Balderas announces he will run for re-election
N.M. attorney general will seek re-election in 2018
Ending months of speculation, state Attorney General Hector Balderas announced Tuesday that he will run for re-election in 2018 rather than enter the Democratic primary election for governor.
“It has been an honor to serve New Mexico and I plan on running for reelection next year in order to continue to fight for our state,” Balderas, 43, said in a statement.
The move by Balderas — who had never denied his interest in a gubernatorial race since he was elected attorney general in 2014 — helps solidify U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s status as frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the governor’s race. The Albuquerque Democrat announced her candidacy for governor in December, shortly after she won her third term in Congress.
Former television executive Jeff Apodaca of Albuquerque, the son of former New Mexico Gov. Jerry Apodaca, and political unknown Peter DeBenedittis of Santa Fe also have announced they are running for the Democratic nomination. State Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces has said he’ll run as well, though he has not yet made a formal announcement.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce of Hobbs confirmed last week that he’s considering the race. Pearce recently was in Santa Fe as a part of a tour of New Mexico communities outside his 2nd Congressional District.
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez cannot run for a third consecutive term. The primary is in June 2018.
Balderas probably will have an easy route to winning the Democratic primary for attorney general, and he would be a heavy favorite to defeat any Republican candidate in the 2018 general election. So far, he’s the only candidate from either party to formally enter the attorney general’s race. He would have faced tougher competition had he run for governor.
According to campaign finance reports filed in April, Lujan Grisham raised nearly $900,000 in about four months for the gubernatorial race. Balderas in April reported raising $211,569 during the previous six months. He can use that money in his re-election campaign.
The congresswoman also appears to be the choice of many prominent members of the Democratic establishment. She won an early endorsement from former U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman. Her campaign contributors include the previous two Democratic gubernatorial nominees, Gary King and Diane Denish.
In a statement emailed to The New Mexican by a spokesman, Lujan Grisham said, “Hector Balderas would have been a tough competitor if he chose to run for Governor because he has such a strong record as a legislator, Auditor and Attorney General. In addition to his successful prosecution of Internet crimes against children and Medicaid fraud cases, Attorney General Balderas is leading efforts to challenge President Trump’s executive orders to ensure they are Constitutional, fair and just. I look forward to a strong partnership with him as we work together on to meet the challenges in New Mexico and serve and protect our citizens.”
Balderas’ announcement didn’t mention Lujan Grisham or any other
gubernatorial contenders. He did, however, mention President Donald Trump.
“Since the November election, my office has a new responsibility — to stand up for New Mexico against President Trump,” Balderas said. “Already the Attorney General’s office has taken on President Trump’s administration twice, and we will continue to hold the administration accountable whenever necessary in order to protect the rights of all people who reside in our great state.”
Actually, in collaboration with other Democratic attorneys general, Balderas has taken on Trump more than twice. The president’s name in recent months frequently appears in the subject line of Balderas’ news releases.
Last week, Balderas joined with three other state attorneys general to sue the Trump administration for resuming federal coal leasing without completing the required environmental impact statement. Later in the week, following Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, Balderas was one of 20 attorneys general who sent a letter to the U.S. Justice Department calling for an independent special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the presidential election.
In April, Balderas joined California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in filing a suit against Trump’s Interior Department for blocking about $18 million in royalties a year that he said should be paid to states producing oil, gas and coal.
Also last month, Balderas sent a letter calling out Trump’s Education Department under Secretary Betsy DeVos for “abdicating its responsibility to thousands of New Mexico student loan borrowers and their families by revoking critical reforms designed to help students avoid default and curtail loan servicer misconduct.”
In March, he joined 16 other state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief against Trump’s executive order banning travel from several predominantly Muslim countries.