Rep. Rehm

GOP state Rep. Bill Rehm holds a somewhat ignominious honor in his party. He is the sole Republican left serving the state's largest county in the state House of Representatives. But he will soon shed that title. The retired BernCo Sheriff's deputy, who has relentlessly proposed tough on crime measures in the Democratic controlled House with little success, announces he will not seek re-election. 

Rehm is causing a bit of a dust-up as he heads for the exits. He wants to bestow on his constituents what he considers a gift but critics consider bullying. 

Chavez

Rehm waited until almost the last minute to announce that this term will be his last. When he did he immediately endorsed Republican Nicole Chavez, an unsuccessful legislative candidate in District 28 in 2022, as his candidate to replace him in his far NE Heights District 31 where he was first elected in 2006.

Chavez became an advocate for crime victims following the murder of her son. She ran against Dem Pamelya Herndon while touted as a GOP dream candidate in crime-plagued ABQ. But she was faulted for not running an effective campaign while Herndon, the first Black woman to represent the district, galvanized her party.

Rehm is making a classic hand-off move. Filing day for the legislative candidates is March 12 and there is GOP scuttlebutt that another GOP candidate could emerge to compete for the nomination with Chavez. 

Will the GOP be able to keep a toehold on its one and only House district in big BernCo? Registration in District 31 is 39 percent Republican, 36 percent Democratic and 24 percent independent so the odds favor them. 

We'll see next week if the Dems plan on offering a serious challenge.

REPLACING CHASEY 

Rep. Chasey

Look for a crowded field next week when candidates file for ABQ House District 18 which is being vacated by longtime Dem state Rep. Gail Chasey. 

She has held forth in the uber-liberal district near UNM since 1996 so there is pent up Democratic demand to take her place. (No R's need apply. This one is all D all the time).

Chasey, who started her House years as Gail Beam, survived cancer, earned a law degree and married former NM attorney general and House Speaker David Norvell (an event commemorated back in October 2003 on one of our very first blogs.)

She ends her career as Majority Floor Leader. Her landmark achievement was the repeal of the state's death penalty under Gov. Richardson. House Speaker Javier Martinez said of the 79 year old's departure:

As the longest-serving member of the House, Leader Chasey has had an incredible impact, shaping policies that uplifted New Mexico children and families, made our systems more equitable and fairer, and protected New Mexicans’ fundamental rights and freedoms. She’s also been a wonderful colleague, friend, and mentor to countless lawmakers for nearly three decades—always quick to share both her deep institutional knowledge and words of encouragement. I am so grateful to have learned from and served alongside Leader Chasey for the last nine years and wish her the very best in her next chapter.

With Chasey's departure ABQ state Dem Miguel Garcia, 73, becomes the sole dean of the House. Wikipedia says he took office January 1, 1997, the same time as Chasey so apparently she shared the longest-serving title with him. 

SOTU TONIGHT

President Biden delivers his State of the Union speech tonight. Dem US Rep. Melanie Stansbury will use the occasion to highlight reproductive rights: 

. . . Stansbury announced Dr. Destinie Marquez as her guest at President Biden’s State of the Union Address. Dr. Marquez is from Roswell and focuses on antepartum and postpartum maternal health. . . “Dr. Marquez is a passionate advocate for women’s reproductive rights, particularly in underserved communities. Her dedication to ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare for all women makes her a crucial voice in addressing critical issues facing women today." Stansbury said.  

Senator Ben Ray Luján announced that Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, will be his guest for tonight's address. 

IMPACTFUL VETO

MLG Wednesday signed into law the $1.8 billion capital outlay and bond package as well as the $10.2 billion state budget. She also signed a tax bill that makes modest adjustments to state tax brackets and provides a number of tax credits. 

She also made a number of line item vetoes to the budget. The most impactful was this:

(The Governor vetoed a provision that) would have prohibited the state Public Education Department from spending money on implementing a requirement that public schools spend at least 180 instructional days with students per year. Vetoing that language appears to lay the groundwork for the PED to move forward on a measure educators from around the state lambasted late last year. The governor, who has expressed strong support for the measure all year, wrote only that the language would “interfere with the executive managerial function.”

New Mexico has fallen so far behind in public school performance---the PED Secretary says we rank last in the nation--that kids could use eight days a week in classes--never mind just five.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.  

