Deb Haaland

 Is the debate over debates over? It seems so.

After weeks of chiding from Sam Bregman for not agreeing to debates, Deb Haaland's camp has clarified that there is one debate scheduled and she will take part:

The announcement comes after Haaland agreed to the debate in September 2025. The debate will be hosted by Dukes Up and air statewide on PBS. It will be held on May 2 at CNM’s Smith Brasher Auditorium and is free to the public. “I am excited to share my agenda with New Mexicans. From standing up to Donald Trump to lowering costs to expanding access to health care, I have the most experience of any candidate running for governor. I look forward to meeting my opponent on the stage and letting voters decide." Haaland said. 

It may be the bare minimum but usually when a candidate agrees to at least one debate, it takes the issue off the table. And make no mistake this is the bare minimum. Haaland continues to reject invitations for other debates with Bregman as they battle for the June 2 gubernatorial primary nomination.

Those continued refusals reveal both her weakness and strength. 

Her weakness is fear that she still does not have a grasp on policy nuance that could be her undoing in a face-to-face confrontation. Her strength is her continued popularity among Democratic base voters that make unnecessary any risk-on moves such as debating. 

Haaland's camp tells newsman Daniel Chacón they are rejecting a KRQE-TV invite to engage with Bregman:

Deb has a commanding lead in the race to be New Mexico’s next Governor. That’s because New Mexicans know Deb and understand she can lead our state and fight Trump’s abuse of power. . .Deb has been traveling all over the state and if voters want to hear from her, there are plenty of opportunities to hear from her directly.

Bregman has been spinning internal polling to show that the race is actually tightening but Haaland's avoidance of debates indicate that she sees the contest as still heavily tilting her way and that there are few consequences for refusing to debate the aggressive BernCo District Attorney. 

Bregman has been doing his best to put the heat on. He has focused on Haaland for flying on a private jet in 2014 with Dem Guv candidate Gary King that was chartered by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But the story does not seem to have legs--despite a push poll conducted by Bregman that showed otherwise. 

The stymied Bregman did come with some of his best lines in reacting to Haaland's rejection of the KRQE debate:

(Voters are) asking for answers about public safety, about accountability, and about how we make sure predators like Epstein never find protection or proximity to power in our state. If you want to lead New Mexico, you don’t avoid the biggest stage in the state. You show up. You debate. You put your record and your ideas side by side and let voters decide.

BOMBASTIC VS. PENSIVE 

Sam Bregman

The May PBS forum where Haaland has agreed to engage with Bregman lacks the spark, tension and the large audience commanded by a a live televised debate on one of the major commercial networks (like KRQE) where any Haaland missteps would be amplified. 

Bregman, a bombastic trial attorney, is known for his love of the camera. Haaland is more pensive and on less sure footing under the glare of the spotlight. That showed when she served as Secretary of Interior and struggled to answer congressional questions at several oversight hearings. 

While Haaland may come across as shallow on policy, there is no denying that she harbors superb political instincts. She was elected to and presided successfully as chair of the state Democratic party; she easily won the '14 Dem Lt. Gov. nomination; was elected to two terms from the ABQ congressional seat and fought off Sen. Martin Heinrich and other heavyweight contenders to become the first Native American to be named Secretary of Interior.

Bregman can choose to push harder to get the debate door open but knocking elsewhere may be in order. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

Gary King slipped quietly into private life following his '14 loss for governor but now King and his legendary political family find themselves back in the spotlight and not in a favorable way. More on the king family ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the Zorro ranch they sold to him continues to unfold. The latest here.  

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Friday's dismissal of a second lawsuit challenging Duke Rodriguez's right to be on the June 2 primary ballot sets the stage for the next big moment--Saturday's GOP preprimary at Ruidoso where delegates from across the state will vote on placing candidates on the ballot. 

Insiders don't expect Rodriguez, nicknamed the Cannabis King for his ownership of Ultra Health, the state's leading legal marijuana business, to win that convention. He faces competitors Gregg Hull, Steve Lanie, Doug Turner and Jim Ellison. 

Those insiders point to several reasons for Rodriguez's expected mediocre preprimary showing. One is his status as a party outsider. Another is the disclosure reported on this blog that in the past decade he has donated at least $189,000 to the campaigns of Democratic candidates.

"They absolutely hate that," declared a GOP operative now desperate to slow Rodriguez in the aftermath of his two court wins. 

