Tuesday, December 22, 2020Reaching For The Stars: GOP Looks For Longshot Win in Special Congress Election; How About Judge Judy? Plus: Two Dems Announce For Haaland Seat
Nostalgic R's fondly recall 1997. That's when they scored one of the great upsets of La Politica by winning the heavily Democratic northern congressional seat in a special election to fill the seat of Rep. Bill Richardson who had been appointed United Nations Ambassador. The story of that race is here. Our Republican Alligators are digging to come up with plausible candidates who--with the help of some big mistakes by the Dems--might manage to pull off an upset that would equal that of '97. A possibility that's intriguing is Judge Judy Nakamura. This month she retired from the NM Supreme Court and was replaced by MLG with Court of Appeals Judge Julie Vargas. Nakamura 60, stunned the state in 2016 when she became the first R to win a high court seat since 1980 and the first Republican woman in state history to win one. She defeated Dem Michael Vigil 52 to 48, largely because of her strong showing in Bernalillo County where she was a longtime and popular Metro Court and District Court judge. Could she make similar work of the Dems in the special election for the ABQ congressional seat, if Haaland is confirmed as Sec. of Interior? This GOP Gator sizes it up: . . . Having a great reputation in Bernalillo county, Nakamura would bring some healthy competition to this race. Her common-sense rulings, notably the recent COVID-related issues in front of the supreme court, may have hurt her chances with the "all Trump, all the time" contingent of the party, but could be a chance to bring the GOP back towards the center. It is clear that she appeals to both sides of the aisle, with awards galore for her accomplishments on and off the bench. Her experience as being a previous Political Director for the GOPNM definitely helps her street cred. Her commitment to the rule of law, and having a been a long-serving jurist would ensure having an honest, ethical, and principled candidate on the ballot. As a woman of color, she definitely checks some boxes. Nakamura has said she is looking forward to retirement to spend time with family and engage in her passion for hot air ballooning. For those reasons we don't see her answering the call. Still, Nakamura's shadow over any contest should keep the Dems on their toes and remind them that this is no free ride and mistakes made will matter. THEY'RE IN  Or will they decide? Insiders are talking of a possible lawsuit against the D's that would force them to shelve the central committee process and go to a primary election to select their nominee. That scuttlebutt comes on the heels of Rep. Daymon Ely saying here Monday that he will introduce legislation in the next session to take the central committee out of the process and give it to the voters. We''ll see how it pans out. MISCHIEF MAKER One of our Senior Alligators, a true mischief maker, comes with a scenario for the R's to pull off an upset and whip the Dems in a special congressional election: Joe, there is no rule that says the GOP State Central Committee needs to pick a Republican to run. How about a moderate Democrat like former US Attorney Damon Martinez? He finished second to Haaland in the 2018 primary and would be more acceptable to middle of the road Dems than any progressive. Martinez would have to run as a Republican, but think of what this could mean in the special election. That's a whole of mischief making but this is the week for miracles isn't it? THE BOTTOM LINES Rep. Ben Ray Lujan has given his farewell speech to the US House. He will be sworn in as a Senator January 3, replacing Tom Udall. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020 |
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