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>>WE'RE 'ON THE CLOCK' NOW AS WE GIVE OUR GROUP A MINUTE,
COLLECTIVELY, TO WEIGH IN ON MORE HEADLINES.
STATE SENATOR HOWIE MORALES IS IN THE LEAD IN THE RACE
TO PUT UP A DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER THIS YEAR TO
GOVERNOR SUSANA MARTINEZ AFTER PARTY DELEGATES VOTED
IN A PRE-PRIMARY. MR. MORALES ENDED UP WITH
ABOUT 29%, FOLLOWED BY ALAN WEBBER AND LAWRENCE RAEL.
LINDA LOPEZ AND GARY KING FAILED TO GET AT LEAST 20%
OF THE VOTES. SOME SAY THE TWO SHOULD DROP
OUT OF THE RACE, BUT MR. KING HAS ENOUGH
PETITIONS, CERTAINLY, TO ENTER THE BALLOT, AND
MS. LOPEZ IS DETERMINED TO GET MORE.
LET ME START WITH LAURA ON THIS ONE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO LOOK DOWN THEIR NOSE AT THESE
EARLY VOTES. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.
YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO WIN THESE THINGS DON'T HAVE TO
DO ANYTHING. DOES IT MEAN ANYTHING FOR
HOWIE MORALES? WHAT CAN HE DO WITH THIS?
>> IT DOES. TO ME, IT MEANS A LOT, ACTUALLY.
IN A FIVE-WAY RACE, TO HAVE SOMEONE COME IN AT ALMOST
30% IS KIND OF A RUNAWAY AT THE CONVENTION, AND
ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEBODY GOING INTO IT -- I THOUGHT
HE WAS AT THE END. CLEARLY HE GOT ENOUGH.
I MEAN, IT SHOWS THAT HE HAS ENOUGH OF AN ORGANIZATION,
ENOUGH SUPPORT TO RALLY THE 1500 PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE
TO 30% OF THE VOTE. THAT'S A HUGE THING.
>> SURE. DOES IT ALSO MEAN RAISING MONEY IS EASIER?
>> MONEY, I THINK, IS A SIGNIFICANT PART.
I MEAN, I WOULD ACTUALLY DISAGREE, 29% TO 22%, THAT'S
NOT A RUNAWAY. >> IF YOU KNEW THE DETAILS
OF WHAT GOES INTO IT. >> TO PUT IT IN CONTEXT, TO
PUT IT IN CONTEXT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 1200 TO 1400
DELEGATE VOTES, ONE PERCENT IS 14 VOTES.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT MAKE OR BREAK FOR THESE CAMPAIGNS.
IT'S TYPICALLY FORGOTTEN WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
THE SIGNIFICANT PART IS SHOWING SOME MUSCLE, SHOWING
DONORS THAT THIS COULD BE FOR REAL.
>> I'VE GOT TO HOLD YOU THERE, AND HOLD THESE GUYS
OFF. WE'RE TIGHT ON THE CLOCK.
JAVIER GONZALES, THE NEW MAYOR OF SANTA FE, SAID HIS
GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN HELPED HIM WIN THE RACE.
MR. GONZALES, HOWEVER, HAD LARGE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TWO
POLITICAL ACTION COMMUNITIES WHICH PROMPTED HIS OPPONENT
TO QUESTION HIS GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN TACTICS.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE PUBLIC FUNDS WERE ALLOWED TO
FINANCE THE MAYORAL CAMPAIGNS, AND SOPHIE,
MR. GONZALES CLAIMS HE WAS UNAWARE OF THE PRIVATE
CONTRIBUTIONS. THAT'S OKAY, WE'LL TAKE HIM
AT HIS WORD. BUT DOES THAT CONTROVERSY
TAINT THE VICTORY AT ALL? >> I'M NOT SURE THAT IT
DOES. I THINK THAT HE HAS AN
OPPORTUNITY NOW TO PROVE HIMSELF AS THE MAYOR, AND
THAT IS GOING TO BE WHAT'S GOING TO MATTER LONG-TERM
FOR SANTA FE VOTERS. I THINK THAT WHAT WE DO SEE,
THOUGH, IN EVEN IN A VERY PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY, THE
IMPACT THAT CORPORATE UNION DOLLARS CAN HAVE UNDER
CITIZENS UNITED REALLY UNDERCUTS THE PUSH FOR
PUBLIC FINANCING, AND THAT'S A CHALLENGE THAT'S GOING TO
HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED. >> INTERESTING POINT THERE,
TOM, ABOUT THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THIS, OR IS IT
GOING TO BE FORGOTTEN IN THE NEXT CYCLE?
>> WELL, IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FIRST
100 DAYS. YOU KNOW, 43%, TO TALK ABOUT
PERCENTAGES IN A THREE-WAY RACE AND STUFF, IS NOT A
MANDATE, AND THERE ARE SOME FENCES THAT NOT JUST NEED TO
BE MENDED, THEY NEED TO BE REBUILT.
SO THE NEW MAYOR HAS A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF HIM.
>> THAT WAS A HOT RACE, WASN'T IT?
I MEAN, I THINK OF PATTI BUSHEE BACK IN THE DAY.
PEOPLE WERE HOT ABOUT THIS THING IN SANTA FE.
>> YES, VERY CONTROVERSIAL. REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
>> AND HE IS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAYOR HERE IN NEW
MEXICO; DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT?
WHAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT, JIM, WHAT DO YOU
THINK? >> I THINK THAT IT IS
SIGNIFICANT. JUST LOOK AT HOW MUCH CHANGE
WE'VE SEEN IN NEW MEXICO WITH REGARD TO GAY RIGHTS
ISSUES JUST IN THE LAST YEAR.
TO ADD THIS ONE TO THE LIST I THINK IS REALLY
SIGNIFICANT. IT'S A MILESTONE.
>> HE'S BEEN AT THIS TABLE, HE'S A INTERESTING CAT,
WE'LL SEE HOW HE DOES. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING
HERE, GREAT FRIDAY NIGHT. MORE ON THE WEB.
WE'LL SEE YOU THERE. >> AS ALWAYS, ALL OF US HERE
AT NEW MEXICO InFOCUS APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND
YOUR EFFORT TO STAY INFORMED AND ENGAGED.
CATCH UP WITH US ANY TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY SEARCHING
NEW MEXICO InFOCUS, AND CAN YOU FIND ARCHIVED
INTERVIEWS AND BONUS MATERIAL FROM OUR SHOW ON
OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND AT NEWMEXICOINFOCUS.ORG.
I'M GENE GRANT. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK
InFOCUS.