Campaign targets 5 Dems in Senate

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Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE – A coalition of left-leaning groups and activists launched a campaign Monday to unseat five Democratic senators – including some of the most powerful members of the Legislature – describing them as impediments to progress in New Mexico on health care, early childhood education and other issues.

The group calls itself the No Corporate Democrats community coalition. It includes OLÉ, New Mexico Working Families Party, the Center for Civic Action and ProgressNow New Mexico.

Krystal Curley, a Gallup resident and member of the coalition, said Monday that a number of state senators “are not listening to the people who voted them in.”

“Who are they listening to?'” she asked. “Well-connected corporate interests.”

The Democratic senators targeted in the campaign are Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen of Las Cruces; two chairmen of influential committees, John Arthur Smith of Deming and Clemente Sanchez of Grants; George Muñoz of Gallup; and Gabriel Ramos of Silver City.

The Democratic incumbents vigorously disputed Monday that they haven’t represented their districts well.

“It’s sort of a strange situation,” Smith said. “Right now, we’re sucking air when it comes to revenues and they’re out there campaigning on the basis we need to spend more.”

Muñoz, vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he cares about the people in his western New Mexico district, regardless of their income level. He said he used his own money recently to pay for a radio ad in Diné, the Navajo language, to notify tribal members of a telephone help line amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Opponents “can put a label on me,” Muñoz said, “but at the end of the day, it’s the people of my district that I listen to.”

The primary challenges illustrate a divide among Democrats in the Legislature.

Democrats hold substantial majorities in both chambers, but progressive priorities have often passed the House only to run aground in the Senate.

The House, for example, has repeatedly passed legislation proposing to withdraw an extra 1% from the state’s largest permanent fund to pay for the expansion of early childhood programs. But it hasn’t cleared the Senate.

The five Democrats targeted Monday also voted against an abortion rights measure in 2019, helping block its approval. The bill would have repealed a 1969 anti-abortion law.

The No Corporate Democrats campaign shared videos Monday targeting Smith and Muñoz. Supporters of the campaign said they are releasing the videos online.

“This is a community campaign that seeks to hold legislators accountable for years of not delivering basic needs to our families,” said Andrea Serrano, executive director of OLÉ.

Early and absentee voting is scheduled to begin May 5 for the June 2 primary election. The general election is Nov. 3.

Here’s a look at the races the group highlighted:

• Sanchez, chairman of the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee, faces a challenge from retired teacher Pam Cordova in District 30. It covers Grants and parts of Valencia and three other counties.

• Smith, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, faces Neomi Martinez-Parra of Lordsburg, who has worked as a teacher and is a former vice chairwoman of the New Mexico Democratic Party. The District 35 seat covers New Mexico’s southwest corner, stretching from the state’s Bootheel region east into Las Cruces.

• Papen has two opponents in District 38, covering parts of Las Cruces and southern New Mexico. Running against her are Carrie Hamblen, CEO of the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce, and Tracy Perry, CEO of Direct Therapy Services, which works with people with developmental disabilities.

• Ramos faces Siah Correa Hemphill, a school psychologist, in District 28, stretching from Socorro to Silver City and covering parts of southwestern New Mexico.

• Muñoz is being challenged by Noreen Ann Kelly, a community activist from Church Rock, in District 4, covering part of western New Mexico.

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