DeBenedittis may end Dem bid for governor
News conference set with Apodaca; endorsement possible
Dark horse Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter DeBenedittis of Santa Fe said Wednesday he has been in discussions with his three opponents about the possibility of him dropping out of the race and offering his endorsement for the nomination in the party’s June primary election.
“My candidacy is at a crossroads,” DeBenedittis told The New Mexican. He insisted he’s still a candidate but said he would drop out if any of his opponents would embrace his positions on three issues: single-payer health insurance, establishing a stateowned public bank and requiring the state to switch to 100 percent renewable energy.
“From day one, my campaign has been about the issues,” said DeBenedittis, who hinted that he might have an announcement about his candidacy at Saturday’s Democratic preprimary convention in Albuquerque.
DeBenedittis said two of his opponents offered him a job. All three of the other candidates’ campaigns denied that Wednesday.
Meanwhile, though both DeBenedittis and a spokesman for the campaign of candidate Jeff Apodaca said no such deal between the two has been reached, DeBenedittis and Apodaca have scheduled a joint news conference Friday in Albuquerque.
Asked what the news conference will be about, if not an endorsement, Apodaca spokesman Eric Martinez said, “It’s just to show that progressive issues and progressive policies are alive in New Mexico.”
But the campaign manager for frontrunner Michelle Lujan Grisham said Wednesday that DeBenedittis told the U.S. House of Representatives member from Albuquerque that he was going to support Apodaca. Dominic Gabello said his candidate called DeBenedittis last week as rumors of his dropping out began to swirl. “Michelle called to thank him for running and that was pretty much the extent of it,” Gabello said.
Another of DeBenedittis’ opponents, state Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, said Wednesday that DeBenedittis recently told him that he would drop out of the race.
Cervantes last week tweeted about that conversation. “Appreciated the chance to talk with Peter DeBenedittis about his exit from the Governor’s race. While would have liked his endorsement, and while we also agreed his issues made the election
interesting, his 3 issues we disagree upon.” Cervantes in the tweet called DeBenedittis a “well intentioned & hardworking candidate.”
Cervantes on Wednesday said DeBenedittis wanted him to support a prohibition on fracking to produce oil in the state — a position Cervantes said isn’t practical. And DeBenedittis wanted Cervantes to support legislation known as the Health Security Act, which Cervantes said would lead to “socialized medicine in New Mexico” and could lead to hospitals closing. Last year, the bill sponsored by Rep. Bobby Gonzales, D-Taos, and Rep. Debbie Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, who is involved in the campaign of Lujan Grisham, failed to make it through the Legislature. Delegates to the preprimary convention will vote on which candidates will be placed automatically on the primary ballot. Those receiving less than 20 percent of the vote will have to submit more petition signatures to get on the ballot.
But the convention is not always a reliable indicator of primary support. In 2014, Gary King, then state attorney general, received far less than 20 percent of the convention vote but came back to win the nomination.
Democratic delegates also will vote for candidates in other contested races, including land commissioner, state auditor, two open congressional seats and lieutenant governor.
The winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary will face Republican Steve Pearce, the only GOP candidate in the race.