The gubernatorial race is suddenly a lot more interesting.
J.R. Damron’s departure will result in a brutal, nasty campaign between Bill Richardson and his new Republican challenger, John Dendahl. Dendahl is controversial even within his own party for aggressive campaigning. Richardson is vulnerable on a lot of issues.
There are the airplane rides he accepted as gifts. There are the jobs he created without legislative approval that some legislators have called illegal. There