Santa Fe New Mexican

N.M. delegates: 27 for Clinton, 16 for Sanders.

- By Staci Matlock

With fanfare, New Mexico delegates on Tuesday cast 27 votes for Hillary Clinton and 16 for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelph­ia.

Absent was any heckling from the state’s handful of “Bernie or Bust” group.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-Santa Fe, and state Democratic Party Chairwoman Debra Haaland announced the delegation’s votes. All nine of the state’s superdeleg­ates, including Udall and Haaland, voted for Clinton.

Udall talked briefly about the Land of Enchantmen­t, saying “our state has two great national labs, which spins ideas from the lab bench to the private sector. Entreprene­urs come join us. We are so proud of our brave and courageous veterans, including the Navajo code talkers.”

Udall then introduced Haaland as the first Native American to chair a state Democratic Party.

Haaland acknowledg­ed New Mexico’s 23 Indian tribes, including 19 pueblos, three Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation. “New Mexico is home to the once mighty Rio Grande and an ancient agricultur­al history,” Haaland said. “Our state question is: Red or green? “Chile that is,” she said. Sanders supporters were still heckling some of the speakers before the delegates started announcing their votes. Paul Feeney, the Sanders campaign state director for Massachuse­tts, called the crowd brothers and sisters and urged supporters to stay engaged, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

The cheers quickly turned to boos from some when Feeney urged Sanders supporters to unite behind Clinton.

But the Sanders crowd appeared to settle down and accept the inevitable as delegate votes for Clinton mounted.

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