Democrats and New Mexico labor came out big on Saturday for the 10th Anniversary Doña Ana County Democrats Labor Day Breakfast. The sold out crowd heard from keynote speaker Sam Bregman and honored Yvonne Mendoza, AFSCME President, Local 2393. The event also marked the official announcement of the J. Paul Taylor Club, which was developed to raise funds for the County Party and to support our southern New Mexico Democrats. The event was held at the Ramada Palms in Las Cruces.
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On Thursday evening Doña Ana County Democrats heard from Judge Victor S. Lopez and Judge Barbara J. Vigil, who are seeking the Democratic nomination to fill the Serna vacancy on the New Mexico Supreme Court in November. Both judicial candidates addressed local Democrats at the monthly executive committee meeting at the new Dona Ana County Democratic campaign headquarters on N. Water St. in Las Cruces. Judge Lopez is from Albuquerque, Judge Vigil is from Santa Fe. Each of the candidates made the journey south to meet personally with Democrats in Doña Ana County.
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Under New Mexico law, members of the New Mexico Democratic Party State Central Committee will name the Democratic candidate for the Supreme Court vacancy later this summer. Lopez and Vigil will contest with several other announced candidates in seeking the nomination.
New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Patricio Serna announced earlier this month that he is retiring later this summer. Serna will retire effective at midnight Aug. 31. Serna, who is 72 has served on the court for 16 years, having been elected to the post in November 1996.
The position will ultimately be filled by voters in the November general election.
The Doña Ana County Democratic campaign headquarters at 136 N. Water St. in Las Cruces will have a formal opening and begin regular staffing later this month.
Doña Ana County Democrats came out in force to join together in the spirit of harmony at the Doña Ana County Democratic Party Unity Breakfast. The enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd that joined together at Andelé Restaurant in Mesilla showed its readiness to work to elect the Democratic ticket in New Mexico’s second largest county.
The gathering heard from leading southern New Mexico Democrats including Christy French, Chair of the County Party, Evelyn Madrid Erhard, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New Mexico’s 2nd District, Joseph Cervantes, Democratic nominee for State Senate in District 31, Democratic Party Vice-Chair Stephanie DuBois, State Democratic Committeewoman Joni Gutierrez, and past Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney.
Others on hand to rally the crowd were State Senator Mary Jane Garcia, State Representatives Mary Helen Garcia and Rudy Martinez, Democratic State Senate candidate Bill Soules, and State Representative Democratic nominees Bill McCamley and Phillip Archuleta.
Doña Ana County elected officials, candidates, and former candidates in attendance were County Clerk Lynn Ellins, Mark D’Antonio, the Democratic candidate for District Attorney, County Commissioners Leticia Duarte Benevidez and Billy Garrett, County Commission nominee David Garcia, and Judicial nominees Marci Beyer, Darren Kugler and Mary Rosner. In the spirit of unity Commissioner Scott Krahling and Alex Cotoia who lost their primary contests on June 5 were also on hand to rally the group.
Doña Ana County Democrats made the journey to Albuquerque this weekend and participated in the Democratic Party of New Mexico State Pre-Primary Convention. Many of us made our voices heard and were active and visible participants, and strong proponents of our favorite state and district candidates at the Convention. Doña Ana County’s own Evelyn Madrid Erhard garnered nearly 88% of the delegate votes for the 2nd Congressional District contest cast at the Convention.
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While 2011 was a year that fell between national, state, and county elections, it was nonetheless a higly active one, and a very successful one for Doña Ana County Democrats. Local leaders played important roles on the New Mexico stage and proved highly effective in their efforts. New County Party leadership including Chair Christy French and Vice Chair Bill Gomez were elected in April, and the party was active on dozens of new fronts, from public visibility at community events and launching our new web site, to our effective fundraising efforts, new voter registration, and candidate recruitment. Locally, progressives swept the Las Cruces municipal election.
On the statewide stage, it was a successful and busy year for Doña Ana County’s delegation in Santa Fe. Our legislators were successfully engaged in protecting public education and on other key issues. Our delegation worked successfully to protect New Mexico’s electorate against voter suppression efforts by Republicans in the Roundhouse, and they blocked the Governor’s attempts to turn back environmental protection, and stopped her divisive Arizona style anti-immigrant initiatives in Santa Fe.
