On Saturday, members of the New Mexico Republican Party’s State Central Committee (SCC) met in Las Cruces to vote on state leadership positions in the GOP.
Running for his third term as party chairman, former Congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico’s Second District won the race, taking 213 votes (55.2 percent) to Bernalillo County GOP officer Sarah Jane Allen’s 80 votes (20.7 percent). Attorney Robert A. Aragon garnered 51 votes (13.2 percent), Eddy Aragon had 40 votes (10.4 percent), and Rodney Tahe got two votes (0.5 percent).
Following the chairmanship results, newly reelected Chairman Pearce wrote in a press release, “This was a spirited campaign, and I thank the grassroots Republican leaders from across New Mexico for trusting me to lead for another term as RPNM chairman. An overwhelming number of these leaders agree that our data-driven approach to identifying and turning out conservative leaning voters is working, proven by the fact that Republican candidates are getting closer and closer to defeating the Democrats in competitive races.”
“Turning New Mexico red is a marathon, not a sprint, and as we look toward 2024, I am excited about helping our future Republican nominees be successful in their campaigns.”
For the first vice-chairman spot, members selected newly elected Otero County Commissioner Amy Barela with 291 votes to Torrance County GOP Chairman Richard Lopez’s 100 votes.
SCC members selected Leticia Munoz Kaminski for the second vice-chair position, with 305 votes to Santa Fe County Republican Party chairman Robert “Bob” Graham’s 87 votes.
Maricela “Mari” Trujillo-Spinelli won the secretary spot, with 288 votes to former Doña Ana County Commissioner Isabella Solis’ 78 votes.
Members picked Kim James Kvamme for party treasurer with 257 votes to Leonard-David Chavez’s 106 votes.
For each congressional district’s vice-chairmanships, SCC members selected Donelle Inventor for the First Congressional District with 74 votes to Eric Lucero’s 25 votes. In the Second District, state Rep. Rebecca Dow ran unopposed with 107 votes, and in the Third District, Drew Degner clenched the spot with 120 votes versus Anita Statman’s 37 votes and Paul Morrison garnering no votes.
Regarding the other officers’ election results, Pearce wrote, “I am so pleased that Republicans chose this outstanding team of young and diverse leaders who represent the future of our party.”
Hey Steve Pearce. It may not be a sprint per your comment but my children and their children don’t have the luxury of living in a socialist state much longer. I disagree and it IS A SPRINT, sir.
I am in Luna County. All of our candidates were elected to local positions with the exception of one county commissioner. I’m hoping she will become our next county chairman. We turned Luna County Red.
Yeah the NMGOP worked real hard in getting voters out this last round. How many conservative voters stayed home? Don’t see much change occurring with the GOP. The Dems are so much more organized. Lots of people working the sidewalks and homes. Not a single GOP worker or candidate came to the house. 5 from the Dems side did. Does the GOP have an ‘Emerge’ type program for training candidates?
Have the GOP thought about how to harvest ballots like the dems do. Seems to be the focus the dems have. Obviously its working given the recent midterms.
I asked the same question months ago., never got an answer from the Republican Party.
Do we have an “Emerge” program to train potential candidates to run for office?
No is the answer.
Sadly, you are correct. The Republican turnout across the state was sad. I don’t want the Republican Party to resort to the Democrats’ dirty tricks, because it doesn’t take dirty tricks to win. Conservatives and Moderates outnumber the Leftist liberals, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t bother to vote.
I have lost all faith in the GOP. They need to get real. No backbone.
Its not the GOP its the cheaters on the other side. I would like to se Audits for the “dumping of the candidates, o ops we forgot to give you these at the last minute, Cheaters, there must be someone following this up!
Marathon?…….we need a 50 yard dash!!!!!!!!
I am so disappointed to learn Steve will be serving another term as the NM GOP chair. There is no fight in him. He is another obstacle we will need to overcome. He doesn’t listen to The People either.
I agree. That’s why I left the GOP long ago. Pearce
seems to be in that comfortable state of don’t rock the boat.- The current group I am involved with is the same way “go along to get along”
Nothing seems to matter, “don’t worry be happy”
Maybe I should pack up and leave. The only one that gave me any hope was John, editor of Pinon Post. Give em hell when you get to Santa Fe. I plan on being in the gallery watching, praying, and cheering you on.
He definitely sucks
And just like that the Corrupt Criminal Commie State of New Mexico was pulled under the oozing mud of hell. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore since the republican party as a whole has lost its guts….. We’ll be needing to start a new party to represent the Conservative Values we support.
