artist, had acted in two gay pornographic films during his college years. But the NM GOP's call for him to withdraw from the race landed with a thud. Republican Justin Salazar-Torres, an Española city councilor, is opposing Montoya. He has not made the gay films a campaign issue. The Governor, the NM Dem Party and House Speaker have doubled down on their support of Montoya. Still, Candelaria worries that there are still murmurs of opposition to a conversion therapy bill he sponsored in 2017 and which became law. The measure banned the practice of attempting to get gay minors to change their sexual identity from gay to straight. "There is still much work to do in advancing equal rights," he said. Candelaria, elected in 2012 and the state's first gay male state Senator, is organizing an Oct. 20 zoom fundraiser for the gay and lesbian legislative candidates. Besides himself and Montoya, they include Carrie Hamblen, the Dem candidate for the Las Cruces senate seat held by Mary Kay Papen who Hamblen defeated in the primary; Brittney Barreras, an independent candidate (who leans Dem) for an ABQ Valley state House seat; Dem. Sen. Liz Stefanics of Santa Fe, who became the first openly LGBQT member of the Legislature in 1993 and Leo Jaramillo, who defeated longtime Dem Sen. Richard Martinez in the June primary for District 5 in the north. The GOP candidate challenging Jaramillo is Diamantina Prado Storment. Stefanics is opposed by Republican Joey Tiano. Candelaria is opposed by Republican Manuel Lardizabal and is favored for re-election in the Dem heavy district. Barreras is opposed for the ABQ District 12 seat by write-in hopeful and former Dem BernCo Commissioner Art De La Cruz. Candelaria says the election of gay and lesbian candidates has a particular impact on gay youth "who can be inspired and see that their dreams can come true" in today's society. And NBC News comes with this: More lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will appear on ballots across the country this November than ever before, according to a new report from the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a group that trains, supports and advocates for queer candidates.
These candidates are also more racially diverse than in past election cycles, according to the findings. NEW MEXICO NAIL-BITER It's New Mexico's big election nail-biter and here's the latest from the DC pundits: Top Democratic operatives appear. . . worried about holding a rural seat in southern New Mexico held by Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, another vulnerable freshman. Recent polling shows a virtually tied race, and Republicans are dumping money on ads casting her as an acolyte of Speaker Nancy Pelosi who won't support the state's oil and gas industry.
But. . . Torres Small is also facing a rematch against Yvette Herrell, the woman she beat in 2018 — and Democrats are hammering Herrell over the same ethics issues they litigated two years ago. And Herrell is also leaning heavily on outside help: Torres Small is outspending her opponent by a nearly five-to-one margin on TV ads. The latest ad from XTS focuses on her support of fracking and distances her from AOC and other Dems seeking a ban. The strategy being that Republican Yvette Herrell needs a landslide in the oil counties of Eddy, Chavez and Lea to take the win. Cutting her margins there could be key to the re-election of XTS. PLAYING FOR PRO TEM  We had the latest speculation last week on the Democratic state senators angling for the important position of Senate President Pro Tem that will be named following the November election, but we left out one potential competitor. Former Sec. of Environment Judy Espinoza weighs in on that: ABQ Senator Linda Lopez’ name should certainly be on the list. Linda is second in seniority in the Democratic Caucus. I started working with her on environmental justice and sustainable communities when she first arrived in the Senate in 1996. For years she has sponsored legislation against institutional racism, a vital policy issue finally getting the attention it deserves. As Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, she instituted criminal and financial background checks for appointees subject to Senate confirmation. . .In 2019 Linda worked with the Governor to sponsor legislation to repeal our outdated criminal bans on abortion. She was tough and unrelenting despite very hateful attacks. . .Linda is strong in her unpretentious way. The President Pro Tem decides committee assignments for state senators and is chosen by the entire Senate. Dems have a majority. As a result of the June primary when several conservative Dem Senators were defeated by liberal challengers, the coalition of Republican Senators who voted with a handful of conservative Dems to appoint a Pro Tem appears destined to dissolve. The new Pro Tem will likely be determined in the Dem caucus and elected on the floor with no coalition with the R's. COLON VS. TORREZ Can't the Alligators wait until at least this election is over before splashing around for 2022 action? Nope. One of the restless pond dwellers comes with the news that in the latest state finance reports State Auditor Brian Colón reports $301,000 in cash on hand and his fellow Dem and BernCo District Attorney Raul Torrez has $144,000. Both are seen as leading Dem candidates for attorney general in 2022. But there's more. If southern Dem Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small were to lose her seat in November she might join the Dem race for attorney general. Come on Gators, isn't watching Trump enough entertainment for you? Apparently not. THE BOTTOM LINES In a first draft Tuesday we described Santa Fe City Councilor Rene Villarreal as Mayor Alan Webber's chief opponent in the 2021 election. Right now that chief opponent is Councilor Joanne Vigil Coppler who is weighing a mayoral run. Villarreal has not yet mentioned any mayoral intentions.
E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   |
  |
