Preprimaries in New Mexico:  Out of Date Dinosaurs?

Part I

The pre-primary party convention and straw vote was instituted in New Mexico with bipartisan support during the late 1970s.  It was abandoned during the 1980s, and then reinstated again.  The original argument for instituting the practice was sound, and it had the desired effect for many years.

Background:  during the 1970s single-issue causes--the environment, abortion, gun control, affirmative action for minority groups and women, etc.--began to grow in popularity in American politics.  Single-issue advocates tended to be more focused, more passionate, and more capable of raising money for their followers.  They also tended to embed themselves in one of the two major parties.  This created a good deal of mischief against the interests of party leaders, who were more concerned about winning elections rather than being ideologically pure on various issues.

Pro-choice advocates for women in the 1970s, for example, tended to identify as Democrats.  Their passion, activism, and access to funding often gave them an edge in primary elections, resulting in disproportionate numbers of pro-choice candidates within the Party.  But their positions were stronger than those of the public at large.  Political consultants quickly learned they could successfully brand the Democratic candidate as hopelessly out of touch with common folk on this issue in the general election, raising the probabilities the Republican candidate would win.  These "wedge issues"--issues popular within one party, but not so among general election voters--soon became the battleground in many elections.  The personal qualities of candidates and their skill in campaigning and fund-raising remained important factors in determining an election, but wedge issues were increasingly important, and media attention tended to make sure voters understood these.

This was not welcome news to leaders in the two major parties, where the game of politics was to find candidates who could credibly claim to represent the moderate middle, the "big tent," in the general election, where they had a better chance of winning.

At that time party leaders in each party--those who attended party meetings and got themselves elected as delegates to party conventions--tended to be big tent advocates, hoping to recruit candidates with moderate views on most everything--bland, possibly, but winnable candidates.  But party leaders found themselves often losing a general election race because the candidate was in the extreme wing of a wedge issue, and vulnerable to attacks from the middle or opposite side.  

In New Mexico the pre-primary convention, which gave candidates winning the straw vote the advantage of being first on the primary ballot, was designed specifically to lessen the influence of single-issue candidates and strengthen the hand of political leadership in both parties.  Active party members--far more experienced in finding ways of winning elections--would form the bulk of delegates voting in the straw poll.  In selecting candidates for the favored No. 1 spot they would be more likely to vote for candidates who could win in November, rather than candidates whose views might be popular among fellow partisans, but not necessarily among the voting population at large, including independents, in the November elections.  And--this is a critical point--to the extent voters trusted their party leaders, the Número Uno designation, the party's choice, would serve as a strong insider cue to uninformed voters who to vote for.

At first, the pre-primary process had the desired effect.  Those candidates who were first on the ballot tended to be more moderate, and hence electable, in their views, reflecting the wisdom of experienced party leaders.  And they were proven to have a better chance of winning in a primary race if they were No. 1 on the ballot.  So far so good.  Party leaders were happy, their power now enhanced.  And moderate candidates tended to win in both parties.

Stay Tuned for Part II:  Why Toney Anaya did away with pre-primaries

 Juan Ramón Vigil Wins Española Mayor's Race

Former Sen. Tim Jenning Wins Roswell

 Former Sen. Clemente Sánchez Loses Mayor's Race in Grants to Erik Garcia By 8 Votes

Española:  The rosca returns?

The word "rosca" in spanish means "ring," as in the connected rings of the Olympic logo or a hula hoop or donut; but in politics it also means "clique," as in "The Santa Fe Ring," referring to the self-interested networks of a political power structure that circulate in any community.  The term "political elite" is not strong enough to convey the meaning in English, but the term  "political machine," as in Tammany Hall or Chicago under Mayor Daley, is too strong.  I have found in most communities, whether nation states or villages, a rosca is easy to identify, since informed citizens and journalists everywhere tend to keep track of who is getting away with what.

As pointed out (see below) yesterday, the race between Juan Ramón Vigil and Javier Sánchez was interesting among other reasons because it pitted a bona fide member of the old rosca, descendent from the older political machine, against a youngish incumbent upstart who was part of an ousting by voters of the old rosca in elections in 2018 and 2020.  Predictably, the rosca would try a comeback.  

In another race incumbent John Ricci, a Republican, lost to Aaron Salazar, a Democrat, so it was a clean sweep for Democrats in Rio Arriba County. Republican Richard Martinez lost in his bid to Nanette Smith Rodriguez.

Last night settled one issue:  the rosca is back, and people will be watching to see whether it will be strengthened in the future through other key political positions:  sheriff, state legislature, county commission, school board, etc.  The victory for Vigil was not decisive, with a margin of only about 53 votes out of less than 1500 cast.  And it remains to be seen if Sánchez will make other political moves in the county.  Vigil began his public career at the age of 14 when he was appointed to the library board, and was elected to the Española city council at the age of 22.  He is only 26.

Roswell:  Jennings is back

Tim Jennings, former President Pro Tem of the NM Senate was elected mayor of Roswell last night.  A moderate Democrat, he incurred the wrath of the Martinez administration, and a good deal of money and effort was spent replacing him with a Republican.  At about the same time the Bernie faction of the Democratic Party got funding to go after other moderates, like Jennings, and for a while now moderates in New Mexico, no matter how capable, have been attacked from both the left and the right.  Jennings is very bright, capable, and we wish him well.

Grants:  Another moderate former Senator, Clemente Sánchez, lost his bid to become mayor of Grants, by only 8 votes in a five-person race won by Erik O. Garcia.  In the Senate Sánchez was viewed as a potential powerhouse due to his talent and knowledge of business.  He too was attacked by leftist Democrats for being too moderate, and by Republicans for being a Democrat.