Rep. Kathleen Cates

With the state showing no signs of backing away form its worst in the nation status for alcohol-related deaths, legislators will have another go at raising alcohol taxes in the next session. This Other Voices column was co-authored by state Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez and state Reps. Joanne Ferrary, Kathleen Cates, Liz Thomson and D. Wonda Johnson.

We are committed to working with our legislative colleagues in the upcoming session to pass laws that reduce alcohol consumption and provide stable funding to address the problems caused by alcohol in our state. Our state’s future depends on it. 

In the 260 days since the last attempted alcohol tax increase during the 2024 legislative session, about 1,400 people in New Mexico have died from alcohol-related causes — more than twice as many as those who have died from opioid overdose. 

Drinking too much alcohol is linked to serious issues in our communities, like gun violence, crime, domestic violence, and car accidents, as well as health problems like breast cancer, stroke, and hypertension. 

New Mexico has had the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths in the country since 1997, and we need different strategies to tackle this public health crisis. We won’t improve health, reduce health disparities, lower death rates, or reduce crime without taking action on alcohol misuse. 

One of the most powerful ways to do this is by increasing alcohol taxes, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends. The funds generated by New Mexico’s current alcohol taxes are insufficient to support programs aimed at combating alcohol misuse, and the current tax rate does not effectively discourage drinking. This is largely due to the fact that New Mexico has not raised alcohol taxes in over 30 years. 

Although the harms to society from alcohol costs the state’s economy nearly $4 per standard drink, the state collects $0.04 to $0.07 in taxes per standard drink. These harms affect under-resourced individuals and communities at a much higher rate and at greater intensities. It is a moral imperative that we address these health disparities.

 It is unconscionable that Native Americans, Hispanic, and Black individuals in the state report the lowest prevalence of alcohol use yet experience the highest rates of alcohol-related death. As state lawmakers, we must take immediate action to address this public health crisis and improve the lives of all New Mexicans. 

In the 2025 legislative session, we aim to pass laws that will: 1) reduce alcohol consumption by 5% to 10% and 2) generate $200 to $250 million each year to fund public health programs for prevention and treatment of alcohol misuse. There are multiple ways to accomplish these goals. 

For instance, we could achieve these goals by raising existing alcohol taxes by $0.25 per drink as has been proposed previously. Alternatively, adjusting existing excise taxes for inflation since 1994 and adding a sales tax at the time of purchase could also accomplish these objectives. The excise tax is based on the volume of the beverage, while a sales tax would depend on how much people spend on alcohol, and is thus a more progressive tax. 

Experts believe these changes could lower drinking rates and provide steady funding for prevention and treatment. This specific funding stream is crucial since our state’s economy relies heavily on oil and gas, and during tough economic times, behavioral and public health services are often cut first. Furthermore, allocating money from the general fund alone would have substantially reduced impacts on the most important component–decreasing population-level alcohol consumption.

 In order to safeguard the health and future of New Mexico, it is imperative that we take bold action now by implementing higher alcohol taxes, ensuring that our communities receive the support they need to combat this ongoing public health crisis. We must come together to find a path forward for this critical legislation.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Proposals are expected to surface in the next legislative session to cut or even eliminate state income taxes for households earning less than $40,000 or thereabouts. Recent guest columnist Mitchell Freedman also recently broached the topic of providing a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for New Mexicans. (Some pros and cons here.) Reader Ken Tabish responds:

Joe, there was mention about the state taking the Alaska approach in using oil and gas revenue revenues to provide a Universal Basic Income for New Mexicans. I am all for this in lieu of more tax cuts or even a cost of living credit due to our energy largess. My recommendation is to tie the UBI to families with children, rather than a straight payout to people over 18 and making under $40k. 

During the pandemic we saw how direct payments to families with children from the Feds had a direct impact on reducing the rate of child poverty in the country and New Mexico as a whole. Although costly, this proved valuable in assisting low income families with children in meeting high costs. Can we as a state with massive surpluses do something directly to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens? I say yes.

TOO MANY SCHOOLS

The expense account scandal that has engulfed Western New Mexico University President Joe Shephard and reported on here recently draws the attention of reader Alan Schwartz:

Coincidentally the current issue of New Mexico Business First has the "List" for New Mexico Colleges and Universities. Missing from the list, WNMU. Why? I can only conclude they did not respond to the inquiry. As for the WNMU Regents, if they are not concerned about the university's anemic graduation rates why should they be expected to question the expenses of their president? The highest WNMU graduation rate I found was 36.2% with other sources citing lower numbers and six year graduation rates in single digits. 

Being from California, where the university and state university systems have 10 and 23 campuses respectively with graduation rates of 92.3% (UC) and 82.5% (CSU), I never understood this proliferation of autonomous regional colleges. I'm thinking you have addressed this in the past. 

