"Amateur Hour Is Over": Martinez Slams Bregman In Debut TV As DA Race Is Fully Joined; Chides Opponent For "Playing Cowboy"; Contest In Crime-Heavy ABQ Seems Close

Damon Martinez

Will BernCo District Attorney Sam Bregman's black hat earn him a black eye from Democratic primary votes and vault Damon Martinez into the winner's circle? 

Martinez seems to think so. 

His debut TV ad portrays Bregman as a frivolous "amateur" who has been "playing cowboy" while ABQ streets have become the "Wild West."

The thirty second spot gets a lot done. It effectively ridicules Bregman's signature cowboy hat meant to convey a tough on crime image. 

It makes the case for Martinez by reminding Dem voters of his service as a US attorney ('14-'17), appointed by President Obama.

The ad takes note of his military service--and in a contention that will surely be disputed by Bregman--claims Martinez took on violent criminals and the drug cartels.

Bregman, appointed DA by MLG in January '23 to fill the vacancy created when Raul Torrez was elected attorney general, immediately donned his black hat causing analysts to wonder if he was going too far for a Dem primary by appealing to Republicans and hard-line conservatives as he turned off center and left Dems.

That is now easy pickings for Martinez who is trying to appeal to Dems across the board. His spot leads off with footage from Bregman's first ad that shows him strolling down an alley in his black hat. The script:

While Sam Bregman has been playing cowboy our streets have become the Wild West. He's left murderers off the hook and given sweetheart deals to big time drug dealers. Amateur hour is over. Damon Martinez is a former US Attorney appointed by President Obama. He took on violent criminals and cartels. As DA he'll do it again. He'll put criminals in jail and make sure our streets are safe for the ones we care about the most.... 

That last line of the narration--"the ones we care about the most"--shows a young boy wearing a cowboy hat and a lasso around his shoulder walking with his back to camera, making for a final dig at what Martinez believes is Bregman's inauthenticity accented by his showy head gear.

DA Bregman

Martinez backs up his accusations on Bregman's prosecutorial record by citing the dates that media outlets published articles about them. But there is more heat than light when any public official around here claims to have made a dent in the historic crime rate.

The line "amateur hour is over" is punctuated with vintage black and white film of a cowboy actor swirling a lasso for a throw while a country western band fiddles away, another effort to make Bregman appear whimsical.

The Obama mention is complemented by a photo of Martinez talking with President Obama, a clear signal to a large segment of the Democratic primary electorate that may be confused about this race. The Obama reference could point them in the direction Martinez desires.

On the other end of the spectrum there is a shot of Martinez in his uniform serving in the US Army Reserves as a Colonel and a JAG officer in the NM National Guard.

SEEMS CLOSE

The Martinez-Bregman contest in big BernCo is the state's most expensive this primary because there are no statewide contests on the ballot. Bregman has raised over $400,000 and Martinez over $300,000 with over half of his from personal loans.

Neither candidate has a sterling election record. Martinez has never been elected and in his only previous effort he lost the 2018 ABQ Dem US House primary to Deb Haaland. Bregman has run numerous times for various public offices the past 30 years but has only won once--for a single term on the ABQ City Council. 

The race seems close with Bregman's superior name ID putting him in the driver's seat in the early going but now Martinez joining the fray with this effective TV ad and starting to chip away at Bregman, a former criminal defense attorney and onetime chair of the NM Dem Party.  

Neither seems a comfortable fit with the voting public because neither has been convincing that they have credible crime-fighting credentials. That makes their paid media all the more vital.

One of them will win the primary and the four year term up for grabs. No Republican is running.

SIGN TIME

What would a campaign be if candidates were not complaining about their signs being stolen or vandalized? They are off and running with that theme. This is from Dem Bernalillo County Clerk candidate Karen Montoya: 

We've noticed a few of our campaign signs have gone missing or been tampered with recently. As we work hard to represent you in Bernalillo County, we're asking for your help in keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity around our signs. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Your assistance in safeguarding our campaign materials is greatly appreciated. 

Montoya is competing with Deputy County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh for the Dem Clerk nomination. County Clerk Linda Stover is term limited. Robert Kwasny and Clayton Pryor are the GOP candidates but the Dem primary winner is heavily favored in November. A Republican hasn't been elected to the post since. . .well. . .we'd have to look that one up.

By the way, Clerk Linda was toying with a run for ABQ Mayor in 2025 but has now told friends she will not be a candidate.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2024