Thursday, September 22, 2022Old Rule Predicting State House Races Looking Worn And Torn, Plus: More House Candidate Quotes From Across The State; You've Landed At The Home Of New Mexico Politics They say rules were made to be broken and after scoping out the state House races this week it seems an old rule with staying power could end its run. At the start of this campaign pollster Brian Sanderoff explained:The phenomenon that the “nonwhitehouse party” benefits electorally can be best seen when viewing NM statehouse races. During the 2 Obama mid-term elections the Republicans picked up a total of 13 house seats and took over the majority in the state house. During the Trump mid-term election the Democrats picked up 8 statehouse seats. This shows how the mood of the nation affects local races.
The problem in '22 is that there are not that many competitive House contests for the national mood to influence, and for several reasons. Republicans have not fielded strong candidates in many of them and abortion has changed the mood on the ground in favor of the White House party. Ditto for the gubernatorial race where it appeared in June that the incumbent was in serious peril but now has emerged as the clear frontrunner, thanks to both abortion and the structural make up of this Blue state. As things stand (and there's a small chance they could change) the make-up of the state House following Election Night could be almost the same as we started--with 45 Dems in the 70 member chamber. The GOP may get downright moody if that happens. But what about southern Congresswoman Yvette Herrell? Shouldn't the Democrats who are now getting better vibes from the electorate be hurting her against challenger Gabe Vasquez? Strikingly, there has not been a single independent public poll released on that race. That's fine. We can use all the suspense they throw at us. OFF TO THE RACES Time now for part two of excerpts from the ABQ Journal questionnaires of candidates for state House seats in districts with competition. We begin today in the Southwest. . . Democrat Rudy Martinez of Silver City in Distrcit 39 has a simple and perhaps unique view on reforming the gross receipts tax: What changes, if any, should New Mexico make to its gross receipts tax code? There aren’t any changes that I would make. The GRT is necessary to help pay for the services our government owes to the public. Santa Fe will be flooded with GRT reform plans next year but for Rudy no plan is a good plan. GUN CONTROL  Would you support or oppose legislation that banned or restricted the sale of AR-15-style semi-automatic weapons, such as raising the age limit for purchasing such weapons? And what about legislation making it a crime to fail to safely secure firearms around children? Yes I would restrict AR-15s to military and police only. I would vote for a law that makes it a crime not to lock up one’s guns. Independent candidate Laura Gutierrez in House district 15 in ABQ disagrees: I do not support the restriction of the sale of firearms to law abiding adult citizens, more laws don’t fix the problem, better education for children regarding the dangers of firearms and better enforcement to keep guns from people who should not possess them is the best solution. CYFD WOES Improving the performance of the troubled CYFD has been a matter that has befuddled Santa Fe for years. ABQ Dem Rep. Natalie Figueroa in District 30 says change needs to come from outside the agency. What changes would you support to improve the operations of the Children, Youth and Families Department? The safety of children is paramount. I support an independent ombudsman to help implement necessary improvements, accountability, and increase full time equivalent employees to ensure case follow-through. CYFD is large and unwieldy, making it difficult to effect change. I would explore dividing the department so oversight and change can be implemented swiftly. GOP candidate Nicole Chavez in District 28 agrees: What changes would you support to improve the operations of the Children, Youth and Families Department? I testified in support of an independent and autonomous ombudsman during the 2022 New Mexico legislative session. CYFD cannot continue to police themselves. There must be an external oversight agency. Child safety and department transparency must be top priorities for our state as children are dying under the current CYFD administration. YAZZIE-MARTINEZ  What more, if anything, should the Legislature do to address a court ruling that found New Mexico is failing to provide a sufficient education to all students, especially Native Americans and those who don’t speak English as a first language? The Legislature needs to ensure the Public Education Department finalizes its comprehensive response plan and support a robust pipeline to prepare bilingual educators. It also needs to allocate adequate resources for Hispanic, Black and Indian education advisory boards and liaisons as well as equitable resources for students with disabilities. BOOK HER, DANNO. Dem Eleanor Chavez in District 26 admits to being arrested twice--and proudly so: Have you ever been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of drunken driving, any misdemeanor or any felony in New Mexico or any other state? If so, explain. I have been arrested twice, both in planned acts of civil disobedience. One was fighting for labor rights against a corporate hospital and the second was being arrested with a Catholic nun and one other woman protesting former Gov. Susanna Martinez. THE CONNY AMENDMENT That constitutional amendment that would allow the Land Grant Permeant School Fund to be tapped for early childhood education funds finally made the ballot and will be decided by voters Nov. 8. Dem Rep. Liz Thomson came with her view: Do you support or oppose the proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would withdraw more money from the state’s permanent school fund to increase funding for early childhood services and K-12 education? Strongly support as a primary co-sponsor. The best way to affect a myriad of costly problems (including crime, child abuse, poor educational outcomes, poverty, substance use) is to prevent them. Investing in our youngest and their families is a proven strategy with a great return on investment GOP candidate Alan Martinez in District 23 sees it differently: I oppose the proposed constitutional amendment to withdraw additional monies from the permanent fund. We have to protect the body of that fund. I support early childhood services, pre-K, and K-12 education. However, I support a transparent process including more accountability on how the current funding is spent. TOO MUCH POWER?  Do you believe changes should be made to the emergency powers held by a governor during a pandemic or other time of crisis. If so, do you believe such powers should be expanded or reduced, and in what specific ways? No Democrat or Republican should have unlimited, unchecked powers in a representative government. In multiple sessions, I co-signed onto a bipartisan bill to terminate the Emergency Response Act after 90 days and force the governor to call us into a special session to address the need for an extension. Lord's Dem opponent, Augustine Montoya, had an interesting response to the same question: I believe that emergency action should be balanced with passage by a full time, paid Legislature. This is why we have checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches. District 7 Dem candidate Danny Bernal weighed in with this: No. It’s the legislature’s responsibility to check the other branches of government, but not to impede. The people elect a governor to lead in times of crisis. It’s her elected responsibility to make the toughest decisions. Let the people decide if there should be a change of leadership in November. SUGAR AND BOOZE Independent candidate Enrique Cardiel in ABQ District 19 has some very specific thoughts about the gross receipts tax: What changes, if any, should New Mexico make to its gross receipts tax code? We need to tax sugary drinks and alcohol at a greater rate and put that funding into public health programs that help deal with issues caused by those substances. These examples are public health issues and as a public health worker it is clear we can do better on these. The questionnaire for the Guv candidates is also out. (MLG's is here and Ronchetti's is here.) We'll analyze those answers in a future blog. Contact us at newsguy@yahoo.com to place your campaign advertising here. We welcome the opportunity to spread your message. This is the home of New Mexico Politics. 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 2022 |
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