Vasquez, a former Las Cruces city councilman and aide to Dem Sen. Martin Heinrich, showed definitively he has the gravitas and intellect to represent the district. Herrell showed poise and how she has grown into the position since being elected to her first term in 2020.
We give the incumbent a slight edge in the duel because of Vasquez's unfortunate past social media posts that she used against him time and again in the half hour confrontation hosted by KOB-TV Friday evening.
Without those posts Vasquez would have been the winner but she raised just enough doubt about his character and whether he can be trusted to give undecided voters questions. Still, we are hanging around toss-up territory in this newly drawn district that is still mostly in the south but now takes in parts of ABQ's Westside and near downtown areas.
DEBATE FROM THE TOP
Vasquez had a good kick-off by employing bits of Spanish in his opening statement in a district that is now 56 percent Hispanic. He explained his family background, centered on his grandfather who came to the US from Mexico. He highlighted wage growth as a top issue and an important one among working class Hispanics in the sprawling district. So far, so good. A fresh face with an inspirational family background. What's not to like?
Herrell's opener showed her newfound comfort with the spotlight but her description of herself as "working across the aisle" with Democratic colleagues was a stretch, especially her statement that she "worked to bring money back to people touched by the fire." Notably, she voted against the $2.5 billion federal aid package for the north in the aftermath of the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire, the largest in state history. That was an ideal time for the state's DC delegation to act in a bipartisan fashion. Herrell's opposition prevented that but the legislation did pass.
Herrell gained ground when the hot button topic of the border arose. While Vasquez said "immigrants make our country better" and called for "bipartisan solutions" that have for years eluded DC lawmakers, Herrell declared:
The persons winning the war on the open border are the cartels. We must stop this human trafficking, the trafficking of fentanyl. Put back in play Title 42--remain in Mexico policies.
She did not mention the Trump wall but did charge that Vasquez "wants to melt the ICE," the acronym for US immigration and custom enforcement.
She won on the border by hardening the passion of southerners impacted by the crisis and their demand for better federal protection.
ABORTION FOCUS
On abortion, a subject that has become increasingly painful for Herrell as the Dems pound her in TV ads, Vasquez had an easy lay-up and dunked the ball quickly after Herrell said:
Everybody knows I am pro-life with the exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Then Vasquez:
Even though she's changed her stance over the course of the last several months, she's voted and supported three times and co-sponsored bills that don't have the exceptions. That is the record we are facing. We can't afford that.
Abortion has helped keep the Dems heads above water in this midterm election and Vasquez's takedown showed why. If he scores the upset, that expose of Herrell's position could be a key reason.
GETTING DICEY
Things got dicier for Vasquez when the debate turned to defunding the police, a favorite of the GOP as they attempt to paint him as an extremist. But in this case Herrell has the goods. She referred to a now ignominious TV interview Vasquez conducted while wearing a mask and serving as a Las Cruces councilor:
You are on TV talking about defunding the police, dismantling the police. . . You actually voted against grant funding that your department asked you to pass, so when you are saying you are all for police, you need to go back and look at your Twitter posts, you need to go back and look at your Facebook and look at the TV hit you did.
Past social media posts by Vasquez on defunding the police and other controversial social issues were the subject of a CNN report and have been used extensively in TV ads against him.
Vasquez responded:
If we were running for Congress to talk about our Twitter posts this would be a much easier race, but the truth is that we're running for Congress to represent and bring funding to the people of NM and keep them safe. That (grant money) was actually replaced at the next city council session we had.
He also argued that Herrell "voted against prosecuting the folks who invaded the Capitol January 6."
One of the first votes she took was to decertify the election after a bloody coup and insurrection that took the lives of five police officers.
A solid comeback with the capitol riot, but outweighed by the hit to his integrity because he's a first time candidate who voters are unfamiliar with. Again, without those "blasts from the past" on social media, Vasquez would have had a win Friday night. Herrell repeatedly went to the well to dredge them up and in her closing statement gave a tidy summation of why they matter:
I haven't had to change my position on anything nor have I had to take down my Twitter feed or my Facebook posts or my podcast. You know why? Because I have served this district with honesty and integrity.
She and her debate team nailed that and it saved her from being overwhelmed by her election denying vote in Congress on the presidential race and, as Vasquez pointed out, her association with extreme Republicans like Couy Griffin of Cowboys for Trump infamy.
AND THE WINNER IS. . .
