Correa Hemphill

A group of seemingly strong women candidates has emerged to challenge several key state senators in the 2020 cycle and could pose a significant threat to the conservative coalition that has long ruled the chamber.

Pam Cordova of Valencia County Tuesday confirmed our earlier reports and announced she will challenge Senator Clemente Sanchez of Grants in the June 2020 Dem primary. Also announcing a candidacy this week is school psychologist Siah Correa Hemphill of Grant County. She will be challenging appointed state Senator Gabe Ramos in the Dem primary.

Those announcements follow ones by Neomi Martinez Parra who is mounting a primary challenge against Dem state Senator John Arthur Smith, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and de facto leader of the coalition of Republicans and conservatives that control the Senate. Another coalition leader, Senate President Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces, is already busy fending off two Dem primary challengers.

In addition, Santa Fe school superintendent Veronica Garcia has announced she will seek the Dem nomination for the ABQ NE Heights senate seat held by Republican Sen. Mark Moores.

The Senate coalition has repeatedly thwarted legislation sent over by the House, including a constitutional amendment that would tap a portion of the nearly $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund for early childhood education.

This past session the Senate's conservative Dems blocked a pro-choice measure. That led the state GOP to declare that Gov. Lujan Grisham is the force behind the primary challenges:

Several Democrat Senators who stood against their party leaders to defend life and opposed HB 51, a bill decriminalizing abortion laws, are now being challenged in primary elections. Gov. Lujan Grisham is recruiting candidates who agree with her on extreme policies. 

It can't be ignored that Emily's List has promised to take out Democratic senators who bolted on the abortion question and will devote major money to the task. But the frustration with the coalition--(16 R's who sometimes vote with 6 or more Dems in the 42 chamber) runs deeper.

The fingerprints of various progressive interest groups can already be seen in these races. If MLG is pushing the candidacies, she isn't about to shout it from the rooftops. She still has to work with the Senate.

Former ABQ City Councilor, Democratic attorney and political consultant Greg Payne has long held the view that the next major shift in the New Mexican political landscape will come from women.

The issues that are plaguing us impact women most. Dysfunctional families, the drug epidemic, gun violence, education problems and the state's last in the nation ranking in child well-being are all entwined with their daily lives. I was not surprised to see women have great success in the state House races last year. Doing the same with the Senate will be a harder climb but the process of changing the political paradigm in the Senate--and therefore the state--is underway.

The coalition's claim to fame is its insistence on financial frugality even in the face of billions of dollars of oil boom surpluses. The major change if the coalition collapses would be in the state budget which would tilt more toward investment in education and the like rather than tight money management. For the state GOP that is "far left" but depending on how these challenges play out, it could be the beginning of a new political center with profound policy implications.

20 TO 1 

Plame

 20 to 1 is the money lead Rep. Ben Ray Lujan has over Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver as the two vy for the 2020 Dem US Senate nomination. FEC reports show he had $1.6 million in cash at the end of September compared to MTO's $85,000. The odds of MTO winning may not be as foreboding as the money numbers suggest, but they will be discouraging to even her most ardent backers.

In the intriguing battle for the Dem nomination for the northern congressional seat being vacated by Lujan, Valerie Plame of national fame continues to rake in the dollars nationally and leads the pack. She had $427,000 in cash on Sept. 30. Attorney Teresa Leger Fernandez (TLF) reported $301,000 in the bank. New candidate John Blair had a good six weeks and raised $147,000. That beat out Santa Fe DA Marco Serna who raised $118,000 in the quarter but has $290,000 in cash on hand.

While the race still has 10 candidates it is quickly narrowing. Emily's List is prominently backing TLF and the pressure is now on them to come with more financial backing as Plame turns up the heat. Plame needs not only money but an emotional connection with her adopted north. Serna is the top male candidate and doesn't need Blair on his heels or northern state Rep. Joseph Sanchez for that matter. Yeah, this is a jump ball, Gators.