Thanks, Alan. Over the years we have indeed covered the problem of the state having too many higher educational institutions. It's been discussed since all the schools were permanently established by the state constitution at statehood in 1912. Here is the passage mandating them:

The university of New Mexico, at Albuquerque; the New Mexico state university, near Las Cruces, formerly known as New Mexico college of agriculture and mechanic arts; the New Mexico highlands university, at Las Vegas, formerly known as New Mexico normal university; the western New Mexico university, at Silver City, formerly known as New Mexico western college and New Mexico normal school; the eastern New Mexico university, at Portales, formerly known as eastern New Mexico normal school; the New Mexico institute of mining and technology, at Socorro, formerly known as New Mexico school of mines; the New Mexico military institute, at Roswell, formerly known as New Mexico military institute; the New Mexico school for the blind and visually impaired, at Alamogordo, formerly known as New Mexico school for the visually handicapped; the New Mexico school for the deaf, at Santa Fe, formerly known as New Mexico asylum for the deaf and dumb; the northern New Mexico state school, at El Rito, formerly known as Spanish-American school; are hereby confirmed as state educational institutions.

VETS BREAK UNFAIR?

Finally today, a subject we raised on the radio during our Election Night coverage--those two constitutional amendments providing more tax breaks for veterans and that were approved by large majorities. We go back to attorney Mitchell Freedman:

I am concerned with the two amendments that will essentially negate property taxes for mostly well-off veterans who own their homes. The amendments do nothing for vets who rent and especially nothing for vets who have home insecurity or outright homeless. The effect of these two amendments will be to significantly lessen property tax revenue, which often funds public schools. Multiple assessors and treasurers have said the rest of us may have to pay more property taxes to maintain current revenue flows. 

One solution may be to create a progressive tier of property taxes so that homeowners with smaller or relatively small homes, based upon square footage, should pay less than those with mansions. Property taxes are flat or regressive taxes, not progressive taxes, and more akin to a sales tax which is also regressive. 

I totally get we should want to honor our vets. However, I do not think these constitutional amendments honor anyone. The amendments create a favoritism unfair to so many including vets who are not as fortunate to own a home.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Starlink's Elon Musk

The Broadband Office made a point of telling the Legislative Finance Committee that the $70 million they are asking for to provide high speed internet service via satellite to remote rural areas is only a temporary measure--until they can be served by expensive fiber optic that will in many cases take years to reach homes--if ever. From the Office:

Over a five-year period while high-speed internet lines are built, the money would pay for a $600 satellite receiver to get connected, along with $30 toward the $120 total monthly bill. The program is called Accelerate Connect New Mexico.

A couple of things.

How many of those households who get good speed from state-subsidized satellite service from Starlink will want to sign up for fiber--if they ever get the chance--unless it is accompanied by a state subsidy?

The future of satellite internet is faster, much faster. While the Broadband Office correctly states that fiber is the "gold standard' today, will that be the case in the years ahead? Unlikely. 

Starlink has filed an application with the FCC to approve changes the company says will make satellite internet ten times faster than today's speeds. (The FCC will soon be in the hands of pro-satellite commissioners.)

The Broadband Office says federal money pledged for fiber can only be diverted by an act of Congress. That's not so outlandish as they might thing considering Trump's party now controls the Congress and Starlink owner Elon Musk is leading a commission on cutting waste and fraud in the federal government.

Of course the major telecom companies want to hang on to their lucrative contracts to build expensive fiber which is taking years and years. But money from the Feds could run out or be diverted if high speed and much less expensive satellite service is proving satisfactory.

So what does the state do when Starlink announces higher speeds that meet or even surpass fiber? Continue to spend millions on digging trenches or throw in the towel and make satellite a permanent fixture--not a temporary one? 

BROADBAND FIASCO

It's not as if the state can't make the broadband roll-out a fiasco if it doesn't get it's game-plan in order. Look at this multi-year mess that cost taxpayers millions and as detailed in an investigative report from KRQE:

What do taxpayers have to show for a ten-year, multi-million dollar investment in Rail Runner Wi-Fi? Piles of discarded cables, routers, antennas, transmitters, and miscellaneous electronic do-dads. “It upsets me. I do not want to misuse taxpayer money,” said Dewey Cave who heads up the Rio Metro Regional Transit District. “I was surprised that it didn’t work. But, you know, we are going to find somebody accountable.” . .Taxpayers have shelled out some $8,000,000 for nonfunctioning Wi-Fi equipment on the Rail Runner. “It was a waste. It’s a pile of rubbish,” Rio Metro’s Robert Gonzales said. There is a positive end to this story. Thanks to new technology, the Rail Runner is now equipped with a relatively inexpensive satellite Wi-Fi system. Rio Metro officials say it’s working “perfectly” with no complaints. 

That's another good example of why satellite internet for rural NM should be the first priority for expanding broadband, not an afterthought or "temporary" solution.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

 

Amy Barela

Otero County Commissioner Amy Barela has the inside track in the race to become the next chair of the NM Republican Party, according to GOP sources.

