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Thursday, June 3, 2004

Election a Success for Governor, GOP Leader

By David Miles
Journal Capitol Bureau
    SANTA FE— Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson and Republican National Committeeman Mickey Barnett had near-perfect records with their legislative candidate slates in Tuesday's primary election.
    All but one of the at least 10 legislative candidates receiving financial backing from Richardson's political action committee, Moving America Forward, won Tuesday, said Amanda Cooper, Richardson's political director.
    And the only incumbent Democrat in a contested legislative race Tuesday who didn't get Richardson's help— Rep. Bengie Regensberg, D-Cleveland— lost his race. Regensberg was defeated for the Democratic nomination by Hector Balderas of Wagon Mound.
    Sen. Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe, was the only legislative candidate supported by Richardson who lost. John Grubesic defeated him, winning 36 percent of the primary election vote for the Senate District 24 seat, compared with Maes' 32 percent, according to unofficial results.
    Meanwhile, Barnett went three-for-four with his legislative candidates, according to unofficial vote counts.
    "Mickey Barnett and the governor clearly had influence in these elections," Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff said Wednesday.
    But Barnett downplayed his role.
    "My involvement is greatly overblown," Barnett said. "The voters make the decisions."
    Of Barnett's slate of legislative candidates, Mario Burgos was the only one who lost. Kathy McCoy won the GOP nomination for House District 22 with 51 percent of votes, compared with 39 percent for Burgos.
    Justine Fox-Young, another Barnett-backed candidate, won in House District 30 over incumbent Rep. Bob White, R-Albuquerque. Rep. Larry Larrañaga, R-Albuquerque, was renominated for the House District 27 seat over former state Rep. Rob Burpo. Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, won the GOP nomination for Senate District 42 over Will Palmer of Lovington.
    The victories came in a low turnout primary election.
    Statewide turnout was 22.56 percent of all registered voters in the unofficial vote tally, according to the secretary of state. The State Canvassing Board is scheduled to certify election results on June 22.
    Overall, Maes and Regensberg were among four incumbent legislators losing to challengers on Tuesday.
    Also, Rep. Earlene Roberts, R-Lovington, lost the GOP primary for House District 66 to Keith Gardner of Roswell. White was the fourth incumbent losing Tuesday.
    Another Republican player weighing into legislative contests was Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell. He mailed a letter to District 66 residents attacking Roberts' vote for a bill that would have required ignition interlock devices in all cars registered or sold in New Mexico.
    Barnett, who is also a lawyer and a lobbyist, gave $250 and an endorsement to Fox-Young, who works as an office manager in his Albuquerque law firm.
    White said he would quit the Republican party after his defeat Tuesday and credited Barnett's support with Fox-Young's victory.
    "You can't go against a machine," White said late Tuesday.
    But Fox-Young attributed her win to relentless campaigning since last winter.
    "I worked very hard going door to door to meet everybody," Fox-Young said Wednesday.
    Fox-Young, who faces no major-party opposition in the November general election, said she would seek advice from the Legislative Council Service or the attorney general before deciding whether to abstain from a vote if a matter Barnett had lobbied on came before the Legislature.
    Sanderoff said he was most surprised by the upsets of White and Maes.
    Meanwhile, Regensberg's highly publicized scuffle with police officers during this year's 30-day legislative session had left him politically damaged, Sanderoff said.
    And, in connection with Roberts' loss to Gardner, Sanderoff noted that a judge in 2002 redrew House District 66 in a House redistricting plan to include Chaves County, where Gardner lives. Chaves County now makes up more than one-fourth of the population of the district, while Roberts lives in Lea County's Lovington, which is not gaining population, Sanderoff said.
    "The Lovington area is not a terribly large base to run out of," Sanderoff said.
    Sanderoff said Republicans, who are the minority in the Legislature, should have a better chance of picking up legislative seats than they did in 2002 because they are challenging Democrats in more races this election cycle.
    "We will have some contests," Sanderoff said.
   

    Journal politics writer Andy Lenderman contributed to this report.