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| Sens. Mullin and Heinrich |
If anyone still wonders why
Sen. Martin Heinrich will not be the
Democratic nominee for Governor this year look no further than his eyebrow raising decision to cross party lines and
vote to confirm
Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the new
Secretary of the Homeland Security Department. Only one other Democrat voted for Mullin (Sen. Fetterman) who was approved Monday 54-45. The Heinrich vote was a direct slap in the faces of
progressive Democrats (and many others) who months ago rallied around
Deb Haaland and thwarted
Heinrich's gubernatorial plans.
Heinrich's vote to confirm the controversial Mullin was not seen as a "meeting of the moment" for voters anxious for bipartisanship. Rather, it was viewed as a serious misread of the room in a majority-minority state that is haunted by the aggressive actions of ICE.
Heinrich knows that because he sees the polling of Hispanic voters who had a flirtation with Trump in 2024 but who are now fleeing him in wake of the ICE mishaps and Trump's overall immigration crackdown.
Heinrich was safely re-elected to a third term in 2024 and does not stand for re-election until 2030--eons away in politics. But the senators centrism, born in the early part of this century when it was the favored flavor but has since gone the way of the typewriter, has isolated him from his party.
He explained his vote this way:
I consider Markwayne
Mullin a friend. We have a very honest and constructive working
relationship. We have authored legislation together, such as the Tribal
Buffalo Management Act, and we crafted the Legislative Branch
Appropriations bill together this year. We often disagree and when we
do, we work to find whatever common ground we share.I have also seen first-hand that Markwayne is not someone who
can simply be bullied into changing his views, and I look forward to
having a Secretary who doesn’t take their orders from Stephen Miller. For five years, under this and the previous Trump Administration, I
have lacked any constructive relationship with the Secretary of Homeland
Security. This is despite my state being home to hundreds of TSA, CBP
and Border Patrol constituents and many miles of the U.S./Mexico border.
I want someone who recognizes the necessity of judicial warrants, as he
has. I would like a Secretary who I can call and have a constructive
conversation with about my state and the unique terrain that exists in
the southwest and the proper mix of structure, technology and personnel
necessary to effectively secure our border.m For these reasons, I will vote to confirm Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of Homeland Security.
THE PUSHBACK
On the socials the attacks were swift and pointed from Democrats. Elaine Cimino came with a cutting rebuttal:
Heinrich operates from the centrist playbook that tells us this is all normal—that cooperation, decorum, and incrementalism will somehow carry us through a moment that is anything but normal. But what we are living through is not politics as usual. It is a rapid consolidation of power, a corrosion of democratic norms, and a federal apparatus increasingly aligned with authoritarian outcomes. And yet—he votes to enable it. This is the myth of the centrist laid bare. Not a stabilizing force. Not a principled moderate. But a political actor who ultimately bends toward power—who accommodates whatever system is dominant in the moment, so long as it preserves their position within it.
What is most telling is not just the vote—but the silence. Where are his biggest supporters now? Where are the environmental groups that elevate him? Where are the donors, the validators, the base that gives him political cover? Because silence in this moment is not neutrality—it is consent. If Heinrich will not change course on his own, then that pressure has to come from the people and organizations that claim to stand for something more. Because this is not about one vote. It is about a pattern of alignment with power over principle—and a refusal to meet the urgency of the moment we are in. And that should alarm everyone.
While Republicans praised Heinrich for his vote, longtime Dem activist Theresa Trujeque came with this take:
As a Democrat and as a Hispanic I am disgusted at Heinrich's vote to approve Mullin as DHS Secretary. Obviously he doesn't care that Hispanics are being targeted, that people have died and the inhuman treatment of immigrants of the Trump administration. Does he really believe that his "friend" will listen to him when it comes to immigration issues and not Trump. Mullin is a Trumpster through and through. He is as bad as Kristi Noem. Someone needs to run against Heinrich as he doesn't care that Trump has hurt families of immigrants and those protesting against his policies.
LUJAN SAYS NO
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| Sen. Lujan |
Democrats seeking election this cycle gave Heinrich little comfort. ABQ state Sen. Harold Pope, seeking the Dem nomination for lieutenant governor, said Heinrich's "friendship" could not justify the vote.
The state's other US Senator, Ben Ray Lujan, up for re-election this year but facing no serious opposition (the GOP is trying to get a write-in candidate on the November ballot) was not about to go where Heinrich went. He
said:
At a moment when the Department of Homeland Security is facing a real crisis of accountability, America needs steady, responsible leadership. The Republican Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said that Senator Mullin would set ‘a terrible example’ for ICE and Border Patrol agents. This is a stark warning for an already out-of-control department.
“Under the Trump administration, DHS has operated without accountability and at the expense of the rights of American citizens. I’m fighting to protect our rights, keep our communities safe, and hold this administration accountable. I take my responsibility to New Mexicans seriously. I will vote against Senator Mullin’s confirmation.”
This the Home of New Mexico Politics.
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