Columnist: Write-in candidate stands tall in legislative race
If a terrible candidate is running unopposed, what should you do? A) Boycott the election and instead listen to CNN’s Chris Cuomo deliver a sad soliloquy on apathy.
B) Curse the failings of the two-party system, the Koch Brothers and George Soros.
C) Revive the Prohibition Party in New Mexico on the hope that the unopposed candidate might be denied a victory toast.
D) Run a write-in campaign so the rotten candidate doesn’t get a free pass to the winner’s circle.
Heather Nordquist chose D. She gets an A in my book.
Nordquist is a Democrat who’s running against Andrea Romero, the Democratic nominee in Santa Fe County’s House District 46.
Many people have criticized Nordquist for challenging her own party’s candidate. Not me. I like that Nordquist is gutsy enough to run a long-shot campaign against Romero, the sort of self-serving politician that is all too common in New Mexico’s Legislature.
Others have criticized Nordquist because her campaign treasurer, Martha Trujillo, appeared in an internet ad in which five Democrats complained that progressives were undermining their party. The ad was bankrolled by a political committee tied to oilman Harvey Yates, who bleeds Republican red.
I don’t care about the ad, either. What matters are the character and track record of Nordquist and Romero.
In one way, Romero would slide seamlessly into the Legislature. It’s an institution where many in power talk about helping ordinary people, then head to an upscale restaurant to swill booze and gorge on meals paid for by lobbyists.
Romero ran a similar system when she was executive director of a useless, publicly funded organization called the Regional Coalition of LANL Communities. Its mission, if you believe the members, was to protect the interests of the area around Los Alamos National Laboratory.
In truth, the regional coalition members served themselves. Romero and her
cohorts charged expensive meals and alcohol to the public. Perhaps they talked about the great progressive causes over coffee and dessert.
Once caught, Romero tried to blame a Santa Fe County commissioner for any excesses. The commissioner was treasurer of the regional coalition. Romero was its leader, but she and her handler fed a wire service reporter a story targeting the county commissioner.
Nordquist helped expose the reckless spending of Romero and members of the coalition. True to form, Romero called for an investigation of Nordquist, who works at the national laboratory.
And, of course, Romero complained that those digging into her record had political motives.
So what if they did? Romero was planning to run for political office when she charged many a meal to taxpayers under the guise that she was doing important work for the region.
“Lunch with Mayor Alice” was a typical but insubstantial explanation that Romero used while on a public expense account. “Alice” was Alice Lucero, who was mayor of Española and a member of the regional coalition.
Nordquist, like any candidate in any race, isn’t perfect. But her commitment to public service is sincere.
Nordquist can explain arcane water and land-use issues without looking at a note. Romero appeared before editors of The New Mexican but couldn’t accurately discuss the cap on interest rates charged by storefront lenders, even though she called this a critical issue.
Romero caught a break in the primary election. She defeated Rep. Carl Trujillo because a lobbyist accused him of sexual harassment. He says the allegation is false. Whatever the truth, Romero’s baggage was lighter than Trujillo’s.
Few parts of this fall’s campaign would have been as depressing as Romero running unopposed.
It’s bothersome to imagine Romero deciding how to spend public money as a legislator. It’s chilling that she might have a hand in writing the enabling legislation for a state ethics commission.
Most people say competition is good. They will tell you it helps consumers and keeps us on our toes.
Yet self-described progressives are whining about Nordquist mounting a write-in challenge to Romero.
If ever a race needed competition, it was the one in the Fightin’ 46th District.
Those knocking Nordquist wanted to hand the office to Romero. As if she hasn’t had enough handouts already.