Politicos are ready for the next round of elections. Are you?
It's rally time at Highland High School in Albuquerque.
Though it's barely nine in the morning, the scratched school gym floor and rickety bleachers already are crawling with screaming fans, adorned in colorful shirts and straw hats and clutching greasy breakfast burritos. Outside the gym, people pepper the school walls with signs, dole out bumper stickers and urge anybody within earshot to back their team.
It's March madness, but we're not talking basketball.
Today, March 18, is primary convention day in
New Mexico, a biannual festivity. Delegates-1,640 Democrats and 434 Republicans-are elected by party members from the
counties from which they hail. By the end of the day, following speeches from each candidate, the delegates will cast their votes via paper ballot; the results will be announced and the stage for the June 6 primary will be set. Candidates need 20 percent of delegates' votes to get on the ballot. Winners of the June primary then face off in the Nov. 7 general election.
Though the results of the primary convention don't necessarily translate at the primary (ex-governor Gary Johnson
barely made it on the ballot in 1994 but went on to win the Republican primary), they can breathe life into a dark horse candidate's campaign or mess with a perceived front-runner's psyche. And so, wild-eyed candidates from every conceivable state office rush around the packed gym to shore up last minute support.
Attorney general
candidate Geno Zamora clasps hands with fellow Santa Feans before moving onto to powwow with the Hispano
Roundtable of New Mexico. First-time candidate for state auditor Jeff Armijo franticly instructs his cadre of mini-skirt wearing staff members (his sisters).
Land commissioner hopefuls Jim Baca and Ray Powell hang in the back of the gym and chat with political insiders.
Given the importance of the day, the convention also has drawn a who's who of big names in New Mexico politics, including the governor, assorted congressional members and state legislators, many of whom give their own speeches to rev up the crowd.
"I voted against the war! I voted against the
Patriot Act!" US Rep. Tom Udall shouts in a crackerjack speech that brings people to their feet, while his wife Jill Cooper-Udall affectionately "raises the roof" in the audience.
At one point, former governor Bruce King rumbles down the gym floor aisle, grasps the heads of two elderly Native American women in a hearty face hug and pokes well-wishers in their bellies
like Pillsbury doughboys.
"Thanks so much for
coming
today," King says to a supporter, giving him a playful prod to the paunch.
Just a few miles down Louisiana Boulevard at the
Marriot Hotel, state Republicans are holding their own party.
Perhaps "party" isn't quite the right word. If the Democrats' gathering feels like a high school pep rally, then the Republicans are taking their cue from an annual insurance salesmen convention.
In a sterile, air-conditioned ball room, delegates sit at their tables-designated by county-sipping bottled water and clapping politely when state Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh gruffly acknowledges
their presence. There's not much fanfare. Not a whole lot of candy-colored T-shirts. Hardly any stickers. Instead, silver hair, black suits and southern New Mexico twangs abound. As do a motley crew of politicians,
who would appear to have scant chance of winning in November in a state where Republicans
are outnumbered by Democrats by nearly 20 percent.
Fresh off a Santa City Council tenure which left with him more enemies than friends, a smiling David Pfeffer walks the hotel hallways sporting a bizarre streak of confidence about his challenge
to Democratic bigwig Jeff Bingaman for US Senate.
"I think people will be pleasantly
surprised," Pfeffer says. "I've really found a home here."
JR Damron, the Republicans' lanky
answer to the
portly Gov. Richardson, announces he'll be holding a press conference in a few hours even though there are barely any news
outlets around.
Doe-eyed Jim Bibb looks more like a
delegate's teenage son as he strolls out of the bathroom than a candidate for the highest law enforcement post in the land.
"Don't let the face fool ya," Bibb
says with a wry grin.
Indeed, appearances,
particularly in politics, can be devastatingly deceiving. True, the Republicans' gubernatorial challenge is likely worse than a
long shot, Pfeffer probably couldn't beat
Bingaman with a
baseball bat and the
Republicans haven't held the secretary of state's seat since Wall Street went south in 1929. But New Mexico carried George Bush in 2004. A closer look at the results of both state conventions and the upcoming races reveals a complicated political landscape.
