We're taking a blogging break and will return to this space next Tuesday but first. . .

 What a show. 

The Governor put one on starring her veto pen and Sam Bregman, the state's perennial political showman, donned his stage clothes to make official his bid for the Dem gubernatorial nomination. First, the MLG drama. . .

She's a lame duck Governor kicking hard and in the process has probably doomed chances for a special legislative session to again consider her previously rejected crime bills. 

That will sit fine with Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico who are not amused by the political antics over crime including MLG's bizarre deployment of National Guard troops in ABQ wearing polo shorts and stripped of any arms. 

The state is by now well aware that the bickering of the political class over more laws to fight crime is a deflection of their responsibility to address the macro reasons for crime and the ineffective management of current police resources.  Special session? Good riddance. 

A frustrated and angry Governor let it rip in her veto messages Friday, going scorched earth in criticizing the recent legislative session and legislators. In the process she did some major damage. 

(Details on the vetoes are on the SOS website.)

Foremost was her veto of a tax relief measure that would have lowered and even eliminated the burden of the state income tax on some 100,000 New Mexicans. 

It was a bill that fit the times. High inflation is deflating the state's working class and with billions in oil surplus there is plenty of money to finance the breaks.

Also in the vetoed bill (HB 14) and going down (again) was a very slight increase in the state liquor tax in a state with the nation's highest rate of of alcohol related deaths as well as a reduction in the gross receipts tax for doctors in a state plagued by a severe shortage. 

The Governor's reasoning for her veto was shakier than cafeteria jello. She maintained she actually supported those tax measures but because "the vast majority of the changes do not even take effect for two years" they could be improved upon in a future session. She said:

New Mexicans deserve thoughtful, forward-looking policy — not last-minute dealmaking that delays relief, ignores economic opportunity, and undermines fiscal responsibility.

That's a lot of gaslighting even for the the Fourth Floor

The tax bill was near and dear to the heart of House Speaker Javier Martinez who has been in prolonged talks with MLG about a possible special session on crime. Now there seems very little to talk about. 

The Speaker had been urged to go big by proposing an outright elimination of the income tax for lower income households. That is precisely what is happening in other low income states like Mississippi and Arkansas in the wake of Trump's election. The half-hearted measure approved did not put enough heat on MLG.

Reform of the Children, Youth and Families Department, stubbornly resisted by MLG since she took office, was stymied again with her veto of funding for a Child Advocate who would be placed in the AG' office. There is still some money for the post so it may survive but her failure to address the CYFD crisis will be an indelible part of her legacy and a bitter-tasting one. 

Meanwhile, after her fury was spent MLG flew off for a lengthy trade mission to Asia. Her final veto message to legislators was seen dangling from the rear of her departing plane:

"So long suckers!"

BREGMAN RIDES AGAIN

Bold and refreshing or cartoonish buffoonery? 

As usual the antics of Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman were greeted by a divided audience as he made official his entry into the '26 race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Las Vegas last week. 

A centerpiece of that entry was a nearly 3 minute video that included Bregman riding horseback and galloping through a lonely landscape while sporting his trademark black hat. 

The debut video had Bregman attacking Trump, Musk, MAGA extremists and not so subtly his primary opponent Deb Haaland as he weighed in against the "intolerance of the radical left that has divided our party."   

Bregman places himself in the political center--as California Governor Newsom has done--in an effort to reposition Dems in the wake of the Trump victory.  As we've reported Bregman will seek to nationalize the election by making it a debate on who is more electable--him or Haaland. 

The Haaland camp is rejoicing over their fundraising--$3 million and counting--but keeping a wary eye on Bregman. They had no official comment on his entry. The former Secretray of Interior remains heavily favored to win the nomination. But the operatives are sharpening their knives in case Bregman's cowboy act begins lassoing voters. From a Haaland activist:

Joe, Sam's announcement was a vanity statement and incredibly divisive. He attacked progressives for being intolerant, and attacked our Congressional Delegation outright. How is this someone who's going to bring people together at a time when that's what's needed most? Not to mention that he is completely misrepresenting his past. As a criminal defense attorney, he represented the worst of the worst in New Mexico - a child rapist, violent criminals, and corrupt politicians - and he has no record to point to as DA. It's an open secret that Sam has wanted to be Governor since the 90's, and clearly he's willing to say or do anything to try and make that happen, even if it means taking down those in his own party.

PAYNE ANALYSIS 

(Peter St. Cyr)

Former state legislator, ABQ city councilor and Santa Fe attorney Greg Payne is back this cycle to help blog readers navigate through the maze of yet another election.

Joe, Bregman is moving early to consolidate the rural conservative and moderate Democratic vote. His pitch will also have appeal to conservative independents who are now permitted to vote in primary elections, so he is targeting them as well. 

This strategy, if well-financed, could double his standing from that early poll that had Haaland leading him 50 to 18 but getting more will be akin to pulling teeth. Her standing with progressives who dominate the party is pretty much unassailable. Still, with populism in the air, Trump's narrower loss here and unpredictability being the order of the day, this race will be closely watched and not dismissed out of hand.

Thanks, Greg. In 2018 in the last open Dem Governor primary MLG scored 66 percent of the vote in a three way race.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.