Former US Rep. Steve Pearce has led the state's minority party since 2018 but at 77 is now retiring, leaving NMGOP First Vice-Chair Barela as the favorite to succeed him. 

The new leader will be selected this Saturday by over 500 members of the party's State Central Committee at a meeting at T or C. 

Having previously been elected Vice-Chair by many of those delegates gives Barela the edge, report observers.

She says on her social media that for the past decade she has "been a steadfast community leader." As for her priorities if elected, she declares: 

Now, more than ever, we must fight for New Mexicans—defending their constitutional rights, supporting our legislators in their efforts to combat out-of-control crime, and ensuring that law enforcement has the support they need. We must also bring awareness to the challenges New Mexicans face, including the state of our schools, rising prices, and the healthcare crisis. These are New Mexican issues and addressing them starts with voting differently to bring real change to our state.

Barela was elected to the Otero commission in 2022 and is a bedrock southern conservative. She won the seat held by Sheriff Couy Griffin, the Cowboys for Trump co-founder who was removed from office for the role he played in the the January 6 violent uprising at the nation's capitol.

Barela is also a former chair of the Otero county GOP and a small businesswoman who owns a towing company and a wrecking service. Her election as chair would keep the leadership rooted in Trump country.

She is not without competition. ABQ contractor Mick Rich, who was the losing GOP nominee against Dem US Senator Martin Heinrich in 2018, is also running. Other candidates are John Brenna, the Valencia County GOP chairman, Robert Kwasny of ABQ and Mark Murton, a Sandia Lab's management retiree. State Sen. Josh Sanchez announced for the post but has since dropped out.

Rich is signaling that if he does not win the chairmanship he may join the 2025 race for ABQ mayor, joining incumbent Tim Keller and radio talk show host Eddy Aragon, who was defeated by Keller in 2021 and has announced he is running again.

SHUTOUT

The GOP is currently shut out of all statewide executive elected offices as well as the Governor's office and the NM Supreme Court. 

The Democrats sport large majorities in the House and Senate and unlike the past there is no conservative coalition with Dems to give the minority party a larger voice.

There was a glimmer of hope for the party when Trump did better than expected this year with Hispanic and Navajo voters. The new chair will have to work to translate that shift to local races especially the '26 Governor and US Senate contests. 

HARRIS MEMORIAL 

A memorial service has been announced for former US Sen. Fred Harris who died recently at 94:

A Memorial for Fred will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Education Building, 1701 4th Street SW in Albuquerque, NM at 2 PM.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Election '24 is in the books, made official by the State Canvass Board this week. It turns out the closest race of all did not have any candidates. That was the race to beat the turnout of the last presidential election in 2020. 

And talk about a hot contest. 

This year 928,290 New Mexicans cast general election ballots. In the last presidential election year in 2020 turnout was nearly identical with 928,230 votes cast. That's a tiny difference of 60 votes. Talk about a cliff-hanger!

Unlike political contests no one was biting their nails over the closeness of the turnout contest, but the finish was still thrilling for the political junkies. 

As for the percentage of registered voters taking part, this year official numbers say it was 67.13 percent. In 2020 when slightly fewer were registered to vote turnout was 68.2 percent. 

Neither mark comes close to the all-time modern record of 2008 when Obama was elected president. That year a whopping 833,365 votes were tallied for a record 70.4 percent of all registered state voters.

A surprise from this election was the popularity of the new law allowing voters to register and vote on the same day. 25,485 did so. That was a challenge for some election officials and will have them working to make the process smoother in the future.

BY THE NUMBERS

Final official results from the SOS:

Total Registered Voters eligible to participate in this election – 1,382,761 Total Voter Turnout – 928,290 (67.13%) Absentee Turnout – 111,403 (12.00%) Early Voting Turnout – 556,281 (59.93%) Election Day Turnout – 252,515 (27.20%) Hand Tally/Provisional – 8,091 (0.87%) Use of Same-Day Voter Registration (Early Voting and Election Day) – 52,358 Election Day SDR transactions – 25,485 

RECOUNTS

The State Canvass Board--composed of the Governor, Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the NM Supreme Court--ordered automatic recounts in two close contests, including House District 57 in Sandoval County. GOP Rep. Catherine Cullen holds a 130 vote lead over Dem hopeful Michelle Sandoval. While qualifying for an automatic recount, a margin of that size is rarely overturned. The Board also ordered an automatic recount for an at-large position on the Los Alamos County Commission.

BEATING THE LINE 

Campaign consultants for Dem state Sen. Moe Maestas are pleased with the final results. They say the District 26 ABQ Westside lawmaker received more votes than either Sen. Heinrich or Kamala Harris. Maestas hails from a heavily Hispanic area, a group Trump improved with this election. Maestas  represented the area for years as a state rep. He was appointed to fill a senate vacancy and now will serve his first elected term.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

This is our 21st Thanksgiving in this space (yikes!) and we're grateful to be able to wish you Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for making this the #1 NM political blog over these many years. Knowing how busy life can be today, we are appreciative of everyone who takes a moment to tune in. (If we keep it up, we just might become a tradition. :)

Happy Thanksgiving, New Mexico.

