‘Private’ Party Politics and What Insight the Public is Owed 

Both of New Mexico’s major political parties were scheduled to take important votes tomorrow that effect, in one way or another, all state residents. Now, just the Democrats will. The votes were for significantly different roles — one an elected state official (Dems) and one a party leader (GOP). But the similarities, including that your average voter doesn’t have a say, are noteworthy. As are the reasons that only one of the votes is happening and only one of the conversations is taking place on this week’s show.  

With both parties’ state central committees meeting this weekend, I thought it would be ideal to have members of each on the show to discuss the elections ahead of them. If your average New Mexico voter can’t weigh in on who the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor is, or who the next chair of the Republican Party will be, at the very least those with the power to decide on their behalf could take the opportunity to fill residents in on the central issues and how they’ve decided to vote.  

Tonight, you will hear from members of the Democratic Party of New Mexico and its State Central Committee (SCC) about the four-day intraparty online vote that kicks off tomorrow to replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver as gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland’s running mate. Toulouse Oliver dropped out shortly after she secured 80% of the primary vote last month, citing unspecified health concerns.  

The party’s Communication Director Daniel Garcia lays out the process, and why — despite some frustrations among primary voters (including independents who don’t even belong to the Democratic party, let alone its SCC) — it is party leaders who get to make this call.  

We’ll also hear from two SCC members about why they support different frontrunners for the job. Former three-term Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez is voting for Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard. She’s also secured the support of Haaland, and we’ll discuss how influential that endorsement may be and whether our panelists think it was appropriate for the top of the ticket to weigh in like that. Meanwhile, the party’s Adelante Progressive Caucus is backing Sen. Harold Pope, who lost to Toulouse Oliver in the primary. Caucus Chair Colton Dean articulates why Pope is the favorite among the more progressive wing of the party.  

While Garcia Richard is the only candidate who’s won a statewide election, Pope is the only one who actually received primary votes for the nomination. We’ll hash out how important either of those qualities may be to SCC members. We’ll also learn that there are two other candidates on the ballot — Toni Pinedo and Geoffrey Luehring — and why we (and more importantly, party insiders actually casting a vote) know so little about them.  

I’d hoped you’d also hear a conversation this week among Republican SCC members about the race to fill that party’s vacant chair position. Former Chair Amy Barela is looking to reprise the role after being booted by a judge in May for breaking party rules. Valencia County Republican Party Chair John Brenna and conservative radio personality Brandon Vogt are hoping to take the state GOP — which hasn’t won a statewide election since 2016 and didn’t field a Senate candidate this year for the first time ever — in a new direction. While Brenna supporter Zac Anaya, who previously ran for state House and had his name in the hat for chair for a time, was excited to come on In Focus to debate the matter, no Barela supporters we got ahold of were willing to talk to the press (and therefore, the public) about their stance. Three told me in so many words that it was an internal party matter that shouldn’t be hashed out in a public forum. Several others were either unavailable or didn’t respond.  

While, to be fair, the chair of a political party is not an elected official like a lieutenant governor, they do have considerable power over the choices voters have at the ballot box, including whether they have one at all. For that reason, I believe the party players with the authority to make this decision owe it to the public to let them in on the conversation and consider their input. Discussing it on public television is one way to facilitate that. When I called Anaya to let him know the segment was off, he said he thought it was hypocritical of his fellow SCC members to keep this vote private, considering the party has been critical of the Democratic SCC choosing its party’s lieutenant governor nominee, characterizing it as a “backroom deal.”  

We’re keeping the door open for this conversation to happen at the In Focus table, especially since the vote isn’t going down this weekend after all. For the second month in a row, fewer SCC members registered for the meeting than are needed to hold an election for chair. This stalemate is likely a symptom of the infighting we’d hoped to air out, where what Anya calls a “southern coalition” backing Barela is strategically avoiding northern New Mexico meetings, and norteños who want a different chair have stayed home when the meeting is held on Barela’s turf. The vote for New Mexico’s next GOP chair is now expected to come in December after the consequential midterm elections are behind them.  

If you’re not a member of either state central committee and are feeling left out or silenced, we do present an opportunity this week for you to have your voice heard on another important matter. The Bureau of Land Management has opened public comment until Wednesday on whether to do away with the 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Canyon National Historical Park barring new oil and gas development in the area. We’ll update you on the arguments for and against the rollback if you’re unfamiliar or haven’t made up your mind. Then, you can go to the BLM National NEPA Register to have your say — no matter which political party (if any) you belong to.  

-Nash Jones, Host