Monday, August 19, 2019Here Comes Claire And Yvette Isn't Yawning; Chase About To Enter Southern Congress Race Setting Up Major GOP Battle For Nomination, Plus: Oil Boom; Where's The Plan?
Candace and I are having Claire and Chance Chase from Artesia at our home for drink, food and conversation on Thursday, August 29. It will be announced next week (this week) Claire is running for Steve Pearce's old congressional seat CD2 now held by Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small. With Chase's entry imminent supporters of former GOP State Rep. Yvette Herrell, who has been running for months, rushed to their battle stations. NM GOP House leader James Townsend led the charge, writing to supporters: It's time we dispel the rumors and unite this party to win in 2020. There are those who wish to judge Yvette's last campaign and create conflict. Their goal is to divide our Republican party. . . I am asking for your trust and support for Yvette Herrell to be the Republican nominee in 2020. . . Her new team is ready for the fight in 2020. They have made substantial changes to the operation . . . .Yvette is the Pro-God, Pro-Life, Pro-Family, and Pro-Business leader with New Mexico values we can trust. This will be classic battle between the Republican wing that supports former Governor Susana Martinez and those that disdain her for the treatment she dished out to fellow R's. Chase, chairman of the board of the NM Oil and Gas Association, is in the Martinez camp. Herrell, 55, is distinctly not. Dropping into the middle of this battlefield Wednesday will be none other than VP Mike Pence who will hold an event in Artesia touting an international trade deal. That event will be held at Elite Well Services which just so happens to be owned by the wealthy Chase oil family into which Claire (Manatt) Chase married. Is that a signal that the White House is ready to make room for Claire in her skirmish with Yvette? Who knows? But the timing is intriguing. Remember, Pence campaigned in Roswell for Herrell in 2018. A Senior GOP Alligator says: He may be looking at his own political future and the money needed down the road. Time to hedge his bets?
Probably the most disappointing lie Chris has decided to spread is that I introduced a bill that would allow abortion up to 6 months. The reality? My bill banned late term abortions--a critical first step to ending abortion in New Mexico. Chris’ leftist-style lie is not only dishonest but also hurts the entire pro-life movement. . . The state R's were left for dead after the '18 rout in which they lost everything imaginable, but there is still one prize worth having and that's the GOP nomination for the conservative southern district. With a three way clash in the cards it seems there's still bit of life yet in the old GOP Elephant. BOOM! Uh, like we were saying. The latest: New Mexico’s revenue boom is showing no signs of busting. Total state revenue collections were roughly $273 million above projected levels through April, according to a new report, due primarily to skyrocketing oil production in southeastern New Mexico that has led to a regional economic upswing. The higher-than-expected revenue surge--the state is now on track to collect an unprecedented $7.8 billion in the budget year that ended June 30. . . The silence in Santa Fe on the prospect of this being a long-term boom generating even more billions is starting to show. The question being: Shouldn't plans be proposed for this mountain of money in order to reduce the risk that much of it is squandered? The politicos and policy makers spooked by the boom and bust past, but the balances in the state's bank books don't lie. Maybe the boom does go bust, but a big picture play for the next five years still seems in order as historic surpluses accumulate. THE BOTTOM LINES Join me at 5 p.m. today as we kick the political football around with T.J.Trout on 770 KKOB and 94. 5 FM. This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019 |
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