Thursday, December 17, 2020BIDEN TO PICK HAALAND FOR INTERIOR, Plus: More Name Dropping For Haaland Congress Seat, And: Death Claims NM Power Player Johnny Cope Her appointment is subject to US Senate confirmation. There will be a special election to fill her seat. That will occur within 77 to 91 days after Haaland makes her resignation official.
MORE NAME DROPPING Add BernCo Sheriff Manny Gonzales and ABQ City Councilor Lan Sena to the list of possible Dem hopefuls for the ABQ congressional seat if Haaland is confirmed as secretary of interior. Gonzales is interesting because he's currently weighing a 2021 bid for ABQ mayor. Sena was appointed by Mayor Keller last year to a westside city council seat left vacant by the death of Ken Sanchez. She's a progressive D. One more. Greg Jackson, a mixed martial arts trainer who co-owns Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, apparently wants to bring his fighting arts to politics as his name circulates. If Haaland left, about 150 Dem Central Committee members from the ABQ congressional district would name a nominee. The R's would also name a contender. By the way, a candidate for the US House need not be a resident of the district they seek to represent. They only need to be a resident of the state. And as news of Haaland getting interior broke, the names of ABQ City Councilor Pat Davis and defense attorney Randi McGinn were being added to the list of possibles. (In the first round of the name game we misspelled the last name of Claudia Risner and had an incorrect first name for ex-Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Biden's pick for secretary of energy.) JOHNNY COPE  Joe, Johnny died Monday near Palm Springs, CA. Johnny was notorious, generous, kind hearted, gentle, smart, fun loving and a Friend of Bill. He was a boy from Hobbs who became a successful businessman, lived hard and died tragically. Update--Cope family friend Bob Gallagher reports that he has spoken with the family and they say that medical authorities determined Cope died of an intestinal eruption while in his backyard. Cope had close ties to the NM horse racing industry. He was also a major contributor to the UNM athletic department . ABQ Journal reporter Thom Cole wrote of Cope in 2007: Cope was the master of ceremonies when Richardson put his left hand on the Bible and took the oath for a second term. . . A self-made millionaire many times over, Cope (helped) the governor raise millions for his gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.
Those who know him describe Cope as a man of his word, generous, hardworking and a shrewd businessman.
But his rise to the top hasn't been without troubles: business setbacks, a drug problem that led to jail time and a couple of stormy marriages that involved allegations of abuse.
Johnny Cope was 71. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020 |
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