Tuesday, January 05, 2021Four Dem Women Now Chasing Rep. Haaland Seat; Where Are The Guys? Plus: Rescuing The R's; How They Get Back In The Game
ABQ westside State Rep. Georgene Louis is the latest entrant in the now crowded contest that will only take place when and if Haaland is confirmed as Biden's Secretary of Interior. The current timeline puts the special election to replace her in the US House sometime in June. Haaland was the first Native American elected to the Congress from NM. Louis, an attorney who was born and raised at Acoma Publeo and first elected to the NM House in 2012, would follow in those footsteps. In appealing to the several hundred ABQ area Dem Party Central Committee members who will decide the nomination, Louis, chair of the House committee dealing with Indian affairs, said: To continue Deb’s momentum - addressing the inequities in our economy - would be a dream realized. I grew up on the reservation. I know the struggles our New Mexico families face because I’ve lived it. I represent working families that have trouble paying bills, keeping a roof over their heads, and struggle with childcare and food insecurity, especially during this pandemic.”
The others seeking the Dem nod are State Senator Antionette Sedillo Lopez, State Rep. Melanie Stansbury and trial attorney Randi McGuinn. So where are the guys? The ABQ seat has been held by a woman since 2012 and would be vacated by one. Dems often define seats by gender and ethnicity and a woman may have the advantage in the Democratic race. On the R side there is not much interest in the early going--at least publicly. Radio talk show host Eddy Aragon has announced a formal run for his party's nomination. Michelle Garcia Holmes, who is becoming a perennial candidate, has also indicated interest. RESCUING THE GOP  Can we all agree that New Mexico is better off with a competitive two party system? Unfortunately New Mexico has only one statewide party. They are called the Democrats. And then New Mexico has a regional party which represents part of rural New Mexico. They are called Republicans. The Republicans could be a competitive statewide party but they keep getting in their own way. What works for them is running younger Anglo candidates from urban New Mexico like Gary Johnson, Garrey Carruthers, Pete Domenici and recently Mark Ronchetti who ran a good race for US Senate. Likewise, Republican women of color do especially well. What doesn't work is running older Anglo males from rural New Mexico. That demographic is the base of the GOP. They get that vote just for showing up. So the recent re-election by Republican insiders of Steve Pearce as NMGOP chairman is like flunking an IQ test. Pearce has already endured two double digit statewide defeats for elective offices. The Republicans in the state Senate have figured this out. They eased out Sen. Stu Ingle of Portales as their Minority Leader and replaced him with Greg Baca of Valencia County and also gave leadership slots to Sens. Craig Brandt and Mark Moores from the ABQ area. House Republicans chose three rural New Mexicans for leadership positions! Again they were content to cede the urban and suburban areas to Democrats. Republicans can get back in the game but they they need to think carefully about who to make their messengers. Do they want to continue to be a regional party or do they have statewide aspirations? Given the leaders of the NMGOP and the NM House, I am guessing they are happy remaining a regional party and the kings of Rural New Mexico. This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021 |
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