It will take 20 percent of the voting delegates--(about 500 voted in 2024) for a candidate to secure a party-approved spot on the ballot. That's a low bar but Rodriguez actually does not need to cross it to continue his candidacy. Candidates who don't reach that threshold can submit more petition signatures to get on he ballot and Rodriguez already has more than enough to do just that. 

Outsider Guv candidate Mark Ronchetti saw the writing on the wall when he ran in 2024. He bypassed the convention and still went on to easily win the nomination.

Not Duke. He is living up to his reputation as a scrappy fighter and is twisting arms to get to the 20 percent. If he does he will see it as a victory that further demoralizes his foes. If he doesn't, there is little downside.

STOPPING DUKE 

Can his opponents keep him under 20 percent and ignite some enthusiasm to stop his wild romp toward the nomination? A big win by one of them--perhaps Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull--might help reset the race and make it more competitive--if such a win resulted in better fundraising.

Amplifying the desperation of the anti-Duke chorus is that pledge he's made to spend upwards of $2 million of his own money on the primary. He's been making good on it by buying expensive full-page newspaper ads and a digital presence. 

While Republicans may hate his Dem donations, the party of business loves it when a candidate has that kind of skin in the game. 

The preprimary will be conducted in a still unsettled legal environment surrounding the Rodriguez candidacy. The District Court rulings on the two lawsuits challenging his NM residency could be appealed and undergo the legal scrutiny they have so far evaded. Both suits were dismissed for technical reasons with the residency issues going unaddressed,

But that's down the road. For now Rodriguez appears to own the road that leads to Primary Night '26.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Former state Senator John Sapien, once a ringleader of the now defunct conservative Dem coalition that ruled the chamber, is back in politics. The Corrales businessman is running in the June primary for an open seat on the Sandoval County Commission. It's familiar territory for Sapien. His late father once represented the same commission district. . .The infamous New Mexico Zorro Ranch is getting a closer look as the Epstein files continue to filter out. The NYT takes a long look. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Romero and Stansbury in DC

When ABQ Dem Rep. Melanie Stansbury invited Santa Fe state Rep. Andrea Romero to be her guest at the State of the Union Tuesday night the Alligators started splashing. 

Like many other Dems, the pair boycotted the actual speech and instead joined Epstein survivors to mark the occasion. Stansbury invited Romero because of her role as chair of the newly empaneled state Epstein Truth Commission which is charged with investigating Epstein's ties here, particularly to his now notorious Zorro ranch.

Romero's emergence on that international issue as well as on legislation banning ICE detention centers in the state have catapulted her up the food chain of La Politica. It was not entirely expected, given the heavy damage she sustained from an ethics scandal when she first ran for the legislature in 2018. 

But it was not the type of scandal that would lead to a permanent ghosting. In fact, House Speaker Javier Martinez has smoothed her entry into the limelight--and now Stansbury. 

Under scrutiny with her new high profile, Romero has acquitted herself well in fielding questions from national and local media. Danger however lurks with the Epstein matter. If her closely watched  commission doesn't perform, it could be a career threat. 

So where does the Congress part come in? Well, northern Dem Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez is 66 and certainly not ready for the rocking chair. But after another term or two she could be ready to come home permanently. That brings Romero into the succession equation. She fits the progressive bill for the Dems and if she has her eye on the prize, she is off to a solid start. Any potential rivals for that opening are on notice. 

Don't say we didn't tell you. . . 

DUKES DEM DONATIONS (CONT.)

We have a new grand total of the donations GOP gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and Ultra Health made to Democratic candidates since 2015. A Senior Alligator checked both of the totals posted here earlier and came with some minor adjustments. Donations from Rodriguez and his Ultra Health cannabis company to Democrats totals $188,150 and to Republicans $29,500. Here's that full report (and hopefully the last one).

BREGMAN POLLING 

Trying to get something started in his underdog race for the Dem gubernatorial nomination, Sam Bregman sent his pollster into the field after that news report revealing that front-runner Deb Haaland and Gary King had hitched a ride on an Epstein-linked jet in 2014 when she was the Lt. Governor nominee and King the Governor nominee. 

And surprise (or not) the poll showed Haaland taking a hit when voters were reminded of the incident and then asked who they would pick as their Dem nominee. Haaland polled at 46 and Bregman at 25. Meanwhile, Haaland's camp says her internal polling--before the Epstein story--had her getting 56 percent. (Click on posted poll for more).

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Duke Rodriguez successfully jumped over one legal hurdle Tuesday. Now he has one to go before he is free and clear to make his run for the '26 GOP gubernatorial nomination. 

