E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Duran First Republican in Post Since 1930
By James Monteleone And Dan Boyd
Journal Staff Writers
New Mexico has elected a Republican secretary of state for the first time in 80 years.
Republican Dianna Duran earned about 58 percent of the vote Tuesday to definitively beat scandal-plagued Democratic incumbent Mary Herrera.
Duran, a Tularosa state senator since 1993, campaigned largely on vows to improve management of the Secretary of State's Office and restore public confidence.
"We will have a Secretary of State's Office you will be proud of," Duran told supporters after the victory Tuesday night.
A Republican hasn't served as New Mexico's secretary of state since 1930, when Jesuita Perrault held the position.
Herrera did not return repeated calls for comment after election results became clear.
Throughout the campaign, Herrera was riddled with accusations of wrongdoing.
Several former employees alleged that Herrera and her top deputies established a culture of pay-to-play politics in the Secretary of State's Office. The claims have spurred investigations by the state attorney general and the FBI. Two of the whistleblowers were later fired.
Herrera has adamantly defended her record and dismissed the accusations as false and politically motivated. She campaigned on claims that New Mexico elections under her watch have been more efficient and cheaper.
Herrera has weathered high rates of turnover in key positions since being elected secretary of state in 2006 and has been the target of criticism from many of the state's 33 county clerks, who are in charge of administering elections.
Herrera said many of the office's problems were inherited from her predecessor.
Herrera for much of the election cycle reported more cash on hand than Duran, but a late fundraising surge during the final weeks of the race allowed Duran to outspend the Democratic incumbent by 24 percent.
A former Otero County clerk, Duran ran unsuccessfully for the secretary of state's post in 1998.
During the campaign, Duran said she would push for a new voter ID requirement — in the form of a separate photo identification card — though details of the plan and how it would be paid for haven't been fleshed out.
Duran will have to resign her Senate seat before being sworn in as secretary of state on Jan. 1. After she resigns, Doña Ana and Otero County commissioners will then nominate a list of potential replacements. The state's governor, either Gov. Bill Richardson or Governor-elect Susana Martinez, will then pick a name from that list.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