It was Vasquez's job to paint Herrell as an extremist Republican and have it stick. It was Herrell's job to paint Vasquez as inauthentic and not to be trusted. In that task Herrell came closer, but with national Dems coming to life here and Vasquez showing he's no lightweight, the race remains one to watch on Election Night '22.
NIGHT AND DAY
The lean Republican editorial pages of the ABQ Journal returned to the norm in a mildly surprising endorsement Sunday of Republican Mark Ronchetti (they endorsed MLG four years ago) as they declared MLG an utter failure:
Violent crime is harming, traumatizing and quite literally killing too many New Mexicans. Property crime, paired with the national economic downturn and pandemic closures, continues to hurt residents and business owners financially. Not enough of the record billion-dollar revenues from oil and gas has been invested in lasting infrastructure that will improve lives for decades to come. . . We simply cannot afford four more years of the same.
They said former TV weatherman Ronchetti not disputing the 2020 presidential election made the endorsement possible. But the editorial called him a "political neophyte with zero management experience." And they still endorsed him?
Also, the Journal has been repeatedly attacked for its coverage of the campaign by the Ronchetti camp. They can expect plenty more of that if he's elected but apparently a tax cut will ease any pain that causes.
In other words, one would expect this endorsement came directly from the Lang family that owns the paper and was a business decision--not from its journalistic arm that has been demeaned and ridiculed by the very campaign the newspaper is now endorsing.
ON MARCY STREET
The reliably Democratic leaning editorial pages of the New Mexican spoke glowingly of her handling of Covid and her attention to climate change in awarding MLG their editorial endorsement. Climate change makes the top of the mind list? Well, it is Santa Fe.
They also said:
Through pandemic, fire and flood, Michelle Lujan Grisham has steered a firm course as governor, putting the welfare of the people of New Mexico first. The governor has earned a second term. She deserves reelection, though not so much for what she has accomplished — and it’s a considerable list, as you will see — but for what she can do in a second term buoyed by a fat state budget and a smart to-do list.
The endorsement said she "must" do something about the mess at CYFD in a second term while the Journal said the mismanagement of the agency is another reason to throw her out.
Impact of the endorsements? The Journal readership is reliably older and conservative and the New Mexican readership is reliably liberal. But there was an expectation that the establishment paper might not go out on a limb with Ronchetti. They did and that gives his campaign a boost.
Both campaigns have an endorsement to tout in their final paid media, if they choose. We wait for the state's other major paper--the Las Cruces Sun-News--to break the endorsement tie.
NO MOE?
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| Rep. Maestas |
Jacob and Moe have become increasingly nervous that Democrat Eric Olivas will win District 5, a swing county commission seat now held by Charlene Pyskoty. If Olivas wins, they know Moe's chances of being appointed drop. . .Pyskoty. . . received financial help in her primary against Olivas from Moe’s wife, well-known Santolina and corporate lobbyist Vanessa Alarid.
So instead of allowing the new County Commission—who will be elected in just two weeks—make this appointment that will last for two years, they are maneuvering to force a vote now.
Remember, there are no legal or practical reasons the Commission needs to appoint anyone to the Senate now. The right thing to do is to let the new Commission make this appointment, as the new Commissioners are the ones who will have to work with the newly-appointed Senator. . . It's a backroom deal that takes the voters completely out of the equation. No way a lame duck commission should jam through two legislative appointments in the waning days of its term.
Email Commission (Chairwoman) Adrian Barboa today and ask her to hold the appointment.
Chair Barboa has control over the timing of the appointment. She, Pyskoty and Commissioner Quezada are listed by insiders as supporting Maestas for the senate seat.
PLOT THICKENS
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| Marsella Duarte |
Marsella Duarte, 40, a kindergarten teacher, has put up a web page announcing her interest in any vacancy. She says:
I was raised with a strong work ethic, a commitment to social justice and service to the community. My beloved grandmother told me many times “your word is all anybody really owns, so keep your word- always.” Today, that means that if I give you my word, you can count on it- always. I will represent you by listening to your needs, concerns, ideas and feelings.
But Duarte's opponents are already circulating a 2014 newspaper article titled "Party Girl Learns Lesson." The article describes controversial incidents she was involved in with high profile politicos--lobbyist Marc Saavedra and former District Court Judge John Brennan. She expressed regret over that time in her life.
When it comes to the scramble for suddenly available power, La Politica races faster than the Formula One.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2022
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2022