Reporting from Albuquerque, I'm Joe Monahan. 

This is The Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Yard Sign

Should someone--like Senate Finance Committee Chairman George Muñoz--put Western New Mexico University and the taxpaying public out of their misery and force the resignation of school President Joseph Shepard, or will there be even more reports of the president's outrageous and unaccountable spending abuses? 

Shepard is paid over $$350,000 a year and has been president of the Silver City-based university since 2011. He has taken liberties with the school's expense account far beyond proper boundaries and his onetime celebrity wife Valerie Plame has gone along for the ride. 

State Auditor Joseph Maestas says as much in his review and now the State Ethics Commission is taking a look.

Still, the recalcitrant and tone-deaf WNMU Board of Regents clings to the tarnished president, putting them on course for a showdown with the Legislature. (The Governor, who appoints the Regents, could also put pressure on the Regents to give Joe the boot but hasn't indicated she will.) 

Shepard

Overlooked in the scandal is that Muñoz and company hold the purse strings to WNMU. That leverage may be needed to convince the WNMU Regents that their President has gone off the rails and send him to the Mustang showers.

Shepard and and Flame are lucky that a DA is not looking into the mess and are able to head for the exits without skidding. But time is not on their side. 

WNMU boosters are hoping Santa Fe does what it does best and uses that power of the purse to get the blindfolded Regents and their wayward President to see the light--and the door.

 LIVIN' LARGE WNMU STYLE

WNMU spent $25,500 in taxpayer money to send six people to the Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, a resort in the scenic desert of Palm Springs, California. The auditor’s report says that figure was part of a total of $363,525.99 misused as part of the university’s “wasteful” and “improper” spending. . .Examiners. . . found that the university spent more than $214,000 on 402 domestic and international trips that violated its own policies, along with nearly $150,000 on university credit card transactions that also broke policy. . . . WNMU President Joseph Shepard has often traveled with his wife, former CIA agent-turned-author Valerie Plame, and with members of the WNMU Board of Regents, visiting faraway places like Zambia, Greece and Spain in the name of courting international students and their out-of-state tuition dollars.  

ROBINHOOD

Reade Ron Nelson pushes back against last week's Our Voices column from progressive Mitchell Freedman:

Hi Joe, Freedman writes: "I will be pushing our representatives to ensure nobody making $40,000 or less should be paying any state income tax--plus those earning over $175,000 should be paying 7% on the margin and those making over $500,000 9% on the margin.” 

Hint: this isn’t progressive economics, it is the old Democrat version of Robin Hood, robbing the rich to pay the poor.  

THE LATINO VOTE 

The question du jour for Democrats is how do they stop Hispanic voters from drifting towards the Republicans as many did in the November election. Arizona Dem US Senator-elect Ruben Gallego has some thoughts:

What about Latino men, specifically, who moved away from Democrats in a striking way for the second presidential cycle in a row? Latino men feel like their job is to provide security for their family, economic security and physical security, and when that is compromised, they start looking around. What happened post-pandemic with inflation, Latino men felt that no matter what they did, they couldn’t get economic security for their family because the prices were so damn high. Mentally speaking, Latino men believe they could always work their way out of anything. Oh, if I want to buy this, I’ll just add extra hours or I’ll just cut here. I’ll just work here. And I think for the first time in a while, they felt that they weren’t doing that and they weren’t providing it. And the future, to them, seems bleaker also for the kids. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

Dem Rep. Eliseo Alcon, 74, who announced his resignation from his western NM House seat over health-related issues over the weekend, now says he suffers from liver cancer and is in hospice care. We wish him well. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Rep. Alcon

Veteran Democratic State Representative Eliseo Alcon of District 6 in Milan has resigned his seat because of health issues, confirms his son and political consultant David Alcon who told us: 

On Saturday Rep. Alcon submitted his retirement application to PERA and his notice of retirement to the Legislature.

Alcon made it official in a letter to the Secretary of State.

The reason for the sudden departure? Alcon has liver cancer and is under hospice care. He will turn 75 in January.

Alcon, one of the few moderate Dems remaining in the state House, was first elected from his two county district--Cibola and McKinley in western NM--in the 2008 election. He won his bid for a a ninth term at the November election with 59 percent of the vote.

Alcon was employed as a miner and union foreman at the Kerr-McGee uranium mines and as a magistrate judge. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. 

In 2019, Senator Heinrich presented Alcon with a Bronze Star he earned, but never received, for his service as a combat medic in Vietnam. 

Alcon, chairman of the House Labor, Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee, has been an advocate for veterans at the Roundhouse, helping to push through constitutional amendments that aided them. He was also instrumental in the creation of a suicide hotline for veterans. 

