Stansbury Set To Take Oath June 14 As Next ABQ Congresswoman, Down To The Wire As Manny Gonzales Chases Public Financing And More Reaction Over MLG Re-Elect Rally

Rep.-elect Melanie Stansbury will take the oath of office from the House floor Monday, June 14 and become the seventh person and fourth woman and fourth Democrat to fill the ABQ area congressional district since its founding in 1968.

The 42 year old is expected to be a loyal lieutenant of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Her campaign says the Speaker will conduct a ceremonial swearing in of the new congresswoman at 4:40 p.m. June 14 ABQ time. That will be streamed here.

Stansbury has been celebrating her June 1 special election landslide win--60-36--over Republican Mark Moores but that joyful mood was jolted when Stansbury last Thursday addressed the re-election rally for Gov. Lujan Grisham. The new lawmaker was visibly taken aback by rowdy protesters who drowned out her talk and that of other guest speakers. The incident was a reminder of how emotions continue to run high in the post-pandemic, post-Trump era. 

Stansbury will fill out the unexpired term of Deb Haaland who is now Sec. of Interior. She will seek a two year term of her own in 2022. Talk of challenging her in next June's Dem primary has quieted but there were strong emotions when Stansbury defeated Antoinette Sedillo Lopez to become the Dem Party nominee. 

Republicans have the unenviable task of coming up with another candidate to take on Stansbury in a district that seems to be getting even more Blue. 

SPECIAL IMPACT

Gonzales

There's little doubt that the Stansbury win in that rare special election is good news for ABQ Dem Mayor Tim Keller who faces re-election this November. 

Progressives dominated the election and their voting history and campaign donations are now available to Keller's team. Turnout is hard to drive in a mayoral election and voters motivated enough to turn out for a special election will now be prodded to do the same for Keller. 

The Mayor's one and only opponent is conservative Dem Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales. He's going down to the wire in collecting the $5 donations necessary to qualify for over $661,000 in public financing for his campaign. He is short 1,237 of the 3,779 required and has only until June 19 at 5 p.m. to get them. 

Keller is only a few dozen short and now his campaign is putting heat on Gonzales, filing an ethics complaint with the city clerk alleging fraud by the Gonzales campaign in collecting those $5 contributions: 

Keller’s reelection campaign is accusing Gonzales of committing fraud in his effort to obtain public financing. An ethics complaint filed by the Keller campaign alleges Gonzales personally told a voter that he did not have to pay the $5 contribution that Gonzales must collect from 3,779 city voters to qualify for public financing. In a statement, Megan McMillan, a Gonzales’ campaign official, called the complaint “baseless” and said “neither Sheriff Gonzales nor the campaign covered any contribution.”

A Gonzales associate says the campaign remains confident that they will qualify for public financing but is also raising questions about the fairness of the process. 

If Manny falls short he could still opt for private financing but could there be legal squabbling with the city clerk's office? Stay tuned.

GEIER FOR GONZALES

Gonzales supporters continue to bang the drum over crime. That PAC supporting him--Save Our City-- rolled out an endorsement by former APD Chief Mike Geier who was embittered when Keller forced him out. Says Geier:

Manny Gonzales is the best hope for changing the city's direction concering the crime crisis.

NOT SO FAST

A spokesman for MLG comes with this take on her Thursday ABQ re-election rally disrupted by protesters: 

I would not be so quick to say the protesters were simply "constituents who happen to disagree with MLG’s strict lockdown measures," who are not "on the far fringes of conspiratorial politics." These were the deep depths of the deep end -- with Nazi chants, heckles and salutes, signs and shouts about 5G and wifi conspiracies, screaming aggressively and making threats all night, including through the tribal invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem.  It was a sickening display, shades of Jan. 6 at the Capitol, and I'm glad no one was hurt. .  .To suggest this was just your average "we politely disagree with MLG" group is just not correct. 

Reader John Rey came with his reaction:

Now her true colors emerge and all of us ex-lounge lizards are happy about the shout out. Her Qlizard comment is right out of Orange Sunshine’s playbook. Is this the way to counter protests? Your words will come back to haunt you, MLG. It’s a good thing there is no competition so far. Remember not all who protested are Republicans. This state is last in everything and you call constituents names. Biden was right. You are not a good fit! 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021