Ellison

A Republican candidate for Governor who doesn't highlight crime as the be-all-end-all issue? We've got one.  

Jim Ellison, 55, a Georgia native and onetime Democrat who has lived in the state for 20 years and served two years on the Public Regulation Commission as an independent ('23-'24), has announced his candidacy. He came with a different angle that may be essential if the GOP wants to get back in the game in Dem New Mexico:

This campaign is about tackling the challenges that matter most — affordability, opportunity, and trust in government. . .I believe that the policies that have been implemented and that would be implemented under Deb Haaland are already increasing the cost of living for New Mexicans, and I would expect to see a dramatic rise in our power prices over the next 10 years if these policies continue.

That's a start at returning the GOP to the bread and butter issues that have brought them to power in the past. They are exhausted after walking the crime beat for years and coming up empty. 

Ellison's tip of the hat to "affordability" gets him a listen. How it plays with conservative MAGA primary GOP voters will be interesting. Are they ready for something new as well? 

MONAHAN'S TAKE 

Ellison starts far back in the pack with fund-raising highly problematic because of his brief GOP history. He switched  from independent to Republican only in February of '25. He will have to build trust with longtime Republicans. For now the importance of his candidacy is the injection of economic well-being into the campaign as a primary issue--not as a sidebar to all-crime-all-the-time.

ROBERTO MONDRAGON 

He was a shrewd and notable political figure but Roberto Mondragon may be best remembered as a keeper of the cultural flame of his native New Mexico.. 

Mondragon, 85 died Wednesday died, confirmed current Lt. Gov. Howie Morales on social media, saying: 

(Roberto) was a legendary leader in the cultural and political life of New Mexico over generations...His accomplishments to preserve our Hispanic heritage in New Mexico will endure forever. Roberto found a life’s calling in both public service and love of the musical traditions of New Mexico. A beloved friend of many, we will miss him greatly.

Gov. Lujan Grisham's statement on the passing of Mondragon is here. 

Mondragon's political career was meaty. He served two terms as Lt. Governor in the 70's, ran for the ABQ congressional seat in '74 and made a run for Governor in '94. He was elected to two terms in the state House ('67-'71) from the ABQ valley and served as a special water projects coordinator for the state. Later he switched gears.

Mondragon leaned into his musical and story telling skills--(a lover of dichos)-and made a splash by entertaining on stages throughout the state as well as more intimate gatherings. He released two well-received albums of NM music--Que Cante Mondragón and Amigo. Gov. Richardson appointed him to the board of directors of Hispanic Cultural Center and he had a bit part in the popular film The Milagro Beanfield War. 

King-Mondragon in '70 and '78 was a dream ticket for the Democrats (although the '78 election was a nail biter). The combination of a northern Hispanic native with an Anglo down-to-earth rancher came to own the political sphere.

But in 1994 it was Mondragon playing a key role in squashing King's attempt to earn a fourth nonconsecutive term as governor. He had broken with King's centrist politics and became the Green Party nominee winning 10 percent of the vote to King's 40 percent and Republican Gary Johnson's 50. 

Would King have won if Mondragon had not run? Probably not but it was a point long mulled over. We recall that King's Lt. Governor in 1994, Casey Luna, ran against Bruce in the June '94 Dem primary and weakened him. He had two of his #2's going after him. 

(Here is a 1994 gubernatorial TV debate featuring Mondragon, King and Johnson.) 

Mondragon, a Guadalupe county native, was not a policy wonk but he brought to the table charisma, calm and a deep understanding of the state's people and culture. We learned that first-hand when we covered his losing 1974 campaign against GOP Congressman Manuel Lujan, Jr. and again in 1994 when he wore the Green Party mantle and we consulted his campaign.

With unabashed pride in his home state and his natural people skills, Roberto Mondragon certainly earned his chapter in the never ending book of his beloved La Politica. 

Reporting from ABQ, I'm Joe Monahan. 

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