In addition, he was a major voice for state funding for Navajo Nation chapters in his district as well as for Zuni Pueblo. He was also supportive of labor causes whose unions consistently endorsed him

Alcon's seat will be filled by an appointment from the Governor with the county commissions of Cibola and McKinley counties submitting nominations. The seat can be expected to be filled by a Democrat.

FRED HARRIS 

Fred Harris, the gregarious and consequential former Senator who had stints as chairman of the national  Democratic party, died over the weekend at the age of 94. 

The NYT obituary detailed his life and times, including his 1976 presidential run and the many other facets of public service of the native Oklahoman who embraced New Mexico when he came here in the early 80's and stayed for good.

ABQ attorney Bob McNeill, 85, was part of a Monday morning breakfast club with Harris where politics was always on the table. He recalled this anecdote:

When he was running for President he drove a bus emblazoned with a large logo that said: "Road to the White House." 

He told me: "When I was campaigning and driving across Indiana, a lady rolled down her window and shouted, "Fred, you're going the wrong way!"

Harris was a liberal Democrat with a notable streak of populism that won him national acclaim. We found him dispassionate when it came to analyzing the events of the day no matter how emotional the atmosphere. No wonder his UNM poly sci classes were a major hit. 

It was a high honor to have Harris as an avid blog reader as well as a listener to our long-running Election Night broadcasts on KANW 89.1 FM. He once told me:

When the coverage comes on I close the door, turn on the radio and listen to you guys.

If that doesn't keep you on your political toes, not much will. 

Harris was humble about his contributions but his lifelong public service and insightful writings about the nation gave him the status of great American and New Mexican. That's a hurdle very few cross and earned Fred Harris a chapter of his own in the never-ending story of La Politica. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Mitchell Freedman

The idea of eliminating the state income tax for New Mexico's lower income households is catching on in the wake of Democratic and independent voter defections to Donald Trump. In this edition of Other Voices, longtime Rio Rancho attorney, author and progressive Mitchell Freedman argues that the state needs to do more than just cut taxes:

Economically-oriented progressives like a progressive income tax. The New Mexico income tax system is, sadly, a mostly regressive income tax system, and needs to be reformed. Right now, a New Mexican wage/salary earner is paying between 4% and 5% income tax, whether the earner is making $30,000 or as much as $200,000. 

That is much more flat than progressive. Most people who call themselves economically conservative like a flat, not progressive, income tax system or oppose any income tax at all (as in right wing Texas and Florida). 

As an economic progressive, I will be pushing our representatives to ensure nobody making $40,000 or less should be paying any state income tax--plus those earning over $175,000 should be paying 7% on the margin and those making over $500,000 9% on the margin. 

I emphasize "on the margin," because, in my lifetime, our news media--and too many government class teachers-- have been awful in teaching people about marginal taxation rates, which means the rate one pays rises only after reaching different levels of income. So, a millionaire pays the same tax sum on the first $50,000 earned that a person making $50,000 annually earns, and so on. 

As I look at the slight increase in progressive tax rates in the legislative bill last year, most, but not all, progressive Democrats supported that bill. It was mostly Republicans and conservative Dems who opposed making the tax rates more progressive. So, let's not confuse readers into thinking the vast majority of Republicans, who are no longer anything but right wing, would support making our state's income tax system more progressive in its function. 

Even if they supported cutting income taxes at the lower rate, most would fight like hell against making well-off and wealthy people pay a higher rate on the margins, which, if they blocked the increase on the well-off and wealthy, would recklessly leave less revenue coming into the state overall. 

And maybe we can do the same for corporate tax, as that tax starts at 4.8% for the smallest of businesses and all the way up to $500,000 net income. That is really a flat tax. The tax only rises to 6.9% for the biggest companies. I can definitely see some room for progressive tax rate improvement in state corporate income taxation, too. 

The other thing NM should consider, since oil production output is not lessening, is to go the Alaska route, and give each New Mexican, 18 or over, $2,000 a year from the oil revenue. Universal basic income (UBI) here we come! 

And who knows, maybe a Republican who claims to be a populist may join this Bernie Sanders Democrats in supporting a truly progressive income tax and corporate tax--and UBI. I dare to dream! 

MORE TAX TALK 

Reader Maurreen Skowran, a BernCo Dem party ward chair, comes with this:

Joe, the idea of eliminating state income taxes for people earning less than $45,000 a year would be a great boon to New Mexico’s lower-income residents. But the state can do even more. I propose to accompany that tax cut with a refundable Cost-of-Living Credit to target those with the greatest need. 

This plan would support both working families and those who can’t work, such as new mothers and people with disabilities. The Cost-of-Living Credit would provide up to $1,000 for those making less than $25,000, $750 for those between $25,000 and $35,000, and $500 for those earning between $35,000 and $45,000. 

Together, these measures would cost around $250 million annually — a manageable figure given New Mexico’s surplus from oil and gas revenue.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.         

E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com

Following this month's election women now make up a majority of the 112 members of the state legislature, after steadily gaining numbers for the past decade. 

