Jay Block in Ruidoso

A chaotic and dysfunctional GOP preprimary convention finally ended late Saturday night with the GOP Guv race still favoring longtime TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti but the window open for a challenger. 

That challenger was expected to emerge more fully at the convention in the candidacy of state Rep. Rebecca Dow who badly needed a win to give her the anti-Ronchetti crown. But delegates voting to place the candidates on the primary ballot gave Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block a narrow and unexpected victory (but not unexpected by him as he had predicted a win). 

According to the state GOP, Block, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel with service in Afghanistan, garnered 199 votes or 29 percent. Dow came in second with 192 votes or 28 percent. 

Financial advisor Greg Zanetti came in third, receiving 157 votes or 23 percent. That's over the required 20 percent to win an official spot on the ballot without having to obtain more voter signatures on petitions. His candidacy has proven conservative appeal and his ABQ base could still have him figuring in the contest.

A list of all the races voted on at the GOP preprimary for ballot placement is here.

As for Ronchetti, during the convention chaos he essentially released his delegates to vote for whomever they wanted, saying all the Guv candidates deserved a spot on the ballot. It was his way of fading the heat  over his continued inability to perform at these conservative grassroots events. He received only 110 votes or 16 percent. 

While not achieving the 20 percent threshold for an official ballot spot, Ronchetti has already submitted over 7,000 petitions signed by R voters to qualify for the ballot without the convention designation. 

While history says any candidate who fails to win 20 percent at the preprimary will not win the June 7 primary, that history was thrown out the window with the voting malfunctions. With over $1 million in cash and statewide name ID, Ronchetti has the resources to again win a nomination as he did in 2020 when he finished second at the preprimary and took the primary prize in that year's US Senate race. 

But one of our Alligators reports Dow recently told an ABQ event that she has raised $800,000. And while Ronchetti touts his $1.2 million fundraising haul in the first 60 days of his candidacy, he has not updated that number for two months. Finance reports are not due until mid-April. 

Dow in Ruidoso

Anonymous text messages attacking Dow and sent to the delegates during the convention seemed to have had an impact. One text brought up her problem with the State Ethics Commission regarding her financial disclosure forms. 

Another message delved into her $260,000 settlement of a lawsuit in 2017 that accused her of negligence when she hired a man to work with children at her Boys and Girls Club of Sierra County who was later charged with having sexual contact with two boys he was caring for. 

"Imagine the Democratic attacks" shouted one of the messages.

In addition, Block out delivered Dow with a fiery anti-MLG speech to the convention, calling the Governor "a crotch grabbing, evil witch" and showed organizational ability in scoring his win. 

The red meat he tossed to the conservative delegates helped vault him to the top of the field but reminded voters in blue New Mexico how far right the GOP has lurched and how the last two elections have devastated their ranks, leaving them with no statewide elected officials. 

The Block victory flew under the media radar as headlines blared about the voting mess. Still, Block now has some chance to surpass Dow as the stop Ronchetti candidate, even as the Dems claim the nomination of the tough-talking, pro-Trumper would surface talk of a Dem landslide. 

Democrats relished the GOP confusion and in a news release faulted the party for "stunning incompetence." Their supporters crowded social media with messages deriding the GOP for repeatedly questioning the integrity of elections and then conducting one riddled with serious issues. 

The main problem was with the email system set up for the delegates' use. When that failed the party switched to paper ballots. But hours elapsed and many delegates left the convention headed for home. And then there were more problems counting the many proxy votes. 

With the convention stacked against him from the beginning Ronchetti seized the moment and faulted the party "elite" for the breakdown. But he did not get away unscathed. His inability to improve his standing with pro-Trump Republicans and hardcore conservatives since his run two years ago spoke to his effectiveness as a potential leader. And his attacks on the GOP struck some observers as too stiff and could prompt the Pearce wing to try to steer money away from him. 

On the positive side the GOP convention did show the nearly rabid dislike for the sitting Governor and their enthusiasm to vote against her. That could be potent if they are joined by disgruntled independents. 

In the end state Democrats watched the convention with more pleasure than Republicans. They dreaded a convention where the GOP would come out looking sure-footed and ready for battle. Instead the GOP stumbled out of Ruidoso in the late night hours looking like they had a party where they had too many pulls on the bottle. 

Judge Martinez

March 8 is filing day for the state House candidates so a slew of early announcements are already coming in. A notable one is that of former Dem City Councilor Cynthia Borrego who says she will seek the Dem nomination in ABQ westside District 17. That district is being vacated by longtime Dem Rep. Deborah Armstrong. Borrego lost her westside District 5 ABQ city council seat to Republican Dan Lewis in the 2021 city election. Borrego is a moderate Dem and a retired city planner. 

The major development thus far in the House races is the entry of conservative/moderate Dems in House races where they will duke it out with progressive incumbents. Another example comes from House District 41 in Rio Arriba County where Probate Judge Marlo Martinez, a moderate Dem, is challenging incumbent progressive Rep. Susan Herrera. She is also getting a challenge on her left so that's a race to watch. 

Late last week ABQ Dem westside state Rep. Georgene Louis, charged with aggravated DWI on Super Bowl Sunday, announced she will not seek re-election to a sixth term. We earlier reported that former state Rep. Eleanor Chavez has announced her Dem candidacy for the nomination in the heavy D district. Moderate Dem Felipa Cruz Coon has also announced for the seat. 

The Louis announcement takes the heat off MLG who was coming under pressure to comment on the arrest. On the resignation the Guv said Louis was doing the “right thing.” “By making the decision not to run for reelection, the representative has demonstrated. . . that she takes full responsibility for her actions, adding that public officials must be held to a higher standard of conduct.

Tomorrow--March 1--is city election day for those locales that did not opt to switch their elections to November. Among the  major races are contests for mayor of Roswell, Rio Rancho and Espanola.