Freshman senator ready to work after campaign of mud baths
What a difference two months can make. The dirtiest political campaign in New Mexico has been replaced with an unexpected dash of decency.
The race in question was for a state Senate seat in Southwestern New Mexico. Republican Jimbo Williams launched sensational but false attacks on his opponent, Democrat Siah Correa Hemphill.
In the worst of his direct-mail advertisements, Williams accused Correa Hemphill of being among the “scam artists” who have defrauded the public. Williams claimed Correa Hemphill had received paid Family Medical Leave from a school district and then landed a second public job on top of it.
Williams was wrong on all counts.
Seven years ago, Correa Hemphill went on unpaid leave for 30 days from her job as a school psychologist in the Silver City district. She was caring for a newborn and her disabled teenage son, Nicholas. One of Nicholas’ legs was broken and the other had been amputated.
Correa Hemphill asked the superintendent of the Silver Consolidated Schools if she could return to work on a part-time basis so she could have more time with her kids. He said no and terminated her employment.
Rather than suing for her old job, Correa Hemphill accepted a part-time job with another school district. She made far less than her annual salary of $74,000 in Silver City.
That was the end of it. There was no scam, and taxpayers in the Silver Consolidated Schools lost nothing except a conscientious employee.
Months ago, I asked Williams about his false ad. He said he would correct any errors but never did.
Instead, Williams and the state Republican Party followed up with another deceptive ad.
It said: “Siah Hemphill stands with the radical Sierra Club that wants to abandon the Copper Flats mine and put thousands of our neighbors out of work.”
The mine is Copper Flat, not flats. It’s been closed since 1982, when Correa Hemphill was 10 years old.
“The outrageous lies — they just kept coming,” Correa Hemphill said.
Election Day couldn’t arrive soon enough. Correa Hemphill defeated Williams in a tight contest to take the Senate seat in District 28.
She was surprised when Williams phoned her after the ugly campaign.
“We had a brief conversation and he wished me well,” Correa Hemphill said.
Correa Hemphill had ousted Sen. Gabriel Ramos, an incumbent by appointment, in the Democratic primary election. Ramos responded by backing Republican Williams in the general election.
But this week, Ramos also phoned Correa Hemphill to offer congratulations and say he hoped she would be successful.
“It took courage for Gabe to call,” she said.
They were high school classmates for a time. Much later, they competed for appointment to the Senate seat and then in the primary election.
Correa Hemphill said a congratulatory call from a political foe doesn’t happen routinely.
“I’ve learned from other senators that a lot of times they never hear from their opponent after the election,” she said.
Already sworn into office, Correa Hemphill says she knows her first priority when the Legislature goes into session Jan. 19.
“I plan to bridge the divide between parties,” she said. “So much of us versus them goes on. [President Donald] Trump is more a symptom of it than a
reason for it.”
The easy way to start, she said, is to be a good listener when someone of the rival party speaks.
Correa Hemphill, 49, was raised in Grant County, part of her Senate district.
“I grew up in poverty. We had food stamps,” she said. “It was because of federal programs that I got my college degree.”
As a young voter, she registered as a Republican. Correa Hemphill said this was mostly because of the influence of her former husband and his family.
Two events changed her political views.
One was the birth of Nicholas, now 24. He has Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, a genetic disorder that caused severe rashes, bone cancer and other health problems.
The other was the work of her former state senator, Democrat Howie Morales. He advocated for adequate funding for special education and other school programs, she said.
Influenced by Morales’ work, Correa Hemphill switched her registration to Democrat more than a decade ago. She decided to run to succeed him after he was elected lieutenant governor in 2018.
Serving in the Legislature’s 60-day session will require sacrifices of Correa Hemphill and her family. She has two younger sons at home with big brother Nicholas, who requires regular care.
Her husband and other close relatives will look after the kids in Silver City while she’s legislating in Santa Fe.
Politicking at the Capitol is often cutthroat. Correa Hemphill figures she’s ready for the worst of it after surviving the daily mud baths during the campaign.
Ringside Seat is an opinion column about people, politics and news. Contact Milan Simonich at msimonich@sfnewmexican.com or 505-986-3080.
I grew up in poverty. We had food stamps. It was because of federal programs that I got my college degree.” State Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill, D-Silver City