Amy Barela

If history is any guide, there appears to be little wiggle room for NMGOP Chair Amy Barela to hold on to her position. 

Republicans are being ripped apart by Barela's decision not to vacate the chairmanship when an opponent filed to challenge her in the GOP primary for her Otero County Commission seat. Party rules state when that happens the chair must give up the chairmanship. The rule:

In the event the state chairman or any other state officer of the Republican State Central Committee files as a candidate for public office and there is another Republican who has filed for the same office, the state officer shall immediately vacate the party office. In that event, the successor shall be selected in the manner for filling vacancies as provided for in these rules. Please note the result of this rule is mandatory and not up for discussion or debate.

State Sen. Jim Townsend of Artesia, taking Barela's side against the big city ABQ Republicans, tries to spin the rule to her advantage:

A similar scenario played out in 2004 when ABQ GOP state Senator Ramsay Gorham faced a bitter intraparty fracas when she drew a primary foe for her North Valley seat. Gorham initially refused to leave but eventually gave in and not only resigned her chairmanship but vacated her senate seat as well. 

We were there and covered the Gorham story--one of the more sensational in state GOP history. From the April 1, 2004 blog:

Ramsay Gorham

The crisis in the New Mexico Republican Party reached the breaking point Wednesday, leaving all to wonder who will pick up the pieces. The sudden resignation of Chair Ramsay Gorham after a ten month political melodrama that pitted her against the forces of John Dendahl, the chairman she ousted just last year, served only to heighten concerns that the party was hopelessly divided and, as a result, President Bush could be robbed of the state's precious five electoral votes in the coming election. 

Back then the NMGOP had real power. This was a swing presidential state with George W. Bush winning it in 2000 and battling for it again in 2004. GOP Senator Domenici held sway over a powerful congressional delegation and the state legislature was Purple---not Blue as it is today. Who was in charge of the GOP mattered.

GOP HUMILIATION 

Flash forward and the GOP looks as if it has endured an extinction level event. Barela is being called out for ignoring party rules when it comes to her primary, but a worse sin may be her party's inability to field candidates to oppose Democrats. 

The party has been humiliated as it seeks to place write in candidates on the ballot to run against US Sen. Ben Ray Lujan as well as state treasurer and state auditor. The party is shut out from all of the statewide executive offices and faces long odds to take the governorship this year.

The once might GOP has fallen. While yesteryear's intraparty spats were akin to watching a heavyweight boxing match, today the wrangling resembles a playground dust-up.

Barela continues to resist calls for her resignation. The GOP State Central Committee could take action to remove her or the controversy could end up in court. 

We did it again--incorrectly identifying Santa Fe's standing among the state's largest cities. First, we had the City Different as the second largest then third, but it is actually the fourth largest, behind ABQ, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho. Why do we keep screwing this up? Well, for Las Cruces it may be out of sight, out of mind. For Rio Rancho it could be because it seems like a suburb not a city, leaving ABQ and Santa Fe. We're working on it. . . 

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