The New Mexico Democratic Party’s scramble to replace Maggie Toulouse Oliver as its lieutenant governor nominee is turning into an ugly intraparty brawl, with state Sen. Harold Pope backed by Democratic Socialists while Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard is getting help from Deb Haaland, Jane Fonda, and fellow Democrats attacking Pope’s record.
The fight is now centered on roughly 500 members of the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee, who are set to vote July 25 through July 29 on who will join Haaland on the November ticket.
The vacancy came after Toulouse Oliver, New Mexico’s Democrat secretary of state, dropped out of the race due to health reasons after overwhelmingly winning the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Pope, an Albuquerque Democrat, lost that primary to Toulouse Oliver by roughly 60 percentage points.
Now, despite being crushed by Toulouse Oliver, Pope is trying to convince party insiders to give him another shot. Garcia Richard, meanwhile, has the public backing of Haaland, who endorsed the land commissioner to be her running mate.
The race has become so heated that Democrats are now openly attacking each other.
State Sen. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, D-Albuquerque, released a video Monday standing outside Chaparral Elementary School in Pope’s district and blasted Pope for allegedly failing to direct any of his annual capital outlay money to the school.
“Hey everybody, State Senator Mo Maestas from District 26,” Maestas said in the video. “I’m actually standing just north of my district in District 23, represented by Senator Harold Pope.”
Maestas said he and Pope each receive $4.1 million in discretionary spending.
“APS and all our public schools ask for various projects,” Maestas said. “I make sure that we fully fund the public schools in my district. Unfortunately, with $4.1 million in discretionary spending, Harold Pope gave this elementary school nothing.”
“He didn’t give Chaparral Elementary School a dime,” Maestas continued. “All they asked for was $87,000. It would have made up approximately 4% of his discretionary spending. So I don’t understand.”
Maestas then contrasted Pope with Garcia Richard.
“Harold Pope is running for Lieutenant Governor,” Maestas said. “There’s another candidate who has raised $3 billion for public education in this state. Harold Pope, on the other hand, did not give his elementary school a dime.”
In comments to Source NM, Maestas was even more direct, saying he filmed the video because he was frustrated with Pope presenting himself as a “progressive deity” while allegedly failing to fund schools in his own district.
“I mean, that’s just bread-and-butter government,” Maestas said. “It’s just indicative of the contradiction that surrounds his candidacy. When you compare their accomplishments, there’s no comparison.”
Then Maestas took aim at the far-left flank of his own party.
“So instead of Deb Haaland and Stephanie Garcia Richard barnstorming the state this past month, there’s this power grab by the ultra-left, which does not serve the party or the state,” he said.
Pope pushed back, telling Source NM that Maestas’ attack shows his campaign may be gaining ground with State Central Committee members.
“When a senator within my caucus is on the attack like this, I think it shows that we’re probably doing well, when the mudslinging and things like this happen,” Pope said.
Pope said he had other priorities for his capital outlay money, including a road-widening project and law enforcement.
But the socialist wing of the party is clearly lining up behind him.
The Albuquerque chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America held a small news conference outside the state Democratic Party headquarters to endorse Pope. Both the Albuquerque and Santa Fe DSA chapters are now backing him.
Albuquerque DSA co-chair Nikhil Ananda said Pope is the candidate who reflects the party’s grassroots left.
“The senator is not just the choice that reflects the values of New Mexicans. I think he’s also the electable choice,” Ananda said. “But regardless of our preferences, I just want to make sure that the State Central Committee provides an election process and a decision-making process that reflects the conscience of delegates and their perspective on what’s best for New Mexicans.”
Garcia Richard’s camp got its own celebrity boost when liberal actress and environmental activist Jane Fonda jumped into the race on her behalf.
“It’s about damn time we have two bad-ass women leading New Mexico and protecting the state’s natural beauty for all New Mexicans,” Fonda wrote in an email to Garcia Richard supporters.
Garcia Richard did not respond to Source NM’s request for comment Tuesday.
The spectacle puts the Democratic Party’s internal divisions on full display. On one side, Pope is trying to ride support from the socialist left after losing badly in the primary. On the other, Garcia Richard is leaning on Haaland, environmentalists, and establishment Democrats who argue she has a stronger record.
For New Mexico Republicans, the infighting is a gift.
The Democrats’ lieutenant governor race now features a rejected primary candidate backed by socialists, a land commissioner endorsed by Jane Fonda, and one Democrat senator publicly accusing another of failing basic “bread-and-butter government.”
The SCC vote has not even begun yet.
But the mudslinging already has.