Joe Monahan (2007)

The heated race for the GOP nomination for the southern congressional seat is putting NM GOP Chairman Steve Pearce on the hot seat. He reports he's been getting phone calls about who he might endorse for the seat he once held. But as party chair Pearce is prohibited from endorsing any of the contenders and says he won't.

The spirited battle between Yvette Herrell, Claire Chase and Chris Mathys also apparently had Pearce fielding inquiries about that debut video Chase produced to announce her candidacy. In it she left the clear impression that VP Pence was endorsing her, but he has not. Said Pearce:

I ask that each candidate make a pledge now to back the winner, regardless of outcome and that these campaigns remain above reproach by not insinuating endorsements in mailers, photos, or verbally as they work to earn your vote.  As Chairman of the Party, I pledge that we will steadfastly work to support whichever candidate the voters decide will best represent us.

It is critical for Pearce to keep the three hopefuls from letting the campaign get so out of hand that there's a repeat of the '18 southern GOP  nomination battle. That year Monty Newman lost to Yvette Herrell and the bad blood was never rinsed away. It's blamed, in part, for Herrell's upset loss to Dem Xochitl Torres Small.

BENTON'S BIG NAMES

Ike Benton, the incumbent Dem City Councilor seeking re-election this year, seems to be calling in a lot of favors. First he was endorsed by AFSCME, then came ABQ Mayor Tim Keller and Dem US Rep. Deb Haaland. Now he scores the endorsement of Sen. Martin Heinrich, who says of the veteran councilor:
Ike is all substance—a policy wonk, a details guy, with a nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic. He’s not flashy. Just effective. Today, Ike and I are working together to raise the bar on energy efficiency in Albuquerque and I support his work updating Albuquerque’s Energy Code, which we collaborated on years ago as City Councilors.

Benton, who represents the Downtown/North Valley/UNM District 2 seat, has five opponents but the top-tier endorsements he's getting have them scrambling. (Zack Quintero has been endorsed by the unions presenting police and firefighters.)

Heinrich was elected to the city council in 2003 in what was his first bid for elective office, the same year Benton was elected. Unlike Benton, Heinrich had a hard time getting the then-Mayor to endorse him. In fact, Mayor Martin Chavez worked against him but Heinrich won anyway. Benton's opponents are obviously hoping this year's mayoral endorsement gets a similar response.

As for Heinrich, his endorsement record could stand some improvement. In recent years he gave his nod to Dem presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Land Commissioner hopeful Garrett VeneKlasen. Remember them?

NOT EVERYONE AGREES

The big name endorsements of Benton are drawing fierce criticism from those who blame Benton for supporting the disastrous ART project and assert he did nothing substantial as the city was plunged into an historic crime wave that changed the very fabric of the city. A former top city official sums up that line of thinking in urging that Benton be defeated:

Albuquerque can tolerate all sorts of things: crime, homicide, a minimum wage economy, a substandard educational system. But the one thing it especially can't stand is criticism of its status quo leadership (the city is still moving forward with ART?WTF?). And it’s not because the criticism is invalid. It’s because the truth hurts but not as much as their failed leadership continues to hurt the city. In this case we’re talking about a pack of political peacocks and their hurt feelings. The public and the voters are supposed to be grateful for their uncanny ability to run what was once a great forward moving city into the ground. But here’s the real issue: the voters of Albuquerque are choosing to support these people. So it’s not just indictment on the political and community leadership. It’s an indictment on the city as a whole.

Benton's opponents have so far refrained from that kind of tough talk about the state of the city. However, former ABQ City Councilor Pete Dinelli has called for the defeat of Benton as well as Councilor Pat Davis, placing blame on them for the city's economic and social downward drift.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019