Alexis Johnson

It's true that the Dems have a lock on the northern congressional seat and that Teresa Leger Fernandez, the Dem nominee, is expected to easily win election. But that doesn't take away from her Republican opponent having one of the most interesting backgrounds of any state political hopeful this election year.

Alexis Martinez Johnson, 38, was the surprise winner of the GOP primary in the sprawling northern district. She's an environmental engineer, a mother of four, including two year old twins; she is of Hispanic and Native American heritage, worked professionally in the SE Permian Basin; was born in Portales, raised in Roswell, graduated from Las Cruces High earned a scholarship to Vanderbuilt University and finished her higher ed at NM Tech in Socorro. She now lives in Santa Fe and works in the family business, "a Midland-based firm that manages projects for oil and gas producers. She notes the company employs New Mexicans on projects in the Hobbs area."

Now that's a mouthful. Add in a fiery personality with strong ideological beliefs (pro-life pro-gun) and you have a political newcomer who might have been a good fit for the more conservative southern congressional district.

And there's more. The iconoclastic Johnson was cited in July by Santa Fe police for refusing to wear a face mask. She told them:

I am not going to put a mask on unless you provide me, are you going to like handcuff me and take me away for not wearing a mask? This is a free country. This flag here is the one that you’re upholding and the one that I’m upholding. So I do not support any type of infringement on my constitutional rights.

Johnson slams attorney TLF as a "Santa Fe Socialist" while TLF wisely tends to her own garden as her supporters reference Johnson as "unsteady."

Johnson has little money and New Mexicans may or may not get to see her in TV ads. But there will be a virtual October KOAT-TV debate. Given Johnson's multi-layered background and this being Leger Fernandez's maiden political voyage, that should be must (and fun) viewing.

LUJAN VS. RONCHETTI

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan will give Mark Ronchetti, his GOP rival, two debate shots at him but no more in the race for the open US Senate seat. Lujan says he has agreed to two TV debates:

We believe these two debates will give voters across the state in all 33 counties the best chance to tune in and hear the candidates discuss a broad array of topics. Ben Ray is excited to engage on the issues that are at the top of voters’ minds and share his plans for helping New Mexicans recover from and rebuild after COVID-19.

Ronchetti, a former TV weatherman, is an an accomplished TV performer and no doubt would like more face offs but the polling is not close and Lujan is in the driver's seat.

The two candidates may not see much of each other outside of those debates.  Because of COVID most  traditional in-person appearances at Rotary Clubs and the like will not take place.

DC pundits rank the NM Senate race "Solid Dem" or "Likely Dem."

LIBERTARIAN UPDATE

Can state Libertarians retain their title as a "major party?" Reader Rick Lass has an update:

On August 17, a Libertarian Party ballot access case in New Mexico was settled. A final order from a U.S. District Court documents that the New Mexico Secretary of State now agrees that Stephen Curtis received enough write-in votes in the June Libertarian primary to qualify for a spot on the general election ballot. As a write-in candidate in a primary, the law required not only that he receive more votes than any other candidate for the nomination, but that he receive at least 230 write-ins.

The four-page order also says “The Secretary of State will in the future ensure that all county clerks properly account for all write-in votes on the proper tally sheet in subsequent elections.” Here is the order in Curtis v Toulouse Oliver.

The Libertarian Party’s chances of polling at least 5% of the total vote cast in November 2020 for one of its nominees is now enhanced. It isn’t likely that the party will poll 5% for president or U.S. Senate, but it has a good chance of polling 5% for State Court of Appeals. Minor party nominees receive higher percentages of the vote when they are running for an office in which the typical voter doesn’t care too much about who wins. In 2018 the New Mexico Libertarian Party received 5.77% for Land Commission.

NM VOTES

State Rep. Derrick Lente, a Sandia Pueblo member, cast NM's 46 delegate votes at last night's Democratic National Convention. Biden received 42 of them and Bernie Sanders 4. The roll call was done with a brief video from each state as it was called on to vote. Lente filmed his at the pueblo wearing traditional garb and explaining the state's diversity.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020