It is must reading for those seeking a complete understanding of politics here and as a special bonus readers of NM Politics with Joe Monahan (joemonahan.com) will get 15 percent off the cover price when ordering the Almanac here and entering the code "NMPolitics15".
This 51st edition of the Almanac covers it all with the nation's top political reporters leading the way. Topics include narrative descriptions of all 50 states and 435 House districts and how they have been changed by redistricting; brand new profiles of every Member of Congress and every governor; analysis of the 2022 national elections; campaign finance data and much more featuring the expert analysis the Almanac is prized for.
So without further ado let's start our exclusive coverage with this excellent Almanac review of New Mexico's 1st Congressional district:
1st District
Democrat Melanie Stansbury won a special election in June 2021, to fill the vacancy left when Rep. Deb Haaland resigned after being confirmed as secretary of Interior. Stansbury defeated Republican Mark Moores, 60%-36%, in a metro-Albuquerque district that elected Republican Heather Wilson as recently as 2006. Stansbury had a big advantage in campaign spending, and the two national parties largely stayed out of the contest. Both candidates had experience as state legislators. Haaland is the first Native American to run the Interior Department, whose Bureau of Indian Affairs has wide influence over tribal lives. That gave her nomination by President Joe Biden added significance among Native Americans and others
in the civil rights community.
Stansbury, a native of Albuquerque, earned her bachelor’s degree in human ecology and natural science from Saint Mary’s College of California and a Master of Science in sociology from Cornell University, where she focused on water rights for Native American tribes. She taught science classes in New Mexico schools and later settled in Washington. As an aide at the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama White House, she worked on water rights and settlements for Native Americans. Later, as an aide to Sen. Maria Cantwell at the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, she helped to craft water legislation for the Pacific Northwest. Stansbury was elected to the state House in 2018 in an east Albuquerque district by
defeating a seven-term Republican incumbent. She was vice chair of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
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| Rep. Stansbury |
In the general-election campaign, Moores focused heavily on increased crime, which had been an effective issue for Republicans among Latino voters in the 2020 election. He cited Stansbury’s endorsement of the Breathe Act, a proposal from the Movement for Black Lives that would redirect federal law enforcement grants to social services, the Washington
Post reported. A Moores campaign ad called the proposal “the most dangerous legislation in America.” In response, Stansbury ran ads in which police officers and prosecutors vouched for her support for law enforcement. Although Democrats did not spend money on her behalf, White House spouses—Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris—made campaign appearances with Stansbury. In this district, that was enough for Stansbury’s 60%-36% victory. The outcome encouraged Democrats in New Mexico to use redistricting to switch Democratic voters to the neighboring 2nd District, which they captured in November 2022.
In an interview with Roll Call a month after taking office, Stansbury recounted her experience as a Senate aide, where Energy Committee aides were told that Republicans barred them from referring to “climate change” in legislation. As one of her first legislative actions in the House, Stansbury—the self-described “water nerd”—secured in the House-passed budget reconciliation bill $200 million in climate resilience funding for New Mexico Pueblos, whose water infrastructure required significant upgrades, E&E News reported. But the provision was dropped from the final version of the legislation.
In Stansbury’s 2022 campaign for a full term, Republican challenger Michelle Garcia Holmes, a former Albuquerque police officer and the unsuccessful GOP nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018, was not initially viewed as a credible threat. But, the Albuquerque Journal
reported that Stansbury warned supporters in the closing days of the campaign, “Our down-ballot races are tightening all across the state.” During the final two weeks, Reps. Katherine Clark and Jamie Raskin made separate campaign appearances with Stansbury in her district. Stansbury won 56%-44%. She took 60 percent of the vote in Albuquerque-based Bernalillo County, which cast two-thirds of the vote, and a bare 50 percent in suburban Sandoval County, with one-fifth of the vote. Garcia Holmes took six of the eight remaining counties.
1st District
Albuquerque Area:
The University of New Mexico has become a magnet for biotechnology, with more than a dozen local startups working to commercialize UNM’s biomedical discoveries. At Sandia Labs, which had 13,000 employees in Albuquerque in 2021, leaders say that they are “pushing the envelope for global scientific discovery and innovation.” The city’s prosperous neighborhoods have climbed the gently rising heights to the east; poorer residents have spread north and south along the Rio Grande. In the Old Town centered on the plaza, some of the adobe buildings date to the 18th century. Every October, Albuquerque hosts the International Balloon Fiesta, which features more than 500 hot-air balloons and many resident balloonists. The annual Gathering of Nations typically attracts more than 700 tribes, along with 100,000 participants and spectators.
