Calhoun calls Ortez radical, bad for Taos in ad
Uses ‘language that was meant to hurt’ and ‘belittle’
Kristina Ortez said she distinctly remembers the moment when she decided to run for office. It was 2019. She was at a gathering focused on attracting more women to run for political office. One of the speakers was Linda Calhoun, Red River’s mayor. “I remember her clearly saying one, talk to your family about it, and two, run a kind, clean campaign. That really struck me. I thought she had a lot of integrity.”
But a week before the election, Calhoun, a Republican now running against Ortez, a Democrat, for the House District 42 seat representing Taos County at the state Legislature, stopped running a kind campaign.
In an ad circulating various media, Calhoun blasted Ortez as an outsider with “no real roots,” “rejected by Democratic leaders” and “too radical for Taos” who wants to take away guns and “restrict hunting” in flaming red letters meant to stick in voters’ minds. The ad shows a photo of Ortez, again calling her “radical” in flashing bold red, and says she will “hurt” Taos.
Ortez said she was surprised when she saw the ad. She and her campaign manager said it was the first negative ad they had seen from her opponent. And in an election year rife with vicious attack ads from candidates of either major party against each other, both Ortez and Calhoun had run what amounted to unusually mild campaigns, focused on their platforms and not going after each other.
Until this week. The ad had “language that was meant to hurt me, belittle me,” Ortez said. “Also it was full of lies.
“It felt like a playbook out of the Trump campaign. I thought, ‘She’s better than that. She can run on her own merits.’”
Calhoun has defended the ad and says she stands behind it. “I back every one of these. It is factual,” Calhoun said. “I didn’t attack her family. I don’t question her motives for running.”
Calhoun has been on the receiving end of attacks by people on social media who decry her Texas accent, her conservative views and believe she didn’t do enough to clamp down on Red River businesses and visitors during the pandemic.
Calhoun holds the Ortez camp responsible for what she described as personal attacks. “They’ve attacked my family, they’ve attacked my motives, they’ve attacked my businesses and they’ve attacked my ethics.
“Yes, I want this to be a positive campaign,” Calhoun added. “But I’m not going to take all the blame for being negative in this campaign.”
Ortez said they have focused on the issues and don’t control what other Democrats post.
As to whether she is “radical” or not, Ortez responded: “Nothing I talk about is radical. Is talking about protecting our land and water radical? And in terms of COVID, I don’t think it is radical to support health over profits.”
Line by line, here were Calhoun’s assertions in the ad and part of Ortez’s response:
AD: MOVED HERE FROM CALIFORNIA 10 YEARS AGO AND HAS NO REAL ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
Ortez: I had my children here, they go to elementary school here in Taos County. I earned my graduate degree at University of New Mexico-Taos. Since 2014, I’ve served as the executive director for the Taos Land Trust. It’s true that I moved to Taos in 2010, but from Albuquerque, and my experiences and community focus speak for themselves. I am originally from California, and my opponent is from Texas. I fail to see her argument.
AD: REJECTED BY GOVERNOR MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM FOR STATE SENATE APPOINTMENT AS TOO INEXPERIENCED.
Ortez: False. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has enthusiastically supported and endorsed my campaign for the House early in the primary and in the general. She continues to support my candidacy.
AD: REJECTED BY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AS TOO INEXPERIENCED.
Ortez: I work closely with the Taos County Commission. I received the endorsements and nomination for state Senate by Santa Fe County and Los Alamos County.
AD: HAS SHOWN NO INTEREST IN REBUILDING OUR TOURIST ECONOMY AND SUPPORTS INCREASING PROPERTY TAXES AND LEAVING JOBS CLOSED.
Ortez: False. I have been an active participant in the Enchanted Circle COAD’s Diversifying the Economy group for several months, working in collaboration to support and invest in our local economy. It’s unconscionable to me that Ms. Calhoun would suggest I want to “keep jobs closed.” I am committed to investing in good jobs that use the skills of our working families (and singles!).
I was clear that I would like to explore the possibility of restructuring the tax on homeowners with second, third and fourth homes. With the budget the way it is, everything needs to be on the table.
I know the town’s budget, depending on the year, is 80-90 percent supported by gross receipts from tourism. I’ve been clear that we also need to invest in other ways of bringing in revenue, invest in infrastructure that attracts other kinds of business.
I don’t think tourism is a bad thing. I do think we need to find other ways to invest in the community so when something like COVID or a wildfire come, we can weather the storm.
AD: WANTS TO TAKE AWAY GUNS AND RESTRICT HUNTING.
Ortez: This is flat-out false. I have been very clear about my commitment and support of the Second Amendment and my support of common sense gun legislation, such as universal background checks, something 97 percent of Americans share my support for. I fully respect and support hunting, especially on our public lands. It is part of our traditions and I am surprised by this false assertion.
(Calhoun said it is because Ortez received support from Animal Protection Voters, which lobbied against a “right to hunt” constitutional amendment.”)
AD: WILL REPRESENT RADICAL SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS IN ALBUQUERQUE AND SANTA FE OVER TAOS COUNTY RESIDENTS.
Ortez: False. I believe our unions are essential to protecting the rights of our working families and community members. I am supported and endorsed by a coalition of teachers, government employees, building trades and the conservation community. These endorsements represent what Taos is, and what the people of this district stand for.