Opponents with strong connections to northern NM put the area’s needs at the center of their campaigns
SANTA FE — Since first winning election to Congress in 2008, Ben Ray Luján has won re-election three straight times by comfortable margins to the 3rd Congressional District seat that has been held only once by a Republican — a brief stint in the 1990s — in more than 30 years. The son of a powerful former New Mexico legislator, Luján insists he’s not taking anything for granted in his bid for a fifth term in Washington, D.C., even as he keeps an eye on the national political landscape as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a job he’s held since November 2014. “My No. 1 priority is always home,” Luján said in a recent interview. His opponent in the Nov. 8 general election, Republican Michael Romero of Vadito, a small town near Taos, insists he’ll perform better than previous GOP candidates in the Democratic friendly district, in large part dues to his family ties to northern New Mexico. “I’m from up here,” Romero told the Journal. “Basically, (in past elections) voters have held their noses and voted for Ben Ray — but now it’s different.” He also accused the Democratic incumbent of focusing more on out-of-state races than the needs of constituents in the 3rd Congressional District, a charge Luján strongly denies. The 3rd Congressional District stretches across northern New Mexico from Gallup to Clovis. It also encompasses Rio Rancho and Santa Fe and has the highest percentage of Native American voters of any of the state’s three congressional districts. Lujan, a Nambé resident who served on the state Public Regulation Commission before running for Congress, sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in addition to several subcommittee assignments. He’s been part of both the majority and minority party in Congress — Republicans seized control of the 435-member chamber in the 2010 elections — and claims he’s become a more effective voice for New Mexico over the years, due in part to his connections with House Democratic leadership and President Barack Obama. Romero, an Air Force veteran who recently returned to his home state after more than 20 years as a Las Vegas, Nev., police officer, describes himself as a “constitutionalist,” and says he favors enacting term limits for members of Congress.
Economy
Both candidates say job creation the most pressing issue facing the 3rd Congressional District, but they favor different approaches to addressing the situation. Romero said “unnecessary” federal government rules and regulations are hurting the economy, saying, “We need to get them out of the way.” But he added he supports government cracking down on businesses that break the law. Romero also said he’s wary of federal wilderness area designations that limit allowable land uses, and
he supports shifting control of public land from the federal government to state governments, a proposal that’s occasionally been floated by GOP officials and legislators in the past. “Right now, the U.S. Forest Service is just shutting all the roads down, fencing it off and denying us access,” he said. In contrast, Luján said, the state economy could be improved by increasing high-speed internet access, placing a greater emphasis on renewable energy and making technology transfer, or small-business spinoffs, a requirement in future contracts for managing the federal national laboratories in New Mexico. “There needs to be a real conversation about diversifying New Mexico’s economy,” he said, pointing out that the state has a higher unemployment level and slower job growth than its neighbors. As a member of Congress, Luján has generally stuck with his Democratic caucus on key issues. He opposed giving President Obama fast-track authority on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade deal involving the United States and various countries bordering the Pacific Ocean. Luján also says he’d support certain changes to the federal Affordable Care Act but said the landmark legislation has had numerous positive effects, including providing health care to an additional 20 million Americans.
Trump
On a national scale, Luján told the Journal that voter concerns about GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and a recently released video showing Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women could help Democrats make big gains in Congress in this year’s election. “This is one of the most volatile election cycles we’ve ever seen,” he said. “It’s clear that House Democrats will pick up more seats than anyone originally estimated.” He also indicated he’s happy in his current position, saying, “As long as the people are willing to entrust me with the responsibility of being their voice, that’s something that I hope to continue to do.” Romero, who won a three-way Republican primary race in June, countered that Trump has gained traction in this year’s election cycle by presenting himself as an alternative to entrenched leaders of both major political parties. He also told the Journal he’s concerned about the national debt and would support a hard-line approach to Islamic State and other international terrorist groups. “You cannot placate evil,” Romero said. “People that mean us harm, they are the wolf.”