Native American first: Run for GOP lieutenant governor
Zunie, former Cabinet secretary, is first person to seek party’s nomination
Kelly Zunie, who served as Cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department for nearly three years before stepping down in July, will seek the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
Zunie, who was the first woman to lead the department, would make New Mexico history as the first Native American to run for lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket if she secures the nomination.
“It’s always good when Native women step up to run for office,” said Debra Haaland, former chairwoman of the state Democratic Party and the first Native American to become part of a majorparty gubernatorial ticket when she ran for lieutenant governor alongside gubernatorial candidate Gary King in 2014.
“I definitely wish her the best of luck,” said Haaland, who is running for Congress in Albuquerque.
Zunie, a member of Zuni Pueblo, so far is the only Republican seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor, and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce of Hobbs is the only Republican seeking the nomination for governor. Pearce’s campaign did not return messages seeking comment.
Brian Sanderoff, an Albuquerque-based pollster and political analyst, said it’s not unusual for gubernatorial
candidates “to seek out racial or geographic balance” to the ticket.
“With Kelly Zunie, you get gender, racial and geographic diversity compared to Steve Pearce, as an example, if he were to get the Republican nomination,” Sanderoff said.
But at the end of the day, Sanderoff said, voters tend to vote for the top of the ticket. “Frankly, when push comes to shove, most people will ultimately decide who to vote for based on the gubernatorial candidate,” he said, “and the lieutenant governor candidates tend to a take a back seat in terms of visibility as the campaign progresses and you move toward election day.”
Zunie did not return messages seeking comment. She has announced plans to kick off her campaign at a 5:30 p.m. Thursday event at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
Zuni Pueblo Gov. Val Panteah Sr. said Zunie appeared excited when she showed up at tribal offices Tuesday to invite the tribal council to her announcement.
“She’s a very outgoing person,” Panteah said. “She really believes in helping people. I know that when she was the secretary of Indian Affairs, I thought she did a lot for the pueblos and other native people within the state of New Mexico. As far as her people here, she’s been a part of a lot of the events and just been a part of Zuni.”
Zunie joined state government as deputy secretary of Indian Affairs in July 2014. Gov. Susana Martinez tapped Zunie to lead the agency in December 2014. Zunie had previously worked for Rocky Mountain Power in Utah as a disaster and risk intern, administrative assistant and then as a business analyst, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Zunie has a bachelor’s degree from George Wythe University, a small liberal arts school in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a master’s in public administration from Brigham Young University, as well as a certificate in massage therapy, according to her LinkedIn profile.
When Zunie stepped down as cabinet secretary in July, Gov. Martinez, also a Republican, called Zunie “a strong asset in building and growing our relationships with New Mexico’s tribes, nations and pueblos.”
State Democratic Party Chairman Richard Ellenberg said he had never heard of Zunie, but her association with Martinez could hurt her in Indian Country because the governor’s relationships with pueblos “were generally strained.”
A spokesman for Martinez, who is termlimited, did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday.
Ryan Cangiolosi, who chairs the Republican Party of New Mexico, said in a statement that Zunie’s background and experience will serve her well if she secures the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.
The field of candidates for governor and lieutenant governor is more crowded on the Democratic side.
So far, four Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination for governor. They are Albuquerque businessman Jeff Apodaca, state Sen. Joe Cervantes of Las Cruces, alcoholabuse counselor Peter DeBenedittis of Santa Fe and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham of Albuquerque.
And four Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor. They are Jeff Carr, a retired teacher from Eagle Nest; former state Rep. Rick Miera of Albuquerque; political newcomer David McTeigue of Rio Rancho; and state Sen. Michael Padilla of Albuquerque.
Contact Daniel J. Chacón at 505-986-3089 or dchacon@sfnewmexican.com. Follow him on Twitter @danieljchacon.