There seems to be no amount of public humiliation that will keep former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales off the campaign trail. 

David Iglesias

The hot and heavy race for the Democratic nomination for Bernalillo County District Attorney is down to two hopefuls after progressive attorney Mathias Swonger has dropped out after his campaign was unable to gather the required number of nominating signatures.

That word comes from an operative associated with former US Attorney Damon Martinez who is now the lone challenger to DA Sam Bregman who was appointed to fill a vacancy by MLG and is now seeking election.

The position is especially high profile this cycle because of the APD scandal that saw Bregman dismissing 200 DWI cases allegedly involving officers involved in a scheme with at least one defense attorney that had them failing to appear in court so their DWI arrest cases would be dismissed in exchange for bribes paid to them and the defense lawyers. 

Bregman said judicial ethics gave him no choice but to dismiss the 200 open cases that involved the APD officers.

The dismissals are drawing fire in a state with some of the highest rates of alcohol deaths and DWI arrests in the nation. Former GOP US attorney David Iglesias is one of the more prominent legal experts now blasting the Bregman decision:

Bregman’s handling of the DWI corruption cases is unacceptable. The District Attorney controls the prosecution of a case, including letting APD leadership know when officers fail to appear in court which results in the charges being dismissed. This procedure had been common practice. D.A. Bregman’s change in practice is an egregious failure. His attempt to shift blame by characterizing these notifications as a “courtesy” is shamefully wrong.  The DA’s mission, according to their website, is: “To be relentless in holding people accountable …  [by] unwavering commitment… [to] the community.” But when cops failed to appear, Bregman didn’t even bother to notify APD. This action is a dereliction of his duty to the community. 

When Bregman was a criminal defense attorney, he had DWI cases dismissed involving one of the main APD officers currently under federal investigation. Therefore, Bregman had the ethical responsibility to recuse himself from anything to do with the 195 dismissed DWI cases. Neither he nor his office can impartially prosecute this apparent public corruption. He should have turned the matter over to the New Mexico Attorney General, where I served as a prosecutor many years ago. 

On January 2nd, the US Attorney notified Bregman of a confidential investigation and his response was to issue a press release and speak to the press about dismissing the DWI cases by blaming the FBI investigation. This action allowed the news media to connect the dots with the FBI’s lawful searches of a defense attorney’s office and three police officers’ homes. Bregman’s conduct was inexcusable and politically motivated. Albuquerque needs an ethical District Attorney. Without that non-negotiable requirement, the fox has the keys to the henhouse. 

Of course, we welcome any reaction from DA Bregman. 

Iglesias served as the United States Attorney for New Mexico between 2001-2007 and retired from the U.S. Navy JAG Corps in 2014. He has not endorsed former US Attorney Martinez.

The departure of Swonger from the DA's race will have marginal impact as he was not expected to raise much campaign funding. However, a two way race could benefit Martinz since Swonger was positioned to win some of the anti-Bregman vote.

No Republican has yet announced for the position. Filing day is March 12. No R has been elected to the post since the 90's. 

NOT JUST PROGRESSIVES

On the Monday blog we pinned the legislative failure for an increase in the alcohol tax as a means of reducing the state's nation-leading rate of alcohol deaths on the progressives. But reader Bruce Shah has an addendum:

Perhaps it is simply a coalition of $$$ that blocks everything. Did you not say earlier that there are more registered lobbyists than legislators? 

GUN BILLS

(Journal)

She didn't get the tougher gun laws she wanted but the Legislature did approve four gun safety measures and that was enough for the Governor to set up a major photo op with the kids at ABQ's West Mesa high as she signed them into law. 

Meanwhile, the chances of her calling a special session to deal with more public safety legislation is seen as slim.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.  

It's been almost four years since progressive Democrats busted the state Senate's conservative coalition by successfully primarying conservative D's but now it's the progressives looking shop-worn when it comes to the generational issues they promised to confront. For example. . .