. ..A state judge dismissed a court challenge filed against the Republican gubernatorial candidate. But the question of whether Rodriguez meets a residency requirement to hold statewide office remains unanswered — at least for now. . .District Judge Curtis Gurley of Aztec granted a motion to dismiss the complaint filed by two Republican voters that claimed Rodriguez did not meet the residency requirement in the New Mexico Constitution. "Our courts want the voters to decide," Gurley said while announcing his ruling that granted Rodriguez's motion to dismiss the case on technical grounds.

The second lawsuit Rodriguez must overcome--and Legal Beagles say Judge Gurley's ruling gives him a head start--deals with the five year residency requirement to hold statewide office. That suit was filed by Rodriguez rival Jim Ellison and has yet to be scheduled for a hearing. 

Rodriguez attorney, former ABQ state Senator Jacob Candelaria, a onetime Dem turned independent, got a head start on the residency argument in his filings in the first suit, writing: 

Article V, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution requires that a person "have resided continuously in New Mexico for five years next preceding his election" to hold the office of Governor. . . This provision addresses the qualifications to hold office, not to run for office. 

And he added this argument: 

The determination of whether Mr. Rodriguez's name can appear on the 2026 primary election ballot is completely independent of, and therefore unaffected by, the question of whether he satisfies the constitutional residency requirement for the office of Governor. The constitutional question will not become ripe for judicial review until such time as Mr. Rodriguez receives a Certificate of Election to the Office of Governor.

More of the legal motion to dismiss the case is here. 

Elections expert and former Dem ABQ state Senator Daniel Ivey Soto reacted:

There is no legal provision that allows a candidacy challenge after the Primary and before the General. What would be raised after the General would be a constitutional challenge. . .If Duke were to win the General Election, that is when another case could be raised, but the conundrum for the judge deciding the case would be whether to overturn the will of the voters.  

Another Legal Beagle opined:

The argument is basically - Duke might not be qualified to be Governor, but he is qualified to be on the ballot.  

While he still has to endure some more legal limbo, Rodriguez, who has had residences in both New Mexico and Arizona, wasn't waiting to celebrate. Right after the ruling came out of the Four Corners courtroom, he declared:

I don't view this as just a victory for my campaign. Today, New Mexicans won. They won the opportunity to get beyond the politics of the past and to fix what’s broken. . .While other candidates in this race are trying to create voter confusion, I’m going to continue my focus on fixing the problems New Mexican families are facing: crime, healthcare, immigration, and building a stronger economy so families can thrive.

TOO LOW?

The Duke Rodriguez detractors remain busy critiquing his Dem campaign donations as the March 7 GOP preprimary convention nears and where delegates will vote to place gubernatorial candidates on the ballot. We get this from one of them in reaction to our Tuesday blog on those donations: 

Joe, The CFIS (the state's campaign reporting system)  is a real pain in the ass these days, but the $186k in Democratic donations you reported made to Dem candidates are just from his marijuana company Ultra Health. Rodriguez has donated $40,00 on his own. All of these numbers can be verified directly with the SOS. f you judge Rodriguez by his donations he's a quite the Democrat.   

Here is the donation report that reader cited. The initial report from GOP political operatives is on the Tuesday blog.

 SPEECH BOYCOTT 

Sens. Lujan and Heinrich

There was little political cost to members of the state's congressional delegation who boycotted last night's State of the Union speech from President Trump. After scaring Democrats in 2024 by coming within six points of presidential winner Kamala Harris in New Mexico, the president's polling remains low and has crashed Hispanics has crashed.

Trump's overall popularity has consistently been underwater here. A Morning Star poll conducted earlier this month has him with a 42 percent approval rating and 55 percent disapproval. A CNN survey also this month shows Hispanic approval of Trump is at 25 percent, down from the 44 percent approval he received in early '25. Economic concerns and the White House's aggressive immigration policies are the chief reasons, according to the survey. 

Rep. Gabe Vasquez was the sole member of the state's five member congressional delegation to attend the State of the Union.  

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Marijuana magnate and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Duke Rodriguez didn’t just want legal weed in New Mexico—he was willing to pay for it. A decade of campaign finance records reveals an unabashed pattern of financial support for the very Democrats who made legalization a reality.

Records from the past ten years show 70 donations to state Democrats from Rodriguez's Ultra-Health and his personal funds totaling $184,000.

The report of Rodriguez's liberal giving to Dems was compiled and circulated by political operatives who hope to slow momentum for Rodriguez before the state GOP's March 7th pre-primary convention in Ruidoso. Delegates there will vote to place candidates on the June 2 ballot. 