State Representative Mary Helen Garcia chaired the effort to remap the legislature, a Constitutional requirement, opening up the process to citizen participation throughout New Mexico. Garcia and co-chair Senator Linda Lopez held public hearings and took public testimony from every corner of the state, including here in Doña Ana County. Garcia successfully pushed a final map through the State House.
State Representative Joseph Cervantes was elected to chair the key House Judicial Committee handling dozens of state laws, and working to streamline the state’s legal system. State Representative Joni Gutierrez introduced legislation to protect low income and elderly renters. State Representative Antonio Lujan introduced legislation to ban texting while driving. In September he spoke out in favor of the protection of wolves in New Mexico’s wild areas. State Senators Mary Jane Garcia and Cynthia Nava were key leaders on education issues. State Senator Mary Kay Papen chaired the behavioral health sub-committee and played a key role in financial oversight, while State Senator Steve Fischmann led efforts to protect consumers, and backed utility reform in the state.
Southern New Mexico’s representatives in the State House successfully blocked an inequitable and unfair Congressional map proposed in the special legislative session last fall. As the remap went to court for resolution, several members of the Doña Ana County Democratic Party, including former State Representative J. Paul Taylor, joined as plaintiffs in the suit, led by New Mexico League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), to protect minority voting rights in southern New Mexico. New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District has the largest population of Hispanic voters of the state’s three congressional districts.
Members of the Doña Ana County Democratic Party played important rolls in the non-partisan Las Cruces municipal campaigns last fall that resulted in a “progressive sweep” in November. Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Councillors Miguel Silva, and Nathan Small were re-elected by huge margins, and newly elected Councillor Gregory Z. Smith captured the remaining office that had previously alluded progressive representation. Speaking to the Dennis Chavez Club in December Councillor Smith promised an active and responsive office for constituents throughout the city, and promised to work to “build for the future, while respecting the great traditions of our past.”
Going into the next county election, Mary Rosner, a local attorney with a background in labor law, announced her candidacy for District Judge, while County Clerk Lynn Ellins and Treasurer David Gutierrez prepared re-election efforts. Democrats will also contest other County offices, including three County Commission seats in the fall.
On the state and district levels, Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Hector Balderas and Martin Heinrich made numerous appearances in Doña Ana County as they ramp up for the 2012 contest to replace Senator Jeff Bingaman. Evelyn Madrid Erhard of Mesilla and Frank McKinnon of Roswell promised a principled campaign for the right to challenge the Tea-Party-backed Republican incumbent in the 2nd Congressional District.
The Doña Ana County Democratic Party was invited to participate in welcoming President Obama to our region when he presented a major policy address in immigration reform at Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso in May. Among the other successes of the past year, the Doña Ana County Democratic Party brought large, enthusiastic and visible contingents to the Las Cruces July 4 Electric Light Parade, Southern New Mexico Pride, and the Whole Enchilada Festival, among other public events. The Party also hosted a highly successful Labor Day Breakfast that featured the U.S. Senate candidates Hector Balderas and Martin Heinrich in September, and worked tirelessly, along with Obama for America, to register new voters in southern New Mexico with great success. Doña Ana County Democrats also launched a new active and high-traffic web site, and moved into social media for the first time.
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Two local clubs affiliated with the Doña Ana County Democrats had successes of their own. The New Mexico State University College Democrats were re-chartered after a long absence under its new Chair, Miguel Sosa of Las Cruces, and the Doña Ana County Democratic Women held a successful spring community forum and presented a check for $800.00 to Casa de Peregrinos, a community food bank based in Doña Ana County, early in December for families in need.
In what had begun as a “rebuilding year” last spring with the election of new leadership for the Doña Ana County Democratic Party, Chair Christy French was able to report to members and supporters at the end of the year that the organization has just finished its most successful fundraising effort in County history, surpassing its own goals and topping every other Democratic Party organization in the state for the year, and achieving that stellar mark entirely on small donations. “The Doña Ana County Democratic Party now finds itself very well positioned to work to elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2012,” Christy French said, “and we’re ready!”
2011 proved to be a banner year for the Democratic Party of Doña Ana County with our new commitment to reach voters using new technologies. In April we opened our digital “front door” when we launched our new Web site, and followed up by reaching out to voters and supporters on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. So far the new outreach has been a great success for us, and for Democrats throughout New Mexico, as traffic has grown steadily.
To recap the year online, here’s our top eleven “most read” posts for 2011:
Democratic Party of Doña Ana County 