Historic Night In The Land Of Enchantment As Long March For Legal Marijuana Ends In Victory, Plus: The Stansbury Stunner; She Pulls Off Upset To Become Dem Party Congress Nominee

Celebrating On Senate Floor (Journal)

An historic night in the Land of Enchantment Wednesday as New Mexico joined the ranks of states legalizing recreational marijuana. Whether that is for better or worse is to be determined but politically it is yet another event that cements a more liberal politics in a state that has so often hewed to the center or right. 

The 22 to 15 vote of approval in the Senate followed a 38 to 32 win for the measure in the House. The bill now goes to Gov. Lujan Grisham who called the special session to push the bill through, after it fell short in the regular 60 say session. 

It was like an Election Night with the winners popping the champagne corks and the losers drowning in their stale beer. MLG spoke for the champagne sippers (and pot mavens):

This is a good bill. This special session was a success. And the work of making sure that this industry is a success, that New Mexicans are able to reap the full economic and social benefit of legalized adult-use cannabis, that workplace and roadway safety are assured to the greatest degree possible – that work will go on. Change never comes easily and rarely does it occur as quickly as we might like. But with this major step forward, we are signaling more clearly than ever before that we are ready, as a state, to truly break new ground, to think differently about ourselves and our economic future.

GOP Chairman Steve Pearce came forth with the bitter brew: 

This marijuana session was a travesty. As expected, progressive Democrats catered to the Governor’s wishes to make sure this legislation was passed. There was no need for lawmakers to return to the Roundhouse for this bill. With New Mexico’s collapsed economy, high unemployment and weak education system, it’s sad that marijuana takes priority in a Special Session. Legalizing pot is not an important issue with the state facing so many serious problems. In addition, recreational marijuana would lead to even more crime, underage use and impaired driving. 

ABQ Dem State Rep. Javier Martinez was a big winner, shepherding the measure for several years, showing the patience of Job and the passion of a Roman gladiator. In the regular session he had done the same with the constitutional amendment that would tap the Permanent Fund for early childhood education. That is significant legislating. And that may be an understatement. 

These are House-based measures that the Senate now agrees to. The power shift to the lower chamber is in our faces as the Senate is now chaotic, having lost veteran members in last year's election who kept the place together. Meantime, House Speaker Egolf has grown in stature--and importance. 

For MLG she was as much a survivor as a winner, coming dangerously close to losing the marijuana bill. But her bag of tricks worked, at least this time, and the adrenaline ride she got and gave paid off. 

Legalization could be a signature achievement for her, if the reality lives up to the hype, or it could be her Rail Runner, endlessly looking for light at the end of the tunnel. One sidebar: legalization takes effect in April of 2022, just in time for the next gubernatorial election.

THE COMEBACK KID

Melanie Stansbury 

She may have to take a cue from Bill Clinton and start calling herself "the comeback kid." 

After last night State Rep. Melanie Stansbury has surely earned the title. In a major upset she captured the Democratic Party nomination for the vacant ABQ congressional seat, narrowly getting by Antoinette Sedillo Lopez. That came on the heels of a 16 point loss to Sedillo Lopez in the first round of balloting Tuesday by 200 Dem Party Central Committee members who made the decision.

The stunning victory was a shock to the more progressive wing of the party (read Bernie Sanders) who rallied behind attorney Sedillo Lopez only to see her lose a heartbreaker, 103-97 or 51.24% to 48.26%.

But they might have seen it coming. Stansbury pulled off her first upset when she flipped a Republican state House seat in ABQ's NE Heights to the Dem column in 2018. 

She may have to wait a while to stun La Politica again. The 42 year old with a science background will enter the June 1 special election as a heavy favorite. She will run against Republican State Sen. Mark Moores and others. No R has won the ABQ district since 2006. 

HEALING TIME

The establishment Dems put on a last minute rally following the Tuesday night defeat, with Stansbury rolling out endorsements from a crop of them, including Julie Heinrich, as well as fellow House members. It paid off. 

Also, even some supporters of Sedillo Lopez said she "had lost a step" since her last run for Congress in 2018.

While there isn’t a mile of policy distance between the two contenders, there is some. Stansbury is from the Obama wing and will bring a bit more pragmatism to the campaign than Sedillo Lopez.  

There was grumbling that a woman of color will not fill the seat any longer, breaking up the state's status as the only one with a US House delegation composed entirely of women of color. There were other unfortunate racial overtones in the campaign that will have to be addressed. 

After her win Stansbury gave the healing a shot : 

 I want to take a moment tonight to thank all of the candidates who ran for CD1 and particularly @ASL4Justice4all, who ran phenomenal campaigns filled with heart & vision. Thank you & your teams for lifting up the issues that matter most. Together we will win on June 1st. 

For her part, Sedillo Lopez said on Facebook:

It was a long drive home from Santa Fe...I want to thank my amazing team, friends and supporters who worked so hard on this incredible race. I am grateful to everyone who spoke with me about the future of our country and our state. I want to Congratulate Melanie Stansbury, our soon to be CD-1 Representative. We need to all come together to keep the seat blue!

The announcement of Stansbury's win was particularly poignant for Sedillo Lopez. It occurred as she and the other Senators began their first round of voting on the historic marijuana legalization bill. It was those kind of votes she will not be making in the US Congress.

Leave it to 'ol Steve Pearce to throw some dirt on the dance floor: 

 The decision to pick Stansbury, a California-style progressive, shows that Democrats are determined to continue on this path in Washington. She backs legislation that destroys jobs, cripples our economy and heavily taxes New Mexicans. This won’t change on Capitol Hill. Rep. Stansbury is one of the most radical lawmakers in this state. She is simply out of touch with the needs of New Mexico.

Dems will stay on their toes for Steve and the gang, but unless Stansbury's closet is filled with unspeakables, an aggressive get out the vote campaign combined with a heavy dose of advertising puts her in the driver's seat. 

What an event filled week. Even the Alligators are finally sated and ready for a respite, as we are sure you are.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Easter, New Mexico! 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021