President Bush sets down in Airforce One in Roswell today just as a new round of infighting breaks out in the state Republican party. The GOP has been torn asunder by an ongoing battle between allies of former state chair John Dendahl and current chair Ramsay Gorham, who ousted Dendahl. Now word comes to us that Gorham and Bernalillo County Republican Party Chair and Bush NM finance chair, Ken Zangara, are at odds with Republican National Committee (RNC) operative Rich Beeson, who is heading up the Bush campaign in the Southwest.
Sources say the peace pact that was brokered this month between Gorham and the RNC calling for the president's re-election effort here to be placed under the umbrella of the county party and Zangara is in danger of coming undone. The crowning blow is that Beeson, who Gorham sees as an ally of her archrival Dendahl, has placed a political operative for the Bush campaign in the law offices of Dendahlite ringleader Mickey Barnett. Barnett is GOP National Committeeman from NM and has close ties to the RNC. Gorham and Zangara also reportedly complain that voter information needed to launch the re-elect has not been forthcoming from the national party and that Gorham was excluded from a conference call with the Bush campaign while Dendahl was included. Gorham and Zangara are saying Beeson is making an end run around them, despite the compromise deal that called for Zangara to run the show.
"Does the RNC plan on running the campaign out of Mickey's law office?" pondered one insider. "That's not the deal and if it continues we may have a resumption of the war over the President's campaign."
Also, the infighting may be holding up an announcement on who will serve as executive director of the Bush effort here, a key role as money and personnel are pumped into the state to capture New Mexico's precious five electoral votes that Bush lost to Al Gore in 2000 by under 400 votes. One of the names being bandied about for the post is Kathy Leyendecker, a longtime GOP operative with ties to Senator Domenici. Others are also being mentioned. Leyendecker was considering a run against Dem State Rep. Al Park, but insiders now say those plans are off.
Ramsay's bad blood with Beeson goes back to when she took over and asked RNC boss Ed Gillespie to fire Beeson after Beeson, according to Gorham allies, played a heavy-hand with her. So while peace was at hand just a short week ago, today it appears the GOP is going to have to re-light the peace pipe and try again. If not, the ongoing turmoil can only threaten Bush's already tenuous hold on a state that could spell all the difference come November. Welcome to the Land of Disenchantment, Mr. President.
PRC: IT'S A MANIA
This Race for the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) seat up North reminds me of the internet stock bubble; everyone wants in. No sooner did I relay the news that Johnny Montoya, husband of State Rep. Rhonda King, will be diving into the pack, came word of yet another Dem contender. Carlos Fierro, a former analyst to the leadership in the NM House, and most recently senior counsel to Senator John McCain on the US Senate Commerce Committee, is also being tempted by the 90k a year job. Candidate Ben Ray Lujan, son of the House Speaker, earlier told me (stories below) that he was trying to convince the other Hispanics to bow out so the nomination would not be tossed to an Anglo contender like Bob Perls. Ever since, Hispanic candidates are coming out of the woodwork. Ben Ray better have a sit-down with dad.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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