The 1st District of New Mexico for decades included almost all of Albuquerque and some of its suburbs. That changed with the Democratic-controlled redistricting in 2022, when the western side of Albuquerque—from Paradise Hills to South Valley, nearly adjacent to the airport—shifted to the 2nd to make that Republican-held district more competitive. To compensate for that loss of population, the 1st gained a large chunk of rural southeast New Mexico—from Santa Rose and Fort Sumner south nearly to Roswell, the site of a supposed flying saucer landing in 1947 and now home of the International UFO Museum and Research Center. In Little Texas, as much as this expansive area is known, oil has been the economic mainstay. Cattle ranching is common, and cotton is grown on irrigated land. Also new to the 1st is fast-growing Rio Rancho, which began as a suburban retirement community in the 1960s and has become the home of a large Intel plant plus large broadband providers; the city is the center of Sandoval County, which is 18 percent of the district.
After Hillary Clinton took Bernalillo County by 17 percentage points, Joe Biden increased the Democratic margin to 24 points. The redistricting changes reduced his win in the 1st from 60%-37% to 56%-42%.
Wowza. That's some coverage and you can get much more in the 2024 edition of the Almanac of American Politics available here and with a 15 percent discount for our blog readers. Just enter the code "NMPOLITICS15 when ordering. Tomorrow an in-depth look at the 2nd Congressional District.
JAMES HALLINAN
Hallinan's sex harassment lawsuit against Governor Lujan Grisham in 2019 led her to eventually settle the case, with her campaign making payments of $150,000 to Hallinan. The sensational charges (aka Crotchgate) were made a central issue by the GOP in her 2022 re-election effort. She won but the charges may have derailed any national political ambitions she harbored.
Hallinan, an openly gay man, was serving as MLG's campaign communications director in 2018 when he charged that the then gubernatorial candidate had thrown a bottle of water on his crotch and grabbed him there, all the while laughing.
Hallinan, a conservative Democrat, was deeply entrenched in state politics having worked for then Attorney General Hector Balderas, politico and former State Auditor Brian Colon and conservative Dem ABQ City Councilor Louie Sanchez. He also counted among his clients Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy and Connecticut Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman. When he died he he was running his own PR business.
The consultant was known for his volatile temperament which he frequently displayed on social media where he went after the progressives who have come to dominate politics here. In one of his final tweets days before his passing, he said:
The level of corruption and abuse is at an all-time high in New Mexico. I'm still shocked, but I guess I shouldn't be at this point.
In the aftermath of his death conspiracy theories were spread on social media about how Hallinan may have died. Prominent Republican Brett Kokinadis summed up the theories with this tweet:
Waiting for confirmation, but James Hallinan is rumored to be deceased. Did you have anything to do with it Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham? I sure hope not!
Last October Hallinan phoned the State Police saying he had received death threats on social media from a woman named Angel but an officer said he was “agitated and speaking in a manner which made it difficult to decipher exactly what he was trying to get across."
Hallinan's sister, in posting about his death, did not mention a cause.
Marisa Hallinan:
With much sadness we share that our beloved and brilliant brother and son James Hallinan died on Thursday, July 20, 2023. At this time of deep sadness and mourning we thank you for your conveyed sentiments and support. In lieu of a formal ceremony, we ask that those who knew him spend time celebrating his life in a way that honors the joyous times you spent with him.
Hallinan was a founding member of the conservative nonprofit Southwest Public Policy Institute. The group mourned his passing:
Hallinan played an instrumental role in shaping the organization’s mission to promote public policy research, development, and advocacy. His insight, passion, and commitment to creating positive change have been pivotal in the Institute’s endeavors to address critical issues facing our society.
THE BOTTOM LINES
He's a Swonger not a Swinger. One of those typos that tickles the funny bone occurred on the Thursday blog when we reported on Democrat Matthias Swonger and his run next year for BernCo District Attorney. In one reference we dubbed him Matthias Swinger. We apologize Mr. Swonger--and also to the real Swingers out there.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023