Sen. Pope (Source NM)

Supporters of Democratic lieutenant governor candidate and current State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard see the hand of Dem Guv candidate Deb Haaland at play in the new candidacy of ABQ state Sen. Harold Pope. One of those disgruntled over Pope's entry into the light guv race sums it up this way:

It seems Deb brought Pope in to avoid having another woman run with her. 

Time will tell if that's the case but Garcia Richard's supporters aren't waiting. They don't see risk in an all-female '26 ticket which would be an historic first. In fact, they believe it would be a plus. One of them writes:

The old rules that the ticket has to have an ethnic or ideological balance no longer holds, Joe. The game is Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Dona Ana counites, all progressive and all welcoming to women candidates. If Haaland is recruiting pope she is running scared which she seems to be getting a reputation for. 

A Haaland-Pope ticket would also be a first with Haaland as the first Native American as Governor and Pope as the first African-American lt. governor.  Such Dem identity politics also has appeal in the aforementioned major counties.

As for Haaland being "scared," she has pulled in her horns on her often uber-progressive politics in the wake of Trump's decent showing in the state's presidential race, shying away from policy specifics since announcing her bid in February.

Dem Guv candidate and BernCo District Attorney Sam Bregman is already identified as a moderate Dem and is not moving noticeably left. A Bregman-Garcia Richard ticket would be an interesting twist with the land commissioner working to bring aboard progressives put off if Haaland lost to Bregman in next June's primary. 

RACE ANALYSIS 

Garcia Richard

Garcia Richard, 51, is the front-runner in the race with Pope, having won two statewide elections and several for state representative. She is a darling of the progressives. Any infatuation with Trump is not going to leak into her political base. 

Pope, about 51 and first elected to his westside ABQ seat in 2020, is more moderate and not as affable as Garcia Richard but he does have presence. 

Who is hungrier for the job? That would be Garcia Richard. She is term limited as land commissioner and must win to continue her political career. Pope does not have to give up anything. His four year term is not up until 2028 so win or lose next year, he stays at the Roundhouse

The Garcia Richard-Pope clash, laced as it is with ethnic and ideological threads, may make some Dems uncomfortable but it could also be seen as a sign of health. While the Dems are off to a hot start for the top offices, Republicans continue to founder when it comes to fielding well-known faces.

State Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer did find the energy to blast his senate colleague upon his entry int the lieutenant governor contest: 

Harold Pope is not the type of leadership New Mexicans need nor deserve. His sponsored legislation and voting record speaks for itself, and he represents an increasingly out-of-touch ideology that New Mexicans reject: He voted for Senate Bill 258 that aimed to mandate inappropriate sexual education to students as young as 11 years old. He backed House Bill 64 which sought to use taxpayer dollars to pay for college for illegal immigrants.

Welcome aboard the main stage of La Politica, Senator Pope, where punches come from the right, left and in between. 

THE BOTTOM LINES

NM State Police Chief Troy Weisler has a clarification of a portion of the blog that appeared in a first draft Tuesday and was later corrected:

Joe, I wanted to make a clarification in reference to Dan Klein’s comments that appeared inaccurate. Mr. Klein stated: 

“The Law Enforcement Certification Board is currently staffed with sheriff’s and police chiefs. That needs to be changed. The Board can have a law enforcement voice but other members should be current or retired judges, district attorneys, defense attorneys and civilian professionals.” 

Those are the precise changes that were made to the Law Enforcement Certification Board a few years ago by the Legislature. The current members and the specific mandated areas of expertise they represent are listed on the website. That includes, in addition to current or retired law enforcement – a judge, a telecommunicator, multiple attorneys from different fields of expertise, a professor and a citizen-at-large.. 

The position of chairman of the LECB is listed on the site as vacant. 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.