Ex-Dem says complaint not taken seriously
Woman calls on Haaland to quit congressional race
A Las Cruces woman called on congressional candidate Deb Haaland to drop out of the race Thursday, alleging that the state Democratic Party — when Haaland was chairwoman — had failed to take her seriously when she raised concerns in 2016 about the behavior of a then-county commissioner in southern New Mexico.
Nicole Bagg, a former Democratic National Committee platform committeewoman, acknowledged in a news conference Thursday that she didn’t relay her concerns directly to Haaland in 2016. She said she tried to approach her during a party meeting but was prevented from doing so.
Haaland said Thursday that no complaint
was ever filed and she wasn’t aware of Bagg’s 2016 concern about the county commissioner. She issued a statement Thursday thanking Bagg for coming forward.
“As a survivor,” Haaland said, “I trust women and I believe every single survivor who has bravely come forward to make our party and our state a better and more empowering place for women.”
Bagg said she tried to speak to Haaland at a 2016 meeting of the Democratic Party’s State Central Committee — a tumultuous time when Bernie Sanders supporters were trying to get Haaland to resign, accusing of her bias as Hillary Clinton won the presidential nomination.
Bagg said she wasn’t able to reach Haaland that day but briefed two of the party’s top staffers about her concern, which centered on then-Doña Ana County Commissioner John Vasquez. They weren’t sure how to handle her allegation, Bagg said, and she was discouraged from filing a complaint, so she didn’t.
Vasquez resigned earlier this year in response to a separate allegation — of sexual misconduct — levied by Neomi MartinezParra, vice chairwoman of the state Democratic Party. Vasquez has called the allegations unfounded.
Bagg’s concern centered on her own encounter with Vasquez. She said he drank heavily and made disparaging remarks about women when she met with him one night in October 2016.
Bagg said she was “not personally sexually harassed. However, he discussed sexual harassment of other women with me present in the room.”
The Journal wasn’t able to reach Vasquez on Thursday.
Haaland, for her part, said there were no official complaints filed at all during her tenure as Democratic Party chairwoman — which she knew was a problem “because nowhere in America is free from harassment of women.”
She said she put into place the first employee sexual harassment policy for the party.
Haaland is one of six Democrats seeking the nomination to represent the Albuquerque area in Congress.
Bagg has since left the Democratic Party. She said she isn’t affiliated with any candidate in the race.