An often bitter battle over medical malpractice reform ended late Wednesday with the Senate approving a House bill that for the first time caps punitive damages in malpractice cases.

The victory was especially sweet for reformers, including House sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler, coming as it did after attempts by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Joe Cervantes and his fellow trial attorneys to thwart the bill with a raft of amendments. The committee amendments approved were shed from the bill on a 27-15 vote. Then came approval of the bill on a 40-2 vote. 

Reform advocates at Think NM celebrated the win even as doubts remained that it will have a major impact on the years-long shortage of medical doctors and also lower their medical malpractice premiums:

House Bill 99 directly addresses the primary reason why so many doctors are considering leaving New Mexico or retiring early; our unbalanced medical malpractice laws. The passage of this legislation gives them a reason to stay. 

Hospitals spent heavily on ads to prod the legislature into action. The Governor threatened a special session if no action came. She is now expected to gladly sign the bill avoiding that special and leaving the state to wait and see if the hard-fought measure will have the measurable impact that was promised. 

HAALAND-EPSTEIN

Zorro Ranch

On the campaign trail there is this:

Another New Mexico politician found in Epstein files. NM gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland took a flight with former NM Attorney General Gary King on a private jet in 2014, coordinated by Jeffrey Epstein. Haaland's campaign says she had no idea Epstein organized the flight. 

King and Haaland were the Democratic Gov. and Lt. Gov. candidate team in '14, losing to Republican Susana Martinez and John Sanchez. 

The King family sold Epstein the land his Zorro ranch was built on in the early 90's and where it is alleged he sexually abused underage girls. 

The report on the plane ride turns out to be pretty innocuous but does show the long tentacles the scandal has. 

And the Haaland disclosure was awkward.

While the news of that jet ride was making the rounds, a state House special subcommittee, dubbed an Epstein "truth commission," held their first meeting, in Santa Fe aimed at unearthing his activities in the state. They said they are preparing to subpoena witnesses. Would that include Deb and Gary?

Then there was the 2023 sale of the Zorro ranch. It's been bought by a Texas business/politico who says he is going to turn it into a Christian retreat. Yes, the truth is often stranger than fiction especially in the merry-go-round world of La Politica. 

FIRING THEM UP 

The Dems remain favored to keep the Governor's office in November--perhaps heavily so--but that's not stopping the campaign manager for Deb Haaland from trying to make a race of it and keep the troops fired up. He writes to supporters:   

Deb is officially on the ballot-- but this is not a safe blue seat. The party of New Mexico's governor has flipped very eight years for decades. Races up and down the ballot in our state are getting closer and closer, with Democratic margins shrinking dramatically between 2018 and 2024. With five Republican opponents vying for this seat, Deb is already facing right-wing attacks, and this race could see unprecedented dark money pouring into New Mexico. 

Some vote margins may be shrinking for the Dems but Senator Martin Heinrich was re-elected in 2024 over well-financed opposition by over 10 percentage points--and no Republican has been elected to any of the statewide executive offices in years. 

The most recent election--although officially nonpartisan--was for ABQ mayor in December where Mayor Tim Keller beat out Republican Darren White in a near landslide of 58 to 42. 

The '24 presidential election did not offer the GOP some hope when Trump managed to cute his loss here to 6 percent but since his poll numbers have collapsed among those Hispanic voters responsible for the strong Trump performance.  

That historic tidbit about the Governor's office being predestined to flip between the parties was also rolled out in '24 when Dem MLG sought a second term. She won easily. 

All of this emphasizes the importance of the June Dem primary between Haaland and Sam Bregman. The winner may very well have smooth sailing in November with a campaign where the Dem nominee's feet are not held to the fire. That's why Bregman's call for a series of debates with Haaland make sense. But don't look for Haaland's campaign manager to put that in a memo. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics.