{"id":45926,"date":"2024-11-01T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=45926"},"modified":"2024-10-30T15:43:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T22:43:03","slug":"a-quadruple-dose-of-candidate-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/a-quadruple-dose-of-candidate-conversations\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quadruple Dose of Candidate Conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Consider this week\u2019s episode of New Mexico in Focus something of a mad dash to the finish line of what has been a truly deranged election cycle. We\u2019ve got four candidate conversations for you, including both contestants in the Congressional District 1 race: U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat running for a third term in the House, and her Republican Challenger, Steve Jones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also hear from Republican Sharon Clahchischilliage, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat, to represent CD3. (We showed you our conversation with Leger Fernandez<\/a> in last week\u2019s show.)  And Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabriel Vasquez appears this week via Zoom from his home in Las Cruces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vasquez\u2019s opponent, Republican Yvette Herrell in CD2, did not respond to multiple interview requests from NMPBS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brief note on debates: We chose not to offer them this cycle for several reasons, chief among them that what passes for a debate in American politics these days would be more aptly described as a joint press conference. We believe viewers will learn more about the candidates in one-on-one interviews, so that\u2019s what we did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to thank journalist Russell Contreras for handling the Vasquez interview; that\u2019s the mostly closely contested congressional race in New Mexico once again, and Russell did a great job of zeroing in on the issues that matter most in that district. And a special thanks to longtime NMiF Politics Correspondent Gwyneth Doland, who managed to get prepared for a slate of very different conversations with Jones, Stansbury and Clahchischilliage \u2014 not to mention Leger Fernandez and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich \u2014 on a tight deadline and while training up the next generation of New Mexico journalists at UNM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We would have been completely lost this election cycle without Gwyneth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy the interviews! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Jeff Proctor, Executive Producer<\/p>\n\n\n\n