New Mexico in 2025 will see a female-majority Legislature with 60 of 112 seats in the Roundhouse to be held by women. That breaks down to 44 of the 70 members in the state House of Representatives — or 63% — and 16 of the 42 seats in the Senate — or 38%.

So how come there's been no reform of the department that most observers thought would be first in line for a fix as women flex their muscle at the Roundhouse? 

That department would be the perennially troubled and deeply disappointing Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). 

There have been a few outspoken women lawmakers openly demanding change (Republicans Rebecca Dow and Crystal Brantley come to mind), but most of the female lawmakers are Democrats and they have done little or nothing to prod fellow Democrat and Gov. Lujan Grisham to execute the major shake-up required to stop the heartbreaking results the state's kids so often get from the agency.

The advent of a majority female legislature is an event worth celebrating but if New Mexicans were (or are) expecting women to act differently than other politicians, CYFD is their answer. 

MLG FOR TRUMP?

NM GOP Chairman Steve Pearce fires off a piece of sarcasm that hits the funny bone:

Governor Lujan Grisham signed New Mexico on to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact that swears a state’s Electoral College delegates to the winner of the national popular vote. Will she advocate for conceding NM's delegates to Trump? 

Concede our five electoral college votes to Trump? MLG would be as likely to do that as going duck hunting with Martin Heinrich. 

BOFFO TURNOUT

Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark comes with this eyebrow raiser:

Santa Fe County achieved a voter turnout of over 74%, far surpassing the state average of 67%. A critical factor in this success was the county’s strategic voter turnout campaign, which encouraged early and absentee voting. 

As a result, more than 78% of voters cast their ballots early or by absentee, reducing Election Day wait times and ensuring smooth operations. 

Will we see those stats in campaign literature for a Clark Secretary of State candidacy in 2026?

WRONG NUMBER

We picked up on some erroneous (or premature) numbers from Politico regarding McKinley county. 

The presidential vote in McKinley, according to the latest unofficial results, has Harris receiving 61 percent to Trump's 36 percent. The number published earlier had the race there much closer. 

However, the article's point that Trump did exceedingly well in the heavy Native American county compared to 2020 holds up. Four years ago Biden received 68 percent there and Trump only 29 percent.   

NOB HILL CLOSURES  

A reader comments on news of the closing of a number of businesses in ABQ's Nob Hill neighborhood:

Joe, I followed a link in one of your recent articles to another story about business owners faulting the mayor for recent business closures. I love those intrepid warrior-saints, battling the forces of anti-business evil! Whenever a business succeeds, its due to the indefatigable entrepreneurial energy of the owner. When a business closes, it's the government's fault--no matter the procession of tax cuts and corporate subsidies the Chamber of Commerce crowd has won. Ha! 

We welcome your emails of musings, comments, criticisms and existential angst.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

Trump and Musk

With Donald Trump and Elon Musk breathing down their necks, state officials announced a seemingly abrupt change in policy and finally agreed to jump start high speed satellite delivery for tens of thousands of internet-deprived New Mexicans.

We and a number of our readers have been pounding the table for such a pivot because of the agonizingly slow ramp up of service to so many rural areas.

It apparently took Trump and his alliance with Musk, owner of Starlink, the company driving satellite internet ,and new FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. Carr is determined to approve roadblocked federal funding including $886 million for Starlink.

The state has now moved off the dime:

Whatever it took, New Mexico is about to take a major step forward. Years of waiting for expensive fiber to be buried in the ground to serve remote locations could be history:

The Office of Broadband Expansion and Access announced:

(OBAE) will call on the Legislative Finance Committee to provide $70 million in nonrecurring funds to expand high-speed internet. . . The request will create a near-term affordable pathway for many New Mexicans to access high-speed internet, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach parts of the state. . . There are approximately 95,000 locations in New Mexico that are in areas eligible for satellite service. . .The $70 million. . .would go toward a proposed initiative called Accelerate Connect NM, which would subsidize the cost of connecting to satellite high-speed internet service for qualifying unserved or underserved households. 

Accelerate Connect NM will bridge the accessibility gap for tens of thousands of New Mexicans while multi-year broadband infrastructure, such as fiber, is being built out across the state. “Our funding request reflects the short-term needs for connectivity and affordability, while advancing dozens of projects that will deliver on the long-term needs of the State,” said Drew Lovelace, Acting Director of OBAE. “Nobody in New Mexico should lack high-speed internet. Accelerate Connect NM will be vital to achieving inclusivity for rural homes and businesses.” 

We couldn't have said it better ourselves and legislators, we believe, will be happy to agree. We can only urge Sen. Munoz and others not to reduce the ask for this most necessary program.

We rejoice in the decision because it will be life-changing for thousands of young New Mexicans struggling to keep pace with educational opportunities, improve social relationships and give a boost to businesses that have been unable to connect. 

