Journal legislative endorsements begin
Today, the Journal begins its endorsements in contested primary races for the New Mexico Legislature. For information including candidate Q&As, district maps, and news stories and endorsements as they are published, go to ABQJournal.com/ election2020.
NEW MEXICO SENATE District 9 — Democratic primary, Kevin Lucero
The Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputy says public safety is one of the top issues in District 9, which includes Bernalillo, Placitas, Rio Rancho and Corrales, where Lucero is a village councilor. Lucero told the Journal Editorial Board the early release of inmates “sends shivers down my back.” With 20-plus years in law enforcement, Lucero offers strong public safety credentials and the potential to lead legislative efforts to address crime and the 100-plus DWI fatalities in New Mexico every year. He wants to expand DWI awareness and education programs and pass stiffer penalties for repeat offenders. If he wins the primary, Lucero will face the winner of the District 9 GOP primary. Incumbent Sen. John M. Sapien, D-Corrales, is not running for reelection.
District 9 — Republican primary, Bridget Condon
Condon, the director of business development for the Sandoval Economic Alliance, said at a roundtable in March that her city would be better represented with a lawmaker among the 56 legislators in leadership positions. As the third-largest city in the state, Rio Rancho deserves a leading voice in the Legislature. Before joining the alliance in September 2018, Condon worked for the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry and thenRep. Steve Pearce in Washington and New Mexico. She is right when she says our state is in desperate need of young leaders to step up, and her exuberance and business and political experience promise to help the economies of District 9 and the state recover.
District 10 — Democratic primary, Katy Duhigg
The former Albuquerque city clerk has a reputation for cleaning things up, including the city’s election code and code of ethics, and the act of banking giant Wells Fargo. As a corporate attorney in 2014, Duhigg won a $2.7 million judgment after the bank foreclosed on a family’s home despite the fact it had also sold an accidental death insurance policy to the Rio Rancho homeowner, who died in a workplace accident. Duhigg told the Editorial Board the state is not going to be able to honor the promises in the 2020-21 budget and says it’s hard to justify raises for state employees when so many New Mexicans are out of work. Her practical approach would be a good fit for District 10, primarily the northwest corner of Albuquerque. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican incumbent Candace Gould in the general election.
District 17 — Democratic primary, Sen. Mimi Stewart
Stewart is a leading voice on education and other issues in the Roundhouse, where she has served since 1995. She’s been the Democrat majority whip for three sessions, giving her East Side District 17 a very strong voice in Santa Fe. While the Editorial Board disagrees with many of her positions, Stewart represents many in her district. If she wins the primary, she will face Republican Rodney Deskin, who is running unopposed, in the general election.
District 19 — Republican primary, Sen. Jim White
White prides himself on being a realist, saying he was the first lawmaker to say the lottery scholarship program wouldn’t fund 100% of college education. He says the $7.6 billion budget passed by state lawmakers in February has to be reexamined in light of the economic crisis. “None of that is going to work anymore,” he told the Editorial Board. White’s pragmatic approach to state spending is needed now more than ever. If he wins the GOP primary, White will face Democrat Claudia Risner and Libertarian John McDivitt in the general election to represent the East Mountain area, including Edgewood and Moriarty.