Thank you for inspiring me to stop voting completely, GOP. I will never participate in this fraudulent casino game you all ignore.
Enjoy all the money you grift, and hope you have a rich life of cowardice and treason in whatever foreign nation you plan to flee to while the rest of us suffer the poverty of Communism.
God knows your deeds, God will be your judge.
Oh great, here we go again. Steve-o is useless, why wasn’t the NMGOP leading the charge against MLG’s illegal lockdowns? Answer, because Pierce is running a marathon when the race is a 50 yard dash. It is time to see the end of these old RINO’s.
If you don’t vote, then you just give the Democrats a vote! DON’T ever give up!!
THANKFUL I MOVED TO A RED STATE, not even a month after the election day dust settled, and MLG is already considering MASK MANDATES again! The NMGOP need to get their poop in a group!
I’m doing the same. I’m a Hispanic native and I can see the writing on the wall. My homeland,…… New Mexico, is a lost cause.
New Mexicans must really love a useless loser. The GOP lost nearly every race they were involved in to include governor and attorney general. We re-elected one of the most hated governors in the whole of the US while giving her an unethical attorney general that is documented as such. Let me guess Pearce just wasn’t holding his mouth right this time to pull off the win?
Never have been or will be a party member, any party.
But this looks like the old adage of insanity… doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results!
Hey Jeff, which red state did you move to. My husband and I might be looking real soon.
I’ll just say this, TX and FL aren’t the only places that have a population of decent, common sense, good people that have leaders in tune with the good of the people. NM is no longer one of them.
Look at the sea of red in the heartland of the country.
https://miro.medium.com/max/1127/1*86sURhsiwekHqCuqjbFnkQ.png
I agree with JT it’s a fools game to continue “voting “ on casino slot machines that are in the control of the communists. Where was Pearce when the election was stolen? Not a peep from that worthless slug and people are expected to “wait till next time”? I’m not sure that Pearce is aware of the communist takeover of NM or is complicit in it’s happening. Which is it Pearce corrupt or incompetent?
The way I see it.
https://armandsrancho.blogspot.com/2022/12/steve-pearces-win-far-from-vote-of.html
A convention of losers to elect the head losers. The Republican Party of New Mexico is made up (at the top) of a bunch of gutless cowards. These people couldn’t find their way home if you dropped them off in their driveway. The whole bunch needs to be swept out of political life forever.
213 votes for the chairman of this close-held organization? There are 414,000 registered Republicans in the state. Open up the party.
Steve Pierce is a fat cat who has no real motivation for the party to win. Him and many like him who ran recently collect money and whine. They whine about the Democrats, they whine about the feds they whine about millennials and gen z, they whine all day and do nothing. They scare off the younger crowd. Yes there are a lot of us under 35 who are conservative, especially in the small towns. The Republicans make it clear every day that they HATE us and disrespect us. When we reach voting age the Republican party meets us with napalm instead of a handshake. They run off the moderates. What is the Republicans message in NM other than whining and complaining about everyone and everything? Since the pandemic I’ve listened to all of them on every podcast and radio show, and frankly I don’t think they give a crap. Conservatives have been betrayed by these republican fat cats in our state who do mostly nothing. There are some exceptions but the highest ranks have failed us. They don’t organize, they chase off those that would help them, they line their pockets instead of doing what’s best for the people (Barry and ART and all the deals for his brother). The Republican party in NM is a complete FAILURE.
They are doing something, not sure what, but they are cheating at these elections. I read somewhere in 2017 when MLG came in, that they spent millions on Dominion machines. 1st off, she also changed the NM abortion law which had been illegal to that time, to legal. All that info just fell into my hands, I wish I had saved it. Who voted for the GOP officer election and when? Ok the SCC, why them and only them?
Pierce continues with tired unempowered cliche. While dems fight and claw and control every aspect of governance in NM – he is content with a long languid race.
Kellers Albuquerque and MLG’s NM are festering messes of crime, abortion, drugs, high unemployment and wo hope in future for most. Pierce is okay with waiting this out – too bad most of the state isn’t. Im moving at 1st chance – i dont have luxury of Pierce’s forever timeline. Life is too short and precious to waste in this quagmire. GOP leadership is non existent.
Another one sees the writing on the wall. Our plans are already set for next spring……in another state. We are headed for “redder” pastures.
Really glad to see that Steve Pierce has been rewarded with another term given the brilliant selection of, and loss by, one of the worst candidates to ever run for governor (“he’s the only one who can win”), with the exception of Pierce. This state is lost. We have gone full commie. Do me a favor Republican Party, do not ask for money or a vote. You won’t get either from me.