The operatives' report shows only four Rodriguez-related donations over the period to state Republican candidates totaling less than $16,000. But we have not yet confirmed those as his only GOP donations.  

Rodriguez’s fortune was built on the back of medical marijuana, but his success exploded when adult-use cannabis was legalized in 2021. That victory followed intense prodding by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (MLG), who called a special session to push the bill over the finish line.

It's been previously noted that Rodriguez donated $11,000 to MLG's 2018 gubernatorial campaign but  records show he gave even bigger to the "The Speaker's Fund"--a $20,000 donation to that leadership PAC in August of 2023 and another $5,000 donation in May 2024. 

That $25,000 is the most Rodriguez donated to any Democratic official or group during the past 10 years. His other large donations to Democrats include $10,000 to the NM Senate Democrats in 2019 and another $12,500 to that PAC in 2020.  

The Speaker's Fund is currently run by Democratic House Speaker Javier Martinez who was selected for the post in 2023. Beyond the leadership PAC, Rodriguez personally bolstered Speaker Martinez’s own campaigns, cutting checks for $5,000 in 2020 and $3,000 in 2022.

The Speaker, who represents District 11 in the heart of ABQ, was and is an ardent advocate of legalized marijuana. He was the chief sponsor of the legalization bill. He and the Governor argued legalization would lead to an economic boom but it turned into somewhat of a bust when too many marijuana shops were licensed and caused an industry downsizing.

Rodriguez was also generous with donations to Santa Fe area Rep. Brian Egolf who served as House Speaker from 2017-'23. He donated $7,500 to Egolf's Speaker's Fund in 2021. 

Since the 2021 legalization of cannabis, Ultra Health--the state’s largest cannabis operator--has been  active in shaping the legal and regulatory landscape. The company has frequently used litigation to challenge state agencies and push for broader interpretations of the Cannabis Regulation Act (CRA)..

PERCEIVED FRONT-RUNNER

Duke Rodriguez

Rodriguez is the only GOP guv hopeful who has spent significant money in the early going, making a splash with full page newspaper ads and a heavy digital presence. 

Rodriguez says he will bet upwards of $2 million of his own fortune that Republican voters will prioritize his business acumen.

That announcement and making good on it in the opening campaign days has made him the perceived front-runner for the nomination, regardless of his performance at the upcoming pre-primary. 

Marijuana legalization is widely supported in the state but polls show the remaining pockets of opposition are among Republicans. 

Rodriguez remains unapologetic about his past Dem donations. He says all of them are driven by a "fully objective goal" of influencing how specific industries—particularly cannabis--are managed in New Mexico. In a 2021 interview, he said, "I'm proud of that," declaring that he supported lawmakers who were willing to work on the "proper execution" of state laws. 

The central question for the Ruidoso convention is whether delegates will view Rodriguez as a pragmatic businessman or a party outsider who funded the opposition. However, history suggests his background might not be a deal-breaker. Republicans previously rallied behind Darren White for ABQ Mayor despite his similar cannabis ties and history of Democratic donations.

Whether the state GOP is willing to "go green" with Rodriguez remains the most expensive question of the 2026 cycle.

This the Home of New Mexico Politics.  

Sen. Lujan

Can the GOP take advantage of an obscure state election law to reverse their historic failure to field a candidate against Dem US Senator Ben Ray Luajn in the November general election? 

That's the question now that the GOP's only candidate--Rio Rancho's Christopher Vanden Heuvel--failed to submit enough petition signatures to qualify for the June primary ballot. 

But there's still still one long-shot play available to the R's--qualify a write-in candidate for the June primary who could have a shot at getting on the November ballot. 

Longtime Rio Rancho Republcian activisd Todd Hathorne says on his social media that failed candidate Vanden Heuevel is now pursing the write-in option:  

Chris Vanden Heuvel did not quit. He is fighting every day. Signatures are coming in.

Here's how a Republican write-in candidacy plays out according to state election law and as explained by our ace analytical friends at Downballot and Sabato's Crystal Ball:

There’s an outside chance that Republicans could still land a Senate candidate, but time is running out. Anyone who wants to seek the GOP nomination as a write-in candidate only has until March 17 to collect 2,351 signatures—a number that represents 2% of the number of registered Republican voters who cast a ballot in the most recent gubernatorial election. They would then need to win that same number of write-in votes in the primary to get their name on the fall ballot.

We confirmed that take with the SOS's office as well as state elections expert and former state Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto who wrote many of the state's election statutes. 

Yes, it is quite the long-shot but perhaps worth taking to avoid the embarrassment of having no GOP candidate for a US senate seat for the first time in state history. 

Meanwhile, DC was as surprised as New Mexico over Lujan's developing free ride:

The Crystal Ball already had New Mexico’s Senate race rated as Safe Democratic, Lujan did not strike us as the most obvious candidate for a “free ride” in 2026. When he was first elected to the chamber in 2020, he ran noticeably behind the top of the ticket despite a well-established record in state politics: as Joe Biden carried New Mexico by 11 points, Lujan defeated Republican TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti by 6 points. 

Old timers will recall 1980 when Joe Skeen became only the third person in US history to get elected to the US House as a write-in candidate. After upheaval in the state Dem party, Skeen won the battle for the open southern NM congressional seat and he did not retire from it until 2003. (Here is our obituary of Skeen from our Dec. 8, 2003 blog.)

In the Lujan case there is no upheaval among the Dems--although the senator has drawn a symbolic Dem primary foe in Matt Dodson--and Lujan is heavily favored to beat any Republican candidate who may arise. It would, however, be a point of pride for the GOP to have someone--anyone--fill that glaring opening on their '26 ballot. 

AN INDY CANDIDATE?

Lujan could still be challenged by an independent candidate but they would have to gather about 14,000 valid petition signatures by late June to qualify for the November ballot. 

Could a Republican now run as an independent? A "former" Republican could. 

The SOS says an independent candidate for the general election would have to be registered as a decline to state voter by the time the Secretary of State issued the General Election Proclamation on January 26. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics.  

Speaker Javier Martinez

"The House ran circles around the Senate." So declared a weary Senior Alligator traversing the Roundhouse halls on the last night of the 30 day legislative session. Their analysis was not fatigue-induced but an apt summary of the continued shift in the balance of power toward the 70 member House. 

That shift did not come overnight. 

It began at the June 2020 primary election when two conservative Democratic powerhouses, John Arthur Smith and Mary Kay Papen, were defeated by progressive opponents. No comparable personalities have replaced them, making for a drifting Senate contrasted with the growing resolve of the House. 

The success of the medical malpractice bill was a defining blow to senatorial prestige and power. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Cervantes and Majority Leader Peter Wirth both leaked oil (and power) in their battle to slow the measure and lost decisively.

In the House, Speaker Javier Martinez banged heads together, got everyone concerned in the room and forced a resolution to one of the more complex pieces of lawmaking to grab the public eye.

Back in the Senate, George Munoz, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, provided another example of how progressive House power is now the order of the day. 

After public hesitancy the fiscal hawk turned dove and agreed to spend potentially billions from an $11 billion early trust fund for the Governor's universal child care plan. The shift made observers wonder if Munoz realizes his fate could follow the path of Smith and Papen if he does not bend to the new political reality. 

This was the fourth year as Speaker for ABQ Rep. Javier Martinez and the experience shows. Besides the malpractice coup, he avoided another fruitless session dominated by crime and appears to have quietly overturned the Senate's denial of a one percent pay raise for state employees.

BUILDING A TEAM 

Martinez has also built a team whose muscles are now bulging.

Rep. Chandler

Rep. Christine Chandler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was berated by Senate counterpart Cervantes over the malpractice bill and responded with poise and strength. She came into her own as sponsor of the bill. Now at 67 and with seven years in Santa Fe, the Los Alamos Democrat, a Georgetown law grad, represents a judicial power center that rivals if not surpasses the Senate's.

Rep. Andrea Romero of Santa Fe came to the capitol in 2019 bruised from a campaign that questioned her ethics. Flash forward to today and the Stanford and UNM law school grad is also coming into her own. 

Her leadership on the ICE detention center bill sent a vital national message that New Mexico will not bend to unconstitutional policing and will stand firmly for its majority-minority population. That told Washington no Minneapolis here. 

THE EPSTEIN SAGA 

The soiling of the state's reputation because of the Epstein affair and the ranch he owned here is now under repair thanks to the empaneling of a special House subcommittee led by Romero to unearth nefarious activities that allegedly occurred there. 

The challenge is to probe deeply without political considerations. 

Radio talker Eddy Aragon, a longtime tracker of all things Epstein, wonders if former Attorney General Balderas and Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard will be asked to detail their relationships with former Gov. Richardson regarding the ranch. He also asks if the committee will request a search of all police records that may touch upon ranch activity. 

