Bush Chair Racicot


The ongoing battle over presidential power politics in the NM GOP, first reported here, (see below) continued Monday with the General Chairman of the Bush re-election effort, former Montana Governor Marc Racicot, presiding over a high-level strategy meeting that included ousted GOP State Chairman John Dendahl, but excluded current State Chair Ramsay Gorham. Sources in the know about the meeting, conducted at the Albuquerque Hilton Inn, tell "New Mexico Politics With Joe Monahan" that Bush Regional Chair John Sanchez was on hand, but neither Gorham nor an official representative from the State GOP headquarters was there. Exclusion of the State GOP from a presidential campaign is next to unheard of and highlights the battle between Dendahl and Gorham over the future of the party.

Even though Dendhal was soundly beaten by Gorham for the top job in May, he is exercising his political muscle to keep his power alive via the Bush campaign, and because the Bushies have had success with him in the past, they apparently are none to worried about excluding Gorham who has been painted with the brush of incomeptence by the Dendahlites. But Gorham backers say hogwash; Bush lost to Gore here in 2000 and during the last couple of years of Dendahl's reign the GOP lost Legislative seats.

Also on hand at the high-level Bush strategy pow-wow was Ramsay supporter and Bush finance chair Ken Zangara, State Rep. Larry Larranaga, Senator Kent Cravens and GOP financier Anna Muller.

GOP operatives tell me they are now awaiting a move from Ramsay. "If she just sits there and takes this kind of treatment, she will be Chair in name only and the forces most rank and file Republicans wanted out of control will effectively be back. Ramsay needs to gather her forces now and strike back." Gorham certainly has cards to play in her deck. She DID win support from the GOP grassroots, She DID conduct a nearly winning campaign in the Permanent Fund election in September, and she IS perhaps one of the most prominent Republican women in the nation right now. On top of that she could hurt Bush money-raising efforts here.

Her trouble began when she began canceling lucrative deals held by the Dendahl faction and even one of a Senator Pete ally. She said the party was more than $250,000 in debt when she took over and had to do it. Those urging Gorham to fight wonder if the contracts and jobs that go with a presidential campaign are all kept under the former chair and his cohorts, how will she react? Will she just brush it aside and cave for the "good of the party." If she does, they argue, what is the point of electing anyone Chair?

The Bush snub Monday morning of Gorham is the first round in what could turn out to be a several round battle. Or, according to sources deep on the inside, it could be the beginning of the end of her. Said one GOP operative: "I think she's going to have to organize support and put pressure on the White House and Congressional delegation to turn this thing around. Otherwise, she is marginalized and threatened with Dendahl or his associates coming back. We are a small party and infighting is no stranger to us, but now the stakes are too high. NM could be decisive in the Electoral College. I think as that reality weighs-in, the White House may change its tune. If not, we are headed into unknown territory."

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
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