New Mexico's Governor and Legislature, faced with by far the highest rate in the nation of deaths caused by alcohol (more than 2,000 in '22) again failed to address the crisis in the recent legislative session. Unfortunately, our neighbor to the north also has their heads in the sand. From the Denver Post:

Colorado’s quiet killer: Alcohol ends more lives than overdoses, but there’s been no intervention; Part 1: Colorado alcohol deaths surged 60% in 4 years, but there’s been no public outcry or push to save lives;Part 2: Colorado has some of the lowest alcohol taxes and highest drinking deaths. That’s no coincidence, experts say. Part 3: Beer and wine became more widely available in Colorado even as drinking deaths rose;Part 4: Alcohol addiction treatment is available in Colorado, but people struggle to get the help they need. 

Here are the big letdowns of progressive politics in Santa Fe: 

The failure to protect the most vulnerable New Mexicans dying from alcoholism at astounding rates; ditto for those suffering from  widespread fentanyl and other drug addictions without adequate treatment facilities and the failure to protect our children from violence and abuse by ignoring the years-long collapse of the Children, Youth and Families Department.

Progressives in Santa Fe go into a frenzy over abortion rights but when it comes to the conditions of those already born and suffering their option of choice is often silence.

The public most impacted is catching on:

The Times/Siena poll also noted a dramatic decline in Biden's support among less educated working-class voters of color. Four years ago, Biden won that demographic by 50 points but the poll suggested the margin over Trump had since plummeted to just six points.

Political consequences? GOP legislative candidates have an ideal issue in the CYFD disaster to confront progressive incumbents over; the chances of Republican Yvette Herrell breaking through in ABQ's Democratic South Valley are increasing along with her chances of upsetting progressive Dem Rep. Gabe Vasquez and Republican Nella Domenici is going to keep Dem Martin Heinrich busier than he would like.

Maybe the conservative coalition of 2020 is not alive in the Legislature but a coalition of working class Democrats, independents and Republicans may be taking shape. 

A CYFD COALITION? 

Maybe a coalition could form in Santa Fe to straighten out the wreck at CYFD, writes Kevin Berry a Republican and licensed marriage and family therapist in Roswell. He writes of our recent coverage:  

Joe, Democratic Senator Cervantes hit the nail on the head when stating that the failure of CYFD deserves a special legislative session. Without getting into specifics, my agency was involved in the CYFD case you wrote about last week that ended in the death of 7 year old Samantha Rubio and that the state settled  for $5.5 million. This is a tragedy that could have been avoided if CYFD cared more about the safety of the child than the rights of parents who abuse their children. 

Children are literally dying because of the philosophy that reunification is always in the best interest of the child. At what point will legislators have the resolve to unite and be the voice for these children? At what point do we start caring about the right of a child to live in a safe home? Legislators need to realize that the presumption that parents' rights to their children trump the children's rights to safety and welfare is wrong. 

Senator Cervantes and I may be on the opposite sides of the aisle, but I applaud him for having the resolve to publicly address this issue. This is a winning issue for legislators if they will unite, create bi-partisan legislation, and move forward with, or without, the governor.

Thank you for continuing to highlight our broken child welfare system. The public needs to know what is going on so more people can be a voice for these children. 

Berry points out that Sen. Crystal Diamond has been among those on the GOP side leading the charge for CYFD reform and that an open alliance with Cervantes could be the springboard for a bipartisan solution. 

That wouldn't be easy with a Governor resisting external reforms but she will assume lame-duck status following the November election which usually reduces the fear factor among legislators reluctant to break with a chief executive of their own party.

GOP PREPRIMARY RESULTS 

Louie Sanchez at preprimary

From the NM GOP:

The Party held its 2024 Pre-Primary Convention at Hotel Albuquerque Saturday. . .Nearly 500 delegates  voted for the GOP U.S. House and Senate candidates who will appear on the June 4 primary ballot. Three of the statewide GOP positions are uncontested.

Candidates must receive at least 20% of the delegates’ vote to appear on the primary ballot. A candidate who does not receive 20% of the vote may still appear on the primary ballot by collecting additional petition signatures.

These are the candidates that delegates chose to be placed on the primary ballot: 

US REP.--1st CD: Louie Sanchez 157 votes - qualified to be on the primary ballot. Steve Jones 9 votes 

U.S. Representative for 2nd CD: Yvette Herrell 152 votes - qualified to be on the primary ballot. 

U.S. Representative for the 3rd CD: Sharon Clahchischilliage 183 votes - qualified to be on the primary ballot. 

U.S. Senate: Nella Domenici 487 votes - qualified to be on the primary ballot.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.