Politics

Over the weekend, far-left Sen. Jacob Candelaria (D-Bernalillo), who has not always towed the party line and gone along with the Senate Democrats’ wishes, is being targeted by the Senate bully, Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo), according to his tweets.

Candelaria wrote, “Have been informed that Sen Mimi  Stewart will remove me from Senate Finance Committee, on account of my opposition to Gov control over federal ARPA funds.” 

In a subsequent tweet, he wrote, “This move will require full senate approval before final, let’s see if Mimi can pull it off. One things [sic] for sure though—Mimi Stewart is not morally or ethically fit to lead the Senate. Our legislature needs better and actual leaders.”

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, “But Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, says that’s not true. She said if she removes Jacob Candelaria, who also represents Albuquerque, from that position, it will be because he has pulled away from his party and no longer caucuses with other members.”

“It’s no big surprise to me that this is coming on the heels of the decision of the Supreme Court on Wednesday,” Candelaria said. “This in no way has dampened my spirits. If leadership wants to act in this sort of retaliatory fashion, that’s their decision, just as it will be the Senate’s decision as to whether it will go along with this childish behavior.”

“He’s completely wrong. What he did this week [before the Supreme Court] has nothing to do with what I might have to do,” Stewart countered. While she said it is “possible” she may move to remove him from that committee, “it will have nothing to do with his great performance in front of the Supreme Court.”

Stewart has long bullied other members she disagrees with, including many in her own party. She bullied Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-Bernalillo) in committee hearings, then subsequently refused to answer Ivey-Soto’s questions on the Senate floor on a bill she sponsored. Because she refused to answer, she claimed Ivey-Soto was being “sexist.”

In a previous committee hearing, Ivey-Soto claimed “leadership” (meaning Stewart) told him he could no longer debate on House bills, so he left the meeting and claimed he would not hear House bills in his Senate Rules Committee for the foreseeable future. This came after Stewart accused Ivey-Soto of not emailing her the proper bill, which he countered with a time and date the bill was sent to her email.

In committee hearings, Stewart bashed the public who had concerns over her extremist bill that would add on at least 20 a cent per gallon of gas tax that would harm poor New Mexicans the most.

“Two cents a year — That is nothing,” she said, claiming, “I am not concerned about that because I do believe this is kind of fear-mongering…. I want to answer honestly because that’s how I feel about it.”  

Stewart clapped back at concerns with her bill, “I don’t have concerns. I’m certainly proud that you all are concerned about low income. I don’t think it’s going to impact us,” she said, adding, “We’ve got two years to phase this in. We’re going to do it right.”

Stewart’s spat with Candelaria appears to be her latest move in her nasty tirades against other members of the Legislature, both Republican and Democrat.