Last House Republican Standing In Bernalillo County Leaving And Works To Hand Off Seat To Fellow R, Plus: Large Field Expected For Rep. Chasey Seat, Also: NM Guests At Tonight's SOTU Speech And MLG's Impactful Veto

Rep. Rehm

GOP state Rep. Bill Rehm holds a somewhat ignominious honor in his party. He is the sole Republican left serving the state's largest county in the state House of Representatives. But he will soon shed that title. The retired BernCo Sheriff's deputy, who has relentlessly proposed tough on crime measures in the Democratic controlled House with little success, announces he will not seek re-election. 

Rehm is causing a bit of a dust-up as he heads for the exits. He wants to bestow on his constituents what he considers a gift but critics consider bullying. 

Chavez

Rehm waited until almost the last minute to announce that this term will be his last. When he did he immediately endorsed Republican Nicole Chavez, an unsuccessful legislative candidate in District 28 in 2022, as his candidate to replace him in his far NE Heights District 31 where he was first elected in 2006.

Chavez became an advocate for crime victims following the murder of her son. She ran against Dem Pamelya Herndon while touted as a GOP dream candidate in crime-plagued ABQ. But she was faulted for not running an effective campaign while Herndon, the first Black woman to represent the district, galvanized her party.

Rehm is making a classic hand-off move. Filing day for the legislative candidates is March 12 and there is GOP scuttlebutt that another GOP candidate could emerge to compete for the nomination with Chavez. 

Will the GOP be able to keep a toehold on its one and only House district in big BernCo? Registration in District 31 is 39 percent Republican, 36 percent Democratic and 24 percent independent so the odds favor them. 

We'll see next week if the Dems plan on offering a serious challenge.

REPLACING CHASEY 

Rep. Chasey 

Look for a crowded field next week when candidates file for ABQ House District 18 which is being vacated by longtime Dem state Rep. Gail Chasey. 

She has held forth in the uber-liberal district near UNM since 1996 so there is pent up Democratic demand to take her place. (No R's need apply. This one is all D all the time).

Chasey, who started her House years as Gail Beam, survived cancer, earned a law degree and married former NM attorney general and House Speaker David Norvell (an event commemorated back in October 2003 on one of our very first blogs.)

She ends her career as Majority Floor Leader. Her landmark achievement was the repeal of the state's death penalty under Gov. Richardson. House Speaker Javier Martinez said of the 79 year old's departure:

As the longest-serving member of the House, Leader Chasey has had an incredible impact, shaping policies that uplifted New Mexico children and families, made our systems more equitable and fairer, and protected New Mexicans’ fundamental rights and freedoms. She’s also been a wonderful colleague, friend, and mentor to countless lawmakers for nearly three decades—always quick to share both her deep institutional knowledge and words of encouragement. I am so grateful to have learned from and served alongside Leader Chasey for the last nine years and wish her the very best in her next chapter.

With Chasey's departure ABQ state Dem Miguel Garcia, 73, becomes the sole dean of the House. Wikipedia says he took office January 1, 1997, the same time as Chasey so apparently she shared the longest-serving title with him. 

SOTU TONIGHT

President Biden delivers his State of the Union speech tonight. Dem US Rep. Melanie Stansbury will use the occasion to highlight reproductive rights: 

. . . Stansbury announced Dr. Destinie Marquez as her guest at President Biden’s State of the Union Address. Dr. Marquez is from Roswell and focuses on antepartum and postpartum maternal health. . . “Dr. Marquez is a passionate advocate for women’s reproductive rights, particularly in underserved communities. Her dedication to ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare for all women makes her a crucial voice in addressing critical issues facing women today." Stansbury said.  

Senator Ben Ray Luján announced that Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, will be his guest for tonight's address. 

IMPACTFUL VETO

MLG Wednesday signed into law the $1.8 billion capital outlay and bond package as well as the $10.2 billion state budget. She also signed a tax bill that makes modest adjustments to state tax brackets and provides a number of tax credits. 

She also made a number of line item vetoes to the budget. The most impactful was this:

(The Governor vetoed a provision that) would have prohibited the state Public Education Department from spending money on implementing a requirement that public schools spend at least 180 instructional days with students per year. Vetoing that language appears to lay the groundwork for the PED to move forward on a measure educators from around the state lambasted late last year. The governor, who has expressed strong support for the measure all year, wrote only that the language would “interfere with the executive managerial function.”

New Mexico has fallen so far behind in public school performance---the PED Secretary says we rank last in the nation--that kids could use eight days a week in classes--never mind just five.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.  

E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.  

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2024