One-on-one Interviews with Democrat Hector Balderas and Republican Susan Riedel, Gene Grant “Finding Your Roots” History
This week on New Mexico in Focus, Correspondent Gwyneth Doland continues our series of one-on-one interviews with candidates competing in November’s general election. She talks with the two candidates running for Attorney General this week, Democrat Hector Balderas and Republican Susan Riedel. Balderas is the current State Auditor and Riedel served as Chief Deputy District Attorney in Las Cruces for 14 years.
And host Gene Grant finds out some surprising facts about his personal history when we bring a local spin to “Finding Your Roots,” the popular PBS show hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., where Gates helps people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations in the branches of their family trees. Gene also talks with three of New Mexico’s leading genealogists, Henrietta Christmas and Ruth Randall, and Angel Cervantes, director of the New Mexico DNA Project, who will help us understand New Mexico’s unique history.
The Line opinion panel discusses the race for New Mexico Attorney General and dissects the interviews with the candidates in this episode. The panelists also discuss the Congressional District 1 debate airing this week on KNME between U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and challenger Mike Frese.
Correspondent: Gwyneth Doland
Guests:
Hector Balderas / Democratic Attorney General Candidate
Angel Cervantes /Director, New Mexico DNA Project
Henrietta Christmas / NM Genealogical Society
Ruth Randall /Certified Genealogist
Susan Riedel / Republican Attorney General Candidate
Line Panelists:
Sophie Martin / Attorney
Rob Nikolewski / New Mexico Watchdog
Guest Panelists:
Antoinette Sedillo Lopez / Enlace Communitario
Stephen Spitz/ KUNM’s New Mexico People Places and Ideas
Host: Gene Grant
The Producers of NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS are Megan Kamerick and Floyd Vasquez. Associate Producer is Kathy Wimmer. Funding for this program was provided in part by the McCune Foundation.
Episode 813 for air October 10, 2014
RESOURCES:
Explore the relationships between identity, genetic ancestry, and health among New Mexicans of Spanish-speaking descent on the HERITAGE NEW MEXICO website.