The choice of Starlink as the vendor would have to be approved by the state but they are the main provider and leader. There is also Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper offering the satellite connections. 

Starlink is promoting satellite service for $120 per month with hardware to set it up going for $349.00.

$70 million in state funding would be more than a drop in the bucket. It is a substantial investment in satellite technology whose speeds are predicted to only get faster in the years ahead. 

NO EXCUSES

FCC Chair Brendan Carr

If the FCC frees up roadblocked federal funding, as now expected, more funds could be rolled out. 

The state "has been working on the grant program to award $675 million in state awards through the federal Broadband Equity Access and deployment (BEAD) program." 

There are simply no excuses left to bring our internet technology fully into the 21st century with satellite a cornerstone of that effort rather than an afterthought.

The state's decision to front-run the Trump administration will preempt an all-out attack on the foot-dragging pace of delivering broadband. The very areas where Trump outperformed in the presidential election--Hispanic and Native American dominated rural counties---will benefit greatly from the decision.

If Trump wants to take credit, that's fine. In fact, he and Musk deserve some love for the breakthrough even from the Democrats--who finally saw the satellite lights way up in the beautiful New Mexico sky.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

State Rep. Gail "Missy" Armstrong is the newly elected state House Minority Leader and she may fulfill that old adage of being "the right person at the right time."

She has the chance to deescalate harsh rhetoric over social issues and have her party concentrate on the meat and potatoes that helped Trump break into traditional Democratic constituencies here and cut his statewide loss to to Harris to 6.01 points (updated figures). 

As we blogged post-election, that's the best showing in the state by a GOP presidential nominee since 2004.

Localizing such a national trend is like scaling Wheeler Peak in January but it's either climb or die for the R's.

Armstrong, first elected in 2016, is a pillar of the Republican business establishment. She and her husband Dale Armstrong own TLC, the plumbing and air conditioning powerhouse that has made possible their standing as top donors to Republican campaigns.

She has shown a collaborative bent in her service on the Legislative Finance Committee and has championed rural healthcare for her sprawling NM District 49, centered in Socorro and the largest House district in the state. She says as leader she will be prioritizing the troubled CYFD.

She hit the right tone upon her election if she chooses to pursue a broadening of her party:

I am committed to focusing on the areas of common ground that unite rather than divide us. Only together can we make lasting change here in New Mexico. I look forward to leading the Caucus forward with common sense legislation that improves every life here. . . 

Unlike her immediate predecessors, Armstrong should be able to talk with the Democratic Governor and legislative leadership. 

The Republican opportunity as a result of the election is to rebrand the state GOP as a party with appeal to the majority-minority voters they long ago lost. Some of those voters have signaled they are looking for a different path.

Armstrong will be the first woman leader of the House Republicans. That's notable but the more important history Armstrong could help forge--if she has the character and resolve--is to move her party from quasi-permanent exile to a capture of voters who leaped to their side on Election Day.

SIDEBAR

The full results of Saturday's House GOP caucus elections include a leadership post for Rebecca Dow, who reclaimed her old House seat Nov. 5:

The House Republican Caucus unanimously elected new leadership. Representative Gail Armstrong (District 49) was elected as the new Republican Leader, Representative Alan Martinez (District 23) as the new Republican Whip, and Representative Rebecca Dow (District 38) as the new Caucus Chair. 

Here's another wrap on the Senate and House leadership elections.

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Rep. Szcepanski (Journal, Moore)

On the other side of the aisle, House Democrats again chose Rep. Javier Martinez as their speaker, a choice that will be ratified by the full House in January.

Martinez,who launched his career as an unabashed progressive, has now leaned into liberal pragmatism as his hold on statewide leadership firms. The difference is an accommodation of views rather than strict ideological obedience. 

Rep. Reena Szcepanski of Santa Fe fought off a challenge from fellow Santa Fean Linda Serrato to become House Majority Leader, the post being vacated by the retiring Rep. Gail Chasey. This is one of the few public signs of some competition among the House progressives.

Moderate ABQ Dem Day Hochman-Vigil was chosen by the Dem caucus as Majority Whip, giving the Dems a mixture of philosophies at the top. She defeated ABQ's Charlotte Little for the position which Szczepanski had held. 

(Hochman-Vigil appeared to make a play for more progressive support as she came with an op-ed faulting Republicans on transgender rights just days before the vote.)

The Caucus came with a statement that recognized the discussion of tax cuts for lower income households:

In the 2025 Session, House Democrats will focus on improving community safety, lowering taxes for working families, ensuring all children get the education and opportunities they deserve, expanding access to healthcare, including behavioral healthcare, lowering the cost of housing, and continuing to build an economy that works for all

Speaker Martinez and other Dems don't want that tax territory ceded to the Republicans.

SENATE DEMOCRATS 

Sen. Wirth

The Senate Democratic Caucus Saturday kept the same leadership for the next two years with Sen. Peter Wirth again chosen as Majority Leader, Sen. Michael Padilla as Majority Whip and Sen. Mimi Stewart as President Pro Tem which will be voted on by the full Senate in January. Sen. Leo Jaramillo was picked as Senate Majority Caucus Chair.

