New Mexico political conventions set primary lineups for Congress

POJOAQUE, N.M. (AP) — Former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s bid for a congressional seat in northern New Mexico fell flat at a statewide Democratic convention over the weekend where she failed to win enough local delegate votes to automatically qualify for the primary ballot.

She vowed to stay in contention by submitting more petition signatures from supporters.

Candidates for an open congressional and Senate seat in New Mexico underwent the first test of their political might as the Democratic and Republican parties of New Mexico held statewide conventions.

Teresa Leger Fernandez, a legal adviser to Native American communities and activist on voting rights and affordable housing issues, won top position on the June 2 primary ballot, alongside Laura Montoya, a second-term county treasurer.

Both Hispanic women hail from politically active families in Las Vegas, New Mexico. They emerged from a field of seven initial candidates seeking to succeed U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who is running for U.S. Senate as Democratic Sen. Tom Udall retires. Democrats have monopolized the 3rd Congressional District since its creation in 1982 with the exception of one special election.

Leger Fernandez arrived at the state convention with the endorsement of pro-abortion rights group Emily´s List and the Courage to Change political committee organized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She received about 42% of delegate ballots, while Montoya just cleared the 20% threshold to make the ballot.

“I had on the stage with me Native Americans, Navajos, (indigenous) pueblos, young people, old people, ranchers,” said Leger Fernandez, whose campaign has emphasized affordable access to health care and environmental initiatives. “This is a coalition of every part of this district.”

Montoya lives in rapidly growing Sandoval County and Rio Rancho — where Trump held a political rally in August to declare his push for a 2020 victory in New Mexico. Her low-budget social media ads include a selfie-video soliciting gas money from a service station on the campaign trail.

Plame campaign manager Alex Koren said that she will qualify for the ballot with “signatures from voters who are excited to support a battle-tested candidate with national experience ... who hasn’t been anointed by party insiders.”

Plame led rival candidates in fundraising efforts thanks in part to her enduring fame as a former U.S. intelligence operative whose secret identity was exposed shorty after her diplomat husband disputed U.S. intelligence used to justify the 2003 Iraq invasion. Trump recently pardoned vice presidential aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby of his conviction for lying and obstruction during the investigation into the leak of Plame’s identity.

New Mexico Republicans on Saturday culled competition down to two candidates in each federal race. Navajo Nation member and anti-abortion advocate Elisa Martinez won the top ballot position in the GOP Senate primary. She will vie against well-recognized television meteorologist Mark Ronchetti.

Former state Rep. Yvette Herrell earned top billing on a two-way Republican primary ballot for the 2nd Congressional District, winning roughly twice as many delegate votes as conservative former oil industry lobbyist Claire Chase. Democrats flipped the district in 2018 when U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small defeated Herrell.

Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce said the GOP’s primary candidates come from diverse backgrounds and are well positioned to campaign as allies of Trump on issues of abortion, gun rights, public safety and employment gains under a vibrant national economy.

In the Senate race, Luján hopes to parlay his voice and experience as the fourth-ranked Democrat in Congress into victory in an increasingly blue state where Democrats hold both Senate and all three congressional seats, along with every statewide office outside the judiciary. A second major Democratic contender dropped out of the race in October, clearing Luján’s path to the nomination.

In the Albuquerque-based 1st Congressional District, Republicans will chose between top-seeded Michelle Garcia Holmes, a former police detective and 2018 candidate for lieutenant governor, and Jared Vander Dussen, a recent law school graduate, to run against first term Rep. Debra Haaland.