Politically the establishment of the Epstein committee showcases a Democratic party no longer dominated by former Gov. Bill Richardson and many of his followers whom he successfully groomed for power. They are fading and being replaced by a new generation with different world views.

LOOKING AHEAD 

What's next? A glaring deficiency in the Legislature is the inability (or unwillingness) to fully confront the ongoing and embarrassing activity at CYFD. While pumping millions into child care, lawmakers continue  to ignore the department's crisis as does the Governor. Something has to give when the next Governor comes aboard. 

Whatever that next executive plans, their success now runs directly through a revitalized House and Speaker. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

The jet that Deb Haaland and Gary King took for a campaign trip in 2014 was linked to Jeffrey Epstein--not owned by him--as a headline here said Wednesday.

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

An often bitter battle over medical malpractice reform ended late Wednesday with the Senate approving a House bill that for the first time caps punitive damages in malpractice cases.

The victory was especially sweet for reformers, including House sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler, coming as it did after attempts by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Joe Cervantes and his fellow trial attorneys to thwart the bill with a raft of amendments. The committee amendments approved were shed from the bill on a 27-15 vote. Then came approval of the bill on a 40-2 vote. 

Reform advocates at Think NM celebrated the win even as doubts remained that it will have a major impact on the years-long shortage of medical doctors and also lower their medical malpractice premiums:

House Bill 99 directly addresses the primary reason why so many doctors are considering leaving New Mexico or retiring early; our unbalanced medical malpractice laws. The passage of this legislation gives them a reason to stay. 

Hospitals spent heavily on ads to prod the legislature into action. The Governor threatened a special session if no action came. She is now expected to gladly sign the bill avoiding that special and leaving the state to wait and see if the hard-fought measure will have the measurable impact that was promised. 

HAALAND-EPSTEIN

Zorro Ranch

On the campaign trail there is this:

Another New Mexico politician found in Epstein files. NM gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland took a flight with former NM Attorney General Gary King on a private jet in 2014, coordinated by Jeffrey Epstein. Haaland's campaign; says she had no idea Epstein organized the flight. 

King and Haaland were the Democratic Gov. and Lt. Gov. candidate team in '14, losing to Republican Susana Martinez and John Sanchez. 

The King family sold Epstein the land his Zorro ranch was built on in the early 90's and where it is alleged he sexually abused underage girls. 

The report on the plane ride turns out to be pretty innocuous but does show the long tentacles the scandal has. 

And the Haaland disclosure was awkward.

While the news of that jet ride was making the rounds, a state House special subcommittee, dubbed an Epstein "truth commission," held their first meeting, in Santa Fe aimed at unearthing his activities in the state. They said they are preparing to subpoena witnesses. Would that include Deb and Gary?

Then there was the 2023 sale of the Zorro ranch. It's been bought by a Texas business/politico who says he is going to turn it into a Christian retreat. Yes, the truth is often stranger than fiction especially in the merry-go-round world of La Politica. 

FIRING THEM UP 

The Dems remain favored to keep the Governor's office in November--perhaps heavily so--but that's not stopping the campaign manager for Deb Haaland from trying to make a race of it and keep the troops fired up. He writes to supporters:   

Deb is officially on the ballot-- but this is not a safe blue seat. The party of New Mexico's governor has flipped very eight years for decades. Races up and down the ballot in our state are getting closer and closer, with Democratic margins shrinking dramatically between 2018 and 2024. With five Republican opponents vying for this seat, Deb is already facing right-wing attacks, and this race could see unprecedented dark money pouring into New Mexico. 

Some vote margins may be shrinking for the Dems but Senator Martin Heinrich was re-elected in 2024 over well-financed opposition by over 10 percentage points--and no Republican has been elected to any of the statewide executive offices in years. 

The most recent election--although officially nonpartisan--was for ABQ mayor in December where Mayor Tim Keller beat out Republican Darren White in a near landslide of 58 to 42. 

The '24 presidential election did not offer the GOP some hope when Trump managed to cute his loss here to 6 percent but since his poll numbers have collapsed among those Hispanic voters responsible for the strong Trump performance.  

That historic tidbit about the Governor's office being predestined to flip between the parties was also rolled out in '24 when Dem MLG sought a second term. She won easily. 