The House members, up again for election in two years, and the Governor, now an official lame duck, have cause for concern with the new national environment. 

They have failed to fix CYFD, deliver better results from PED and to demand a more robust crime response from the city of ABQ while getting stuck in political quicksand.

These failures are in addition to of the impatience of certain voters with economic circumstances while abortion and other social issues gobble up the oxygen. 

Left unresolved, the aforementioned list could be the backbone of a Republican campaign to take back the Governor's office in 2026, if a competitive candidate runs..

Senate Republicans decided their new leadership last week, including choosing Farmington Sen. Bill Sharer as Minority Leader. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.        

There will be a Democratic reaction to the Trump presidential win when the Legislature meets in January. Wall-Leaners say a proposal first given voice here calling for tax relief for lower income New Mexicans is in the works on the D side. It will come in the wake of many Hispanic voters in the state going over to the Trump side with the economy being a central concern for the move.

It was suggested here that earners reporting less than $45,000 in annual income owe no state income tax and that the cut could easily be covered by the enormous surpluses piling up from the oil and gas boom. What the specific Dem bill will propose is not clear yet--but one is coming. 

Jeff Apodaca, whose NM Project pushes for more Hispanic representation in state offices, comes with this analysis of the Trump win:

Hilary Clinton gave us Donald Trump for the first time The progressives have given us Donald Trump for a second time! The progresses have pushed Latino and black men out of Dem party. I'm not saying they love Trump, they're just voting Republican because of the progressive Dems. 

Apodaca confirms that he is mulling over a race for ABQ mayor next year and should have a decision in January.

Reader Freddie Lopez adds:

Legislative Republicans should make their focus eliminating taxes on all Social Security income as well as eliminating the state income tax on certain households during the session. Many Hispanic voters are citing inflation as one of their main concerns. By Republicans addressing the economic uneasiness that voters have, it would also make the Democrats talking points about Republicans wanting to eliminate abortion moot because their priority is the economy, not abortion. 

The Democrats could beat the R's to the punch, if they can see it in their progressive hearts to directly recognize the concerns of lower income households for a change and give abortion, climate change and transgender rights a little rest. 

NEW GOP LEADERS

Farmington Senator Bill Sharer has been in the Senate for nearly 25 years but can he moderate his often ultra-conservative tone now that he is the new state Senate GOP Minority Leader? From the GOP caucus: 

The Senate Republican Caucus unanimously elected new leadership with Senator Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) as the new Minority Leader, Senator Pat Woods (R-Broadview) as the new Minority Whip, and Senator David Gallegos (R-Eunice) as the new Caucus Chair.  “I am honored to be chosen for the position of Caucus Leader,” said Senator Sharer. "I intend to usher in an era of unity and conservative principles.The overtaxed and hard-working men and women of New Mexico will have a voice in this caucus. Now is not the time to sit idly by."

So Bill, show us the tax cut for all those non Republicans not pulling down six figures.

TOM RUTHERFORD

Tom Rutherford was a political boy genius who grew into an elder statesman of La Politica. 

He was only 25 when first elected to the state Senate from ABQ in 1972. He went on to serve there for 24 years, until 1996, when he departed with the title of Senate Majority Leader. 

Rutherford's defining legacy was probably outside of politics. He was a radio announcer at KOB radio in 1972 when he co-founded what today is known as the ABQ International Balloon Fiesta. That event has become one of the world's major tourist attractions, bringing pleasure to untold millions, and an integral part of the state economy. 

That early act was tough to top but Rutherford went on to earn a law degree in 1982 while building his 24 year stretch as a state senator, which he followed with two terms on the Bernalillo County Commission. 

Blessed with a velvety baritone, a keen intellect and a political pedigree nurtured by his father who also served in the legislature, Rutherford brought star power to the Senate. But his one and only effort to go statewide did not take. The young senator lost a battle for the 1978 Democratic lieutenant governor nomination.  

After nearly 30 years in elective office, in 2004 he switched to the lobbying arena, joining with his son Jeremy to form the successful Rutherford Group.

Rutherford's health failed a number of years ago and forced him to withdraw from public life.

It was those rising star years that former NM House Speaker Raymond Sanchez recalled when he informed us of Rutherford's death that took place Tuesday evening:

He was an outstanding New Mexican and member of the Senate. Senate President Ike Smalley (a conservative) christened him Lancelot when he first arrived. Ike asked me to please try to get Tom and Senator Manny Aragon (another ambitious rising star) to be more cooperative with him. Ike thought I could work it out. Not a chance! Tom will be missed. 

Tom Rutherford was 77.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Mayoral candidate Eddy Aragon tells us he is a registered Republican again after announcing in a news release he had switched to independent. When he becomes a liberal Democrat we’ll let you know that, too.  

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.