Here's a peek at in the ins and outs of what will likely be the three most fiercely contested dogfights come June and then November.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
The race:
The rush to fill the outgoing attorney general's seat is the most riveting of all the statewide races for three reasons.
First, the position is vacant. Current AG Patricia Madrid has served her two-term limit and can't run again-she's challenging US Rep. Heather Wilson, R-NM. Second, the office has long served as a jump-off for politicians with bigger ambitions (US Rep. Tom Udall, US. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and ex-governor Toney Anaya all served as attorneys general).
Third, each party is fielding some of the strongest candidates voters will ever see in a state election.
DEMOCRATS
The candidates:
Geno Zamora, Lemuel Martinez and Gary King
Convention outcome:
Zamora received 36 percent of the vote; Martinez had 33 percent and King 31 percent. (Convention results are rounded off.)
Deep background:
The Democrats have a stable of thoroughbreds to choose from. Geno Zamora served under Tom Udall as
assistant attorney general and was the governor's chief legal counselor. He's young and charismatic
and Hispanic.
Lemuel Martinez may have the most unique first name of anyone on the ballot, but in New Mexico it's the last name that counts. District attorney of Cibola, Sandoval and Valencia Counties since 2001, Martinez has made a career of beating Republicans.
Then there's former state legislator Gary King, who
lost the gubernatorial primary in 1998 and a congressional run in the Second District in 2002. Son of Bruce, King has strong name recognition
statewide.
Scuttlebutt:
If a single
candidate emerged from the convention a rising star, it was Zamora. The
native Santa Fean blew the blue hair right off elder delegates when he rushed to the stage to J.Lo's "Let's Get Loud" and delivered an impassioned speech.
"I'm humbled and honored that the grassroots of the Democratic party established me as the frontrunner," Zamora tells SFR. "We're not
taking anything for granted though. We're going to take that energy, that excitement, that aggressiveness you saw at the convention
and keep using it until June 6."
Martinez was the dark horse coming into the convention,
but he's not anymore. Finishing a close second to Zamora, Martinez surprised party politicos and
himself.
"I'm tickled pink. I'm happy as heck," Martinez quips. "My job as the DA hasn't allowed me to get out all over the state, so instead, I spent my time really trying to get on the phone and call people. You hear on the street what people saying: 'Oh, why can't you work a little harder?' Well we didn't lose. We're in a dead heat."
King could be in trouble. Going in, many believed Zamora's
and Martinez' candidacies would divide the Hispanic delegates and allow King to seize control of the race. But his third place finish called into question that prognostication.
"I think things have gotten away from him," Joe Monahan, a former reporter, political consultant and New Mexico political blogger (
) says. "He didn't deliver the votes he needed. He needs to get out there and work the Anglo counties in the southeastern part of the state to make sure those voters show up for him."
King disagrees, noting there was only a 61-delegate vote difference between Zamora and himself.
"We weren't really surprised at the results," he says. "Our objective was to get on the ballot, and we're pleased we did. I think Hispanic voters are just as likely to vote for me as they are the other candidates."
REPUBLICANS
The candidate:
Jim Bibb
Convention outcome:
Bibb took 86 percent of the vote, Bob Schwartz 13 percent.
Deep background:
Bibb is a blue chip political
prospect for a party that doesn't get much to smile about in New Mexico. A father of five, Bibb is 35 but looks 18. He's a former assistant district attorney, assistant US attorney and FBI agent who did a nine-month stint in Afghanistan as a medevac helicopter pilot. Bibb's wife Kristina is the daughter of former Democrat governor Toney Anaya and his father-in-law has said publicly he'll campaign for Bibb.
Scuttlebutt:
Look for Bibb to hammer home ideas about reining in public corruption, which could resonate with voters considering the scandal in the Treasurer's Office.
