Rep. Youngblood

You can say there's blood in the water in the battle for ABQ House District 68. It's that of GOP State Rep. Monica Youngblood now that she has been convicted of aggravated DWI and awaits sentencing.

Once a rising star in the state GOP, Youngblood, first elected by a ten point margin in 2012 and re-elected without opposition in both '14 and '16, now faces an intense campaign to keep her seat against an unlikely opponent--72 year old retired minister and special ed teacher Karen Bash.

In a statement after her conviction by ABQ Metro Court Pro tem Judge Kevin Fitzwater, a fellow Republican, Youngblood seemed aware that her political career could be at an end:

There’s not a day that I don’t wake up and regret the situation that occurred that evening. I want to continue to apologize to my constituents for that evening, and will accept the consequences as they come throughout this process.

If the Dems have their way the consequences will be the unexpected pick up of a state House seat. Bash, who served as a minister at various churches in Iowa for over 25 years, had only $14,000 in her bank account September 3, compared to $56,000 for Youngblood. But the PACS, like labor funded Patriot Majority with over $700,000 banked as of Sept. 3, are expected to do the dirty work on Youngblood.

It will be interesting to see if the GOP PACS play in the race or let Monica, a native of the South Valley (Monica Lopez) and a realtor, fend for herself with that $56k.

The state rep refused to take a breath test when arrested and that resulted in the "aggravated" DWI which carries a mandatory penalty of 48 hours in jail.

GOP leaders have been criticized for not immediately calling for Youngblood to resign following her May arrest so they could get a replacement. Now they seem prepared to lose the seat and look to take it back in 2020.

Karen Bash

The district was a real battleground in the '16 presidential race. Trump narrowly lost it to Hillary Clinton (with the help of Gary Johnson who peeled away R votes)--43.6% to 42.9%. Democratic registration is 39%, Republican 38, Independents 22 and others make up the rest.

The NW district has had a distinct Republican lean but it's not everyday your sitting House member gets an aggravated DWI. The race is definitely in play.

Even with this gift horse the Dems are being closely watched for how they perform since they are often known for ignoring the blood in the water. They are going to have to mount an effective negative campaign featuring that damaging and humiliating lapel camera video of Youngblood's arrest.

Bash, who has a Master of Divinity degree from Dubuque Theological Seminary and has lived in ABQ for seven years, posted this comment on Facebook:

We all know DWI is a deadly scourge on New Mexico. I am disappointed that Representative Youngblood failed to take advantage of the many alternatives to driving while intoxicated. I am also disappointed that she first tried to use her political position to avoid being arrested, and later, at trial, attacked the credibility of the Albuquerque police officers who stopped her. New Mexicans deserve more than tough talk on DWI -- they deserve representatives who lead by example. This will be my only statement on this issue.

THE RISE AND FALL

The rise and fall of Youngblood is another sentence in the final chapter of the Governor Martinez political machine. She was defended at her DWI trial by noted machine attorney Paul Kennedy who this time could not pull the rabbit out of his hat. Youngblood's main legislative ally--House Minority Leader Nate Gentry--has chosen not to run for re-election. And the consultant all of them relied on--Jay McCleskey--is now left to consult lower ballot races for the NM Court of Appeals not the premier top ballot contests. And, of course, as reported this week, Gov. Martinez's approval rating has sunk to 35 percent.

SOUR ON APO

Reader Michael Parks, a Michelle Lujan Grisham supporter, rebuts those comments made on Facebook and carried here from unsuccessful Dem Guv nominee Jeff Apodaca that MLG has engaged in "corruption":

Dem US Senator Martin Heinrich comes with an unexplored angle in this 60 second spot--ecotourism to boost the state economy:

. . . A ten billion dollar (national) industry with 100,000 jobs and more to come. I envision an outdoor recreation economy that rivals any western state; a world class trail system in our national forests; outdoor adventure that brings visitors from near and far and protects our land and water while creating jobs across New Mexico.

A couple of years ago we did a series of blogs on the Taos area economy that made us aware that the new generations are not as tuned in to Western art and Native American crafts as previous generations. Locals talked of visitors who wanted to raft, canoe, ski and hike but not spend much time in the art galleries or local shops. The recent renovation of Taos Ski Valley should help.

KAVANAUGH DEBATE

Meanwhile, emotions are running high on both sides over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. For example, the usually mild-mannered Heinrich said he was "disgusted" by a statement his Republican foe, Mick Rich, made about the nomination fight. Rich said:

I would like to see Martin Heinrich go to a high school and tell those students, ‘If you went to a party and behaved inappropriately, you have no future.’ ”

To which Heinrich retorted:

I am disgusted by these comments that perpetuate the toxic culture that has allowed sexual assault to be so pervasive in our society.

Supporters of political newcomer Rich blasted back that Heinrich is just pandering to his political base with the rough language. But Rich did clarify that he believes both Kavanaugh and his accuser “need to be able to address their case… I don’t think there should be a rush to judgment.”

KELLER CORNER

We did a report last week citing a City Hall insider who said Mayor Keller's approval rating was in the vicinity of what he had won election with last year--62%. Well, a day after that the ABQ Journal poll came out showing Keller's approval right at 62%. His long term popularity will be determined by how he deals with the crime epidemic. The FBI stats just out for 2017 are discouraging, but the administration says crime in recent months has actually declined some.

THE BOTTOM LINES

For Campaign 2018 we're glad to welcome a generation of new and younger readers to NM Politics with Joe Monahan for our exclusive campaign coverage. Stick around, kids, and learn how the old school operates. And if you're interested in the action from any of the campaigns of the past 15 years in New Mexico, check out our archives on the right hand side of the blog. Thanks for joining the party.

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