House Dems Meet

"We had to move to a larger room" joked one Democratic lawmaker. And that neatly summed up the new world order in Santa Fe. Over the weekend many of the Dems who will make up the New Mexico House of Representatives in 2019 (up to 46 pending recounts) caucused to elect their leadership.

As a result of the November 6 election it is the largest Dem House membership since the 90's. Their GOP opposition has been diminished to 24 in the 70 member chamber.

The representatives met Saturday on the third floor of the Roundhouse in that "larger room." The highlight was an appearance by their fellow Dem and Governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham. We're told by an attendee:

She was with us for 90 minutes. Some of the questions to her went deep in the weeds, like particular regulations at the Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD). She wowed the caucus with her knowledge of that agency and all of state government. It was such a drastic change from the current Governor."

Lujan Grisham, a three term congresswoman from ABQ, is herself a veteran of state government, having served as a cabinet secretary under three Governors. Her in-depth knowledge of the bureaucracy is expected to be of great assistance to her as she fills vacancies and begins the long job of making that bureaucracy more responsive, particularly the departments that preside over child welfare and public education.

QUESTION MOST ASKED

Sen. Smith

The question most on the lips of political observers and the politicians at the Capitol is: "What is John Arthur Smith thinking?"

The Deming state senator, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and a well-known budget hawk, was often a thorn in the side of Bill Richardson, the last Democratic Governor. It's feared by some Dems that he and his handful of conservative Dem allies in the Senate could roadblock major legislation approved by the more liberal House and supported by MLG.

A senior lawmaker tells us:

Joe, there have been meetings about funding public education by an additional $1 billion dollars over several years in order to comply with a district court order that said the  underfunded schools are in violation of the state Constitution. Smith has not blinked.

That's an optimistic sign for those hoping that the conservative coalition in the Senate--all the Republicans plus Dems Smith, Munoz, Sapien, Clemente Sanchez and Mary Kay Papen--are ready to bend, especially in light of the Democratic wave that swept away so many House Republicans.

Then there is the unspoken threat of 2020 Democratic primary opposition for the conservative Senators who do not compromise and resist putting to work a budget surplus that could total upwards of $2 billion when lawmakers meet in January.

As for the proposed constitutional amendment that if approved by voters would tap the state's $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund and use a portion of it to fund early childhood programs, Smith has not said anything publicly about it since the election of Lujan Grisham. She touted the amendment during her campaign. How that proposal is handled will reveal much about the relationship between the Senate and MLG and the willingness of both sides to make a deal.

SAME TEAM

The caucus made no change in their House leadership. Santa Fe's Brian Egolf again was recommended as House Speaker. The full House will vote on the nomination in January and Egolf will win because the Dems have an overwhelming majority. ABQ's Sheryl Williams Stapleton was again named House Majority Leader and Doreen Gallegos of Las Cruces was chosen as Majority Whip. Rep. D. Wonda Johnson of Gallup was again selected as House Majority Caucus Chair.

DONE IN DONA ANA 

Yvette Herrell dashed before the Fox News cameras over the weekend looking for a sympathetic voice to hear her plea that something was amiss--she wasn't quite sure what--with the election results in her southern congressional district race whose unofficial winner is Dem Xochitl Torres Small.

Fox's Judge Jeanine dutifully went along with the ambiguous declarations of the Alamogordo state representative. But it didn't change anything. The Secretary of State reports that all Dona Ana County ballots--including provisionals--have now been counted. The latest numbers:

Torres Small has a district wide lead of 3,539 votes. It's 100,570 for her and 97,031 for Herrell. That's 50.90% to 49.10%. That's close but not razor thin.

In Dem Dona Ana, Torres Small claimed 39,190 to Herrell's 21,462. That's 64.61% to 35.39%. And there's nothing suspicious about the results. Dem Guv candidate Lujan Grisham received 61 percent in the county so the absentee vote drive on behalf of Torres Small gave her an added boost. That in turn helped her win the district which usually goes R.

The Dona Ana results will be made official by that county's canvassing board today and the state canvassing board will do the same for all the results November 27. Torres Small will carry the title Congresswoman-elect until taking the oath of office in January.

The only question left is whether Republican Steve Pearce will even wait for Torres Small to be sworn in before announcing he will try to get the seat back in 2020.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018