A moderate Republican, the mustachioed Bob Schwartz served three years as Richardson's top advisor on crime. But his work for Big Bill may have hurt him at the convention. "There's a general feeling within the party that with so much media coverage on the kickbacks and pay to play schemes coming out of elected officials, if someone is going to be elected to a position of oversight like attorney general, then they want someone without political bias," Whitney Cheshire, president of political consulting company Cheshire Communication Strategies, and a blogger (
) says.
Following the convention, Schwartz withdrew from the race.
LAND COMMISSIONER
The race:
Toward the end of the Democratic pre-primary convention, as exhausted delegates began filtering out of the gym, party chairman John Wertheim grabbed the microphone and implored people to stay. There was still one more race to talk about. Moreover, Wertheim told the half-listening crowd, this race involved the one state seat still held by a Republican.
Indeed, the Dems would love revenge on State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons, who beat former Santa Fe mayor Art Trujillo four years ago.
After all, Lyons is the only Republican to hold a state office. Judging by their own candidates, the Democrats will be spending a lot of time and money making sure that's no longer the case.
DEMOCRATS
The candidates:
Ray Powell and Jim Baca
Convention outcome:
Ray Powell-74 percent. Jim Baca-26 percent.
Deep background:
Powell and Baca have a lot in common. Both are former land commissioners. Both are viewed as pro-environment. And both are familiar faces to New Mexico voters.
Powell, whose pops was an old state party chairman,
has a long record to run on, and voters can expect him to talk about it wherever he goes in an effort to separate himself from Baca. In particular Powell points to his collection of $120 million from 16 global oil and gas companies he audited while in office and his creation of a system to monitor plants, minerals and animals on state land as evidence he's the better candidate.
In addition to land commissioner, Jim Baca has held a bevy of assorted offices over a long career in politics, including mayor of Albuquerque, state liquor director and press secretary for former governor Bruce King.
Like a growing number of local politicians these days, Baca has an entertaining
blog (
www.onlyinnewmexico.blogspot.com
) and is as known for his outspoken
opinions as he is for his deep political experience. Describing himself as "tough and feisty" in his speech to delegates, Baca wants to aggressively
reform the land office by changing the state constitution to allow for a permanent land conservation system, a consideration he says makes him distinct from his opponents.
"I think both Ray and Jim come into this race with a lot of name identification," Eli Il Yong Lee, president of Soltari, an Albuquerque-based political consulting company, says. "They both have a proven ability to raise money and run an aggressive campaign."
Scuttlebutt:
Perhaps the biggest difference between Powell and Baca is who they are as people, and experts say it showed at the convention. The word is that Baca's strong personality, as opposed to Powell's more laid-back approach, might have turned off the party faithful. Baca, however, dismisses anyone who dares write him off so soon.
"My goal has always been just to get on the ballot," Baca says. "The first time I ran for land commissioner, I got 23 percent of the delegates' vote, and I won the primary. The delegates are influenced by old party politics, and that's never been one of my strong suits."
Regardless of what went down this year, Baca's political know-how is more than enough to keep him alive.
"On paper, Baca might have an edge because of the Hispanic vote," Joe Monahan says. "That's going to help Jim, as is his experience, but he's going to have to work that demographic in the southern part of the state pretty hard."
Meanwhile, Powell seems surprised at the expansive margin by which he took Baca to task.
"We were extremely pleased and happy, and we were also taken aback by the margin there," Powell says. "But it spoke volumes about the support we have."
REPUBLICANS
The candidate:
Pat Lyons
Convention outcome:
Lyons is uncontested in the primary.
Deep background:
Lyons, with his sandpaper mustache, cowboy swagger and salt-of-the-earth sensibility, is all alone in Santa Fe. The former state senator and rancher from
Cuervo is the only Republican to hold state office. Liked (at least personally) by both Democrats and member of his own political family, Lyons likely will tout his land office budget cuts of $26,000 this year and earnings of $1 billion in revenue from oil and gas production, agricultural leasing and general activity on state trust lands.
Still, with political vets Powell and Baca up in his face for the next six months, Lyons likely will have to do more than that to convince voters he's still the man. Look for Lyons to be put on the defensive about his willingness to consider natural gas drilling on the controversial Otero Mesa. Look for Lyons to be up the test.
Scuttlebutt:
Don't let the "aw shucks" persona fool you. Lyons is a shrewd, smart politician. Just ask Art Trujillo, whom Lyons ripped mercilessly for a past DWI conviction.
And with the current energy crisis becoming more inextricably linked to the war on terror every day, expect Lyons to use the current political climate to his advantage.
"We need to get our own resources instead of sending our money overseas for energy, and then that money is used to kill Americans," he says.
Though some argue Lyons' incumbency doesn't really help him because of the experience of his opponents, Whitney Cheshire believes Lyons' incumbency is plus.
"What's going to play into his favor is the general mood of the state," she says. "There's so much one-party control in Santa Fe that him being the only Republican to hold statewide office will actually help Pat."
TREASURER
The race:
No state office was in the news more this year than the State Treasury-and for good reason. It's been seven months since then-treasurer Robert Vigil and his predecessor Michael Montoya were indicted for allegedly taking kickbacks from investors. Vigil was forced out of the office and is facing charges of racketeering and extortion following a federal investigation. Montoya also faces charges. The good news for Republicans is that both men are Democrats. That means that the party actually has a fighting chance at an office they haven't held since Cream topped the music charts in 1968.
DEMOCRATS
The candidate:
James Lewis
Convention outcome:
Lewis is uncontested.
Deep background:
If it weren't for the treasurer's scandal, this race would be a rout. The Democrats wisely have put forth James Lewis, whose résumé is longer than a New Mexico drought. A former state
treasurer and former governor Bruce King's chief of staff, Lewis holds a deep
respect from both sides of the aisle; at the convention, his 1,299 votes were more than the governor, even though Richardson is also unopposed.
More importantly, Lewis is seen as a firefighter, a man who can extinguish the flames that have been burning in the Treasurer's Office for too long and threaten to singe the governor's own political agenda.
"There's no question that Jim Lewis is by far and away of any candidate the best person for the treasury job. I've never met any person from either party who questions his integrity," John Wertheim says.
Scuttlebutt:
The candidacy of Lewis has the fingerprints of Bill Richardson all over it. Up until earlier this month, Santa Fe legislator Luciano "Lucky" Varela was in the mix, before suddenly bowing out to make way for Lewis. Though it hasn't been proven, it seems clear that Richardson, or at least the party leaders, wanted a candidate who could win and subsequently pushed Varela out. According to Joe Monahan, Varela's supporters are not happy about how things played out. Meanwhile, the emergence of the even-keeled Lewis could counteract any of the scandal's impact with his impeccable reputation.
"I think it's very wrong to indict an entire party because of the actions of a few," Lewis, who notes he's running on integrity, ethics and experience, says. "I'm excited to move on to the general election."
Still, according to Eli Il Yong Lee, the treasurer's scandal could ultimately hurt Lewis because he's viewed as the consummate insider.
"Typically, after a scandal, the advantage goes to the perceived outsider, and Lewis has been in politics for years" he says. "I think he is going to have run an extraordinarily aggressive race to win."
REPUBLICANS
The candidate:
Demesia Padilla
Convention outcome:
Padilla is uncontested.
Deep background:
Republicans believe they've found their man, or woman that is, in Padilla, a former accountant, former IRS
employee and a Hispanic to boot.
"She's an excellent candidate. She's likeable. She knows the business, has an impeccable record and she's someone the party can stand behind and be proud of," Whitney Cheshire says.
Padilla, who has never run for public office, is completely unknown. But to hear her tell it, it's just a matter of getting out there and connecting with voters.
"I plan on presenting myself as who I am, Demesia Padilla, someone who deals with finances on a daily basis, someone who can bring professionalism to the position," she says. "In this race, it's about bringing real change to the State Treasurer's Office."
Scuttlebutt:
While it's rare for Republicans to win any statewide seats, especially those considered "down ballot" (the races listed at the bottom of the ballot), consider this year different, Whitney Chesire says.
"On a national scale, voters have always been more comfortable putting Republicans in a position of financial oversight because they feel Republicans are better with the checkbook," Chesire says. "While that hasn't necessarily translated in New Mexico, it's different this year because people throughout the state are starting to pay attention because of what's happened."
There's little doubt the Republicans are savoring the opportunity to seize a seat that, in a year without scandal, they'd have little chance of taking. Even better, if all goes well, they can embarrass the governor in the process. While it remains to be seen if Padilla has enough moxy to make it happen, this race, from the Republicans' standpoint, is not about her at all.
"Power corrupts," Allen Weh says. "And this is the classic example of one power controlling the state and abusing its power. There's been a terrible breach of public trust. The situation in Santa Fe has gotten unhealthy."
EVERYTHING ELSE
With this many candidates, look for lots of political signage in the coming months.
US Senate:
Incumbent Democrat Jeff Bingaman is running unopposed in the primary. Republicans Allen McCulloch, David Pfeffer and Joe Carraro are all competing in that party's primary. At the convention, McCulloch, a Farmington urologist, finished with 40 percent of the vote; Pfeffer garnered 32 percent and State Sen. Carraro, R-Bernalillo, won 28 percent.
US House of Representatives, District 1:
Democratic candidate Patricia Madrid is running unopposed in the primary. Republican incumbent Heather Wilson is running unopposed in the primary. The seemingly unbeatable Wilson has weathered her fair share of races over the years, but this time the Dems think they could actually unseat her with Madrid, the ambitious attorney general.
Governor and Lt. Governor:
Democrat incumbents Bill Richardson and Diane Denish are unopposed in the primary. Republicans JR Damron (a Santa Fe doctor) and state Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Bernalillo, are running unopposed in that party's primary.
Secretary of State: Democrats:
At the convention, Mary Herrera took 34 percent of the vote; Stephanie Gonzales got 33 percent; Shirley Hooper won 21 percent and Letitia Montoya 11 percent. Republican Vickie Perea is running unopposed in that party's primary. Both Gonzales and Hooper are former secretaries of state.
State Auditor:
With incumbent Domingo Martinez running for Santa Fe County Assessor, the state auditor's post is up for grabs. At the convention, Democrat Jeff Armijo received 70 percent of the vote. Thomas Buckner took 30 percent. Republican Daniel Alvarez is running unopposed in that party's primary.
State House of Representatives:
Santa Fe's Democrat incumbents Jim Trujillo, Ben Lujan and Peter Wirth are all unopposed for the primary and face no opposition for the general election. In District 48, incumbent Democrat Rep. Lucky "Luciano" Varela, who initially had announced a run for state treasurer, is being challenged by Andrew Perkins and former city councilor Ouida MacGregor in the primary.
Santa Fe Magistrate Judge:
In Division 1, Democrats David Segura, Roman Garcia and Eli Senna all are competing in the primary. Republican Margaret Garduño is running unopposed in that party's primary. In Divisions 2, 3 and 4, incumbent Democrats George Anaya, Jr., Richard "Buzzy" Padilla and Sandra Miera are running unopposed in the
primary and general election.
Santa Fe County Commission:
Incumbent Democrats from Districts 1 and 3, Harry Montoya and Mike Anaya are unopposed in the primary and general.
County Assessor:
Democrats Brian Baca, Robert Quintana and current State Auditor Domingo Martinez are all competing in the primary. There is no Republican candidate in this race. Martinez, the current state auditor, is now making a play at county politics.
County Sheriff:
Democrat incumbent Greg Solano is being challenged by one of his deputies, Democrat Linda Ortiz, in the primary. There is no Republican candidate in this race.
County Probate Judge:
Democrats Jacob Block, Lily Gonzales, Mark Basham and Joe Lightning Montoya are all competing in the primary. There is no Republican candidate in this race. This seat was vacated by Ann Yalman when she took over ousted Municipal Court judge Fran Gallegos' post.