All of this emphasizes the importance of the June Dem primary between Haaland and Sam Bregman. The winner may very well have smooth sailing in November with a campaign where the Dem nominee's feet are not held to the fire. That's why Bregman's call for a series of debates with Haaland make sense. But don't look for Haaland's campaign manager to put that in a memo. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Instead of death by a thousand cuts, its more like a dozen when it comes to the hotly contested medical malpractice bill. The measure is now limping into the final hours of the 30 day legislative session after being whipped like a rented mule Monday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joe Cervantes.  

Cervantes, under attack for being the chief obstacle to a compromise bill that passed the House Friday, not only pushed back against that hospital-driven narrative as his committee took up the measure, he held a condensed seminar challenging the constitutionality of major sections of the House bill as well as the malpractice data that the House relied on. He argued New Mexico does not lead the nation in such claims.

Cervantes saved much of his heat for the hospitals that have been lobbying nonstop for the reform bill, undressing the financial benefits that would come their way and returning their fire. At one point he told House sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler that she had been "duped." 

The crowning blow was his declaration that up to as many as a dozen amendments are up for debate when the committee meets again today. 

Whatever the final number, with Thursday's adjournment deadline hovering and the House having to agree to any changes, it makes for a very close call for a bill to get to the Guv. 

THE TRIPLE THREAT 

Wirth in the Senate

Cervantes, 65, a product of the UNM School of Law who has been recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyer since 2000, is joined on the committee by fellow trial lawyers Peter Wirth, the Senate Majority Leader, and Sen. Katy Duhigg. Nothing in the bill (HB99) is escaping their scrutiny.  

Their skepticism--forcefully and unapologetically expressed at the Roundhouse hearing streamed to a statewide Zoom audience--was withering and could be more than enough to derail much of what the hospitals wanted. 

Sen. Moe Maestas added his skepticism of insurance companies who are slapping doctors with ever higher insurance malpractice premiums. Earlier Sen. George Munoz complained of rapid insurance increases across the board--a view echoed on social media.

The House has to understand a crucial bill is not going to be swallowed whole in the lion's den of the Senate but that doesn't mean there can't be a bill. 

Many observers hope that a cap is placed on punitive damages in malpractice cases against independent doctors--including those hard to see specialists. Their insurance premiums--and their personal fears--should then fall. 

Combine that with the legislature's earlier approval of an interstate compact easing entry for out of state doctors to practice here and you get a solid start.

To argue these measures mean nothing is either disingenuous or heat‑of‑the‑moment talk. With hours left and Cervantes & Co. on the prowl, a little win beats no win. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Senator Ben Ray Lujan is assuring New Mexicans that his head isn't too big for his britches in light of the historic turn of events that has left him virtually unopposed for re-election this year. 

He says in a message to constituents: 

I will never take the trust of New Mexicans or this race for granted. 

Lujan will have no official GOP opponent after their only candidate failed to qualify for the June primary ballot and he offered this reason for his free ride: 

Republicans know their agenda is unpopular and Donald Trump's policies are making life more expensive for New Mexico families. Instead of answering for that record, they've avoiding accountability at the ballot box. 

While the GOP lost their chance to challenge Lujan--the first time in state history they failed to field a Senate candidate--a minority party such as the Libertarians--could still nominate token opposition. 

Also, an independent candidate could make a run. Such a candidate must have registered as a decline to state voter by this past January. According to NM Open Elections, an independent candidate would need to collect 13,929 voter signatures to quality for the ballot. Write-in candidates could also still oppose Lujan. 

FREE RIDE REACT 

The GOP failure to take on Lujan is naturally causing tension in the state's minority party. GOP Chair Amy Barela is taking much of the heat and she gets more from Mark Murton, the 1st Vice-Chair of the Bernalillo county GOP:

Joe, the Bernalillo County party will continue creeping forward. RPNM and Amy Barela is not the boss of us and, if she has written us off, then we’d just as soon she cease harassing us. In the end, the GOP’s existential crisis is a Republican voters crisis. We need to figure out a way to get our voters off the couch, out to every election, and volunteering to help us rather than sniping from the sidelines, 

Murton adds that because of the state's immense permanent savings accounts of over $60 billion becoming a one party state poses a unique danger for conservatives:

NM could be the eternally-funded playground in which to fund socialist prototypes for export, long after California finances collapse. For this reason, NM has national significance all out of proportion to its electoral votes. It would be nice if the RNC and big-ticket politicos recognized this. 

 GOP Chair Barela said of the GOP's epic Lujan failure:

We made repeated outreach efforts to candidates who were short on signatures and offered assistance. In several instances, those efforts were met with little or no response. We stand ready to help any Republican willing to put in the work — but we can only help when help is requested and when communication is open.

THE FRAMING 

Former MLG Communications Director Trip Stelnicki offered his thoughts on analysis we offered over the GOP's drift toward irrelevance: 

We wrote: The "bothsidesism" of the legacy media frequently disguises the dire state of the state's minority party. Their narratives continue to feature the GOP as an integral part of lawmaking and political tension even as their philosophical influence has been arguably nil--and for years not months. 

Stelnicki says: Joe, I can remember during my time as comms director, a reporter starting on the state government beat asked me if I had any advice. I said if he wanted to write interesting stories that actually reflect what's happening he should ditch the D-vs.-R frame and report on the debates between the liberal Ds and conservative Ds, because that's the only debate that matters here now. That was 5 years ago and it's only become more true. Within two weeks of that conversation he'd written a half dozen stories centering the point of view of GOP backbenchers. La Politica changes slowly, if ever, huh?  Always enjoy reading/

SUING DUKE 

The lawsuit over his residency that has been expected ever since Duke Rodriguez joined the chase for the '26 GOP gubernatorial nomination is here. It was filed by allies of Farmington area state Senator Steve Lanier who is also running for the GOP nod. 

Rodriguez, who reacted to the legal challenge on the socials, has lived and voted in Arizona but also maintained an ABQ home. The issue is whether he has met the state constitutional requirement that he has resided here continuously for five years. 

Rodriguez, a cannabis tycoon, has emerged as the early GOP front-runner because of his pledge to spend between $1 to $2 million of his personal money and because of his business and government experience. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull is seen as his chief rival. The others trail. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics. 

Amy Barela

For the first time in state history a major political party will not have a candidate running for a United States Senate seat. 

This epic fail of the NMGOP was revealed this week when Christopher Vanden Heuvel, the lone Republican running in the June primary failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. That sets up Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan to score a second term with only token opposition, if any at all. 

The senate ballot mishap underscores the perilous state of the GOP. 

The party holds no statewide elected executive offices and no seats in the five -member congressional delegation. The governor is a Democrat and both chambers of the legislature overwhelmingly so. The five-member state Supreme Court is all Democratic. 

Lujan is receiving a symbolic primary challenge from Democratic Socialist Matt Dodson. The GOP's only hope now is to find someone to run against Lujan under their banner as an independent or as a Libertarian or other minor party. Whatever happens, it all amounts to a free ride for Lujan.

Besides highlighting the crisis of the NMGOP's long-term relevance, the failure to field a Lujan opponent could also hurt their already long shot chances to take the Governor's office in November. That would require a strong turnout and with no branded Republican senate candidate at the top of the ticket, it becomes even more problematic. 

NMGOP Chairwoman Amy Barela takes the hit for not having a back-up plan and for not riding herd on Vanden Heuvel's campaign and ensuring the party fielded a contender. 

The GOP senate debacle also emphasizes that New Mexico has not just become essentially a one party state but appears to be slipping into a California type environment where Republicans seek out conservative Democrats to support. That has already happened in some instances. 

THE GOP CRISIS 

Joe Monahan

The true nature of this Republican existential crisis is often obscured by a sitting Democratic governor who is a political split personality, adopting progressive policies on environment and gun control policy and the like but going all in with the GOP on crime. 

Her continued failure on those crime bills is the "tell" of how her positioning on "bipartisanship" remains largely irrelevant in a state unwilling to elect Republicans and who do not share the bifurcated view of the electorate that she grew up with.

The near landslide December re-election of ABQ Mayor Tim Keller where crime was a top issue served to reinforce the hardening of the Democratic position in the state's most populous county which is a must-have for statewide electoral success. 

In addition, the "bothsidesism" of the legacy media frequently disguises the dire state of the state's minority party. Their narratives continue to feature the GOP as an integral part of lawmaking and political tension even as their philosophical influence has been arguably nil--and for years not months. 

For example, universal child care, the constitutional amendment for early childhood education, the adoption of environmental rules, gun restrictions, oversight of ICE and the ever growing state budget have all been vigorously challenged by the few Republicans still standing. It has been to no avail and again emphasizing--for better or worse--the singularity of New Mexican politics in the absence of a vital opposing force. 

THE BOTTOM LINES 

There are occasional forays into bipartisanship but they are exceedingly rare and mostly insignificant. 

Ours is not an era of bipartisanship. This is an era of extreme polarization where states like New Mexico are becoming a deeper Blue and Red states even more crimson. 

Never mind either side "working across the aisle." When there's hardly anyone left on the other side, why would they? 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.