Sen. Sanchez

Dem State Senator Clemente Sanchez, a key member of the conservative coalition that controls the Senate, has a bulls eye on his back with progressive Dems ready to fire the arrows.

Sanchez, who is sure to draw a liberal Dem primary opponent in next June's primary, is already fighting back. In a an opinion piece Sanchez comes this close to actually calling himself a Republican, a label the progressives think fits:

. . . The Democrat Party. . . has manifested in factions splintering off, charging one another with ignoring the others’ commitment to the lower and middle class, otherwise cemented in popular culture as the 99 percent.

Isn't that supposed to be "Democratic Party"? Well, it is if if you consider yourself a member,

It appears Sanchez, 60, has avoided the first arrow aimed at that bullseye he sports. Ray Concho of Acoma, who had been entertaining a primary run, is apparently not going in. However a landline poll conducted in Sanchez's Valencia/ Cibola/Socorro/ McKinley district by a political operative reveals the cocksure Clemente could easily get a competitive race, if the right foe emerges.

That May 20 poll gave him a 36 percent favorable rating from likely Dem primary voters but 47 percent had no opinion of him. And when voters were told about Sanchez's opposition to a constitutional amendment to fund early childhood education from the $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund, as well as his opposition to background checks for gun sales, the race got interesting.

Sanchez, a Grants banker first elected in 2012, argued in his op-ed that he and others against the progressives are "moderate Democrats:"

Rhetoric and finger-pointing are designed to obstruct results. When progressives circle their wagons and collectively call out the moderate members of the Democratic Party they produce negative results – a splintered base and an emboldened opposition.

But calling himself a "moderate" will be called a stretch. The defining moment of his career is his membership in the coalition that includes all 18 conservative Republican Senators and only a handful of Dems.

RUE GETS READY

The effort to bust the Senate coalition, which will be a top political story here in the next year, is also playing out in ABQ, but it's not about Dem vs. Dem.

ABQ GOP Senator Sander Rue is well aware that he could be endangered when he seeks re-election next year as BernCo continues to trend deep blue. No wonder he's getting started early on his re-election bid:

With a proven record of bipartisan and independent leadership in the State Senate, Senator Rue is uniquely prepared to fight for the Westside in today’s tumultuous political landscape. 

Note his appeal to the many Democrats now in his district. Will the progressive Dems field a strong candidate in Rue's working class Westside district, perhaps lessening the pressure on them to beat Clemente Sanchez or other Dem Senators to break up the coalition? We're staying tuned,

NORTHERN CONGRESS

It appears the field for the race for the Democratic nomination for the northern congresiaonal seat is set. There are eight Dems seeking the nod to replace Dem Rep Ben Ray Lujan who is leaving the seat to run for Senate. One Republican has filed for the seat which is rated Safe D.

Repeating our "soft top tier" a year out from the primary: Santa Fe County District Attorney Marco Serna, lawyer Teresa Leger Fernandez and former CIA operative and author Valerie Plame. We see them as best positioned to finance a credible run in the vast district.  More here.

PINTO SEAT PLAY

We mentioned that friends of the politically prominent Navajo Begaye brothers--Russell, a former Navajo Nation president and Ray, a former NM state rep--report they are interested in replacing the late State Senator John Pinto. Here's another wrinkle as the San Juan and McKinley county commissions prepare to send recommendations to the Governor who will make the final choice:

Navajo Nation Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty said Pinto did talk about whom he believed should replace him if he were to step down or vacate his seat, and that was his granddaughter Shannon Pinto. “I know Senator Pinto asked me to support his granddaughter Shannon Pinto,” said Crotty.”

The Navajo Nation council has approved a resolution calling on the Governor to choose a Navajo to succeed Pinto.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019