Eichenberg

The battle for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer has turned into one of the nastiest ever for a down ballot statewide office. 

Heather Benavidez and Laura Montoya are facing off for that nomination but it's almost as though current term limited State Treasurer Tim Eichenberg is also on the ballot. He is pulling out all the stops for Benavidez and conducting a scorched earth campaign against former Sandoval County Treasurer Montoya that includes hits on conduct in her personal life. 

A group of Democratic Party county chairmen and two high ranking Democratic officials have had enough. They've issued a letter of condemnation of Eichenberg who has previously endorsed Montoya for political office and who has long been one of the most popular elected Dems in the state: 

Tim Eichenberg has launched one of the most horrific, vitriolic, deceitful, mudslinging media campaigns ever witnessed against a well-qualified Democratic candidate. . .Eichenberg has misused the Treasurer Seal in an unethical attempt to promote his favored candidate. Eichenberg has ignored the increasing choir of colleagues who have respectfully pleaded with him to stop this destructive campaign. These unsavory tactics have been designed to ruin the reputation of a good and decent candidate, just because Eichenberg didn’t hand pick her. . .Our primaries must not descend into schoolyard spectacles where baseless accusations, half-truth distortions, and character assassinations are accepted. . .Ethical Democrats must stamp out inappropriate actions within our own ranks. The following individuals stand united in condemning sitting Treasurer Eichenberg salacious and egregious campaign tactics.

Among those signing the letter were Bernalillo County Chair Flora Lucero; Santa Fe County Chair Bernadette Vadurro; San Juan County Chair Mark Lewis; Sandoval County Chair Alexandria Piland; Socorro County Chair Juanita Gordon and McKinley County Chair Mary Ann Armijo, among others.

Eichenberg say he was motivated to do the attacks simply because of Montoya's character. And it should be noted that there are 33 counties in the state each with a party chairman. 

There is a red flag here. Former Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez sits on the state Board of Finance, appointed to the panel by MLG. Heather Benavidez is the daughter in law of Sanchez and would automatically sit on that board if elected Treasurer. According to the BOF website: 

The Board of Finance Division provides operational, analytical, and administrative support to the State Board of Finance in accordance with statutory mandates. The Board has broad statutory responsibilities for general supervision of the fiscal affairs of the State, in addition to other regulatory and oversight functions. . . The State Board of Finance is created in Section 6-1-1 NMSA 1978.  Members are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer and four members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the senate.  No more than two appointed members may be from the same political party and each appointed member serves a two-year term.  The Governor is the president of the Board.

The Board has the authority to issue general obligation bonds and severance tax revenue bonds.

(An earlier version of this report incorrectly said Sanchez sits on the State Investment Council which the Treasurer also automatically serves on.)

THE ODD COUPLE

Rep. Herrell

You might call them the new odd couple. Progressive Dem ABQ US Rep. Melanie Stansbury and very conservative GOP Rep. Yvette Herrell are becoming if not fast friends--much better acquainted--as they both seek re-election this year.

Herrell's steadfast support of Donald Trump has made her a kind of black sheep in the five member state congressional delegation but that underwent an abrupt change when Stansbury announced in an apparent first that she and Herrell will actually co-sponsor a bill together. 

Stansbury's office says the Water Data Act is. . . 

Designed to transform and modernize water management across the United States by putting the power of data and science into the hands of communities, farmers, and water managers. The Act will create a national framework to unleash the power of water data, address longstanding technical challenges in water data and science and create a national Water Data Council/ 

Herrell chimed in: 

Rep. Stansbury

Ensuring that federal agencies adopt coordinated standards for reporting water data will enable states, tribes, and local communities to more easily access this information, which is vital during the severe drought conditions in New Mexico is currently experiencing.

There's good reason for these political opposites to find common ground. Stansbury's new district extends into rural counties that once belonged to Herrell and Herrell's new district includes parts of Albuquerque that were once in Stansbury's district. 

With an uncertain national environment, Stansbury needs to tone down her "wokeness" and Herrell needs more street cred on policy not politics. Working together gets Stansbury entree to conservatives and Herrell to liberals so stay tuned for the next episode of the odd couple.

NOT GIVING UP

That Sunday Journal poll showing Mark Ronchetti trouncing his four foes for the GOP Guv nomination a real morale buster, but Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block isn't giving up and  after the debate made his case this way:

The political insider candidates have gone negative on each other and now they are unelectable. Mark Ronchetti lost to Ben Ray Lujan for U.S. Senate in 2020 by almost 60,000 votes. Lujan was a much weaker candidate than our current Governor and if we nominate the weatherman, history will repeat itself and a Lujan will reign victorious once more. (State Rep.) Rebecca Dow has even more baggage than a career politician in Washington. Once MLG grabs this baggage she will make her unelectable. Both of these candidates cannot defeat our current Governor, I can. A vote for Ronchetti or Dow is a vote for a second Michelle Lujan Grisham term. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

One of Ronchetti's favorite lines on the campaign trail is how he is proud "not to be a politician." But he is, according to the dictionary:

A person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.

Politician or not, Dems are now worried about Ronchetti winning the GOP nomination in a landslide and coming into the general election with added momentum. 

From the city of Espanola May 3 police blotter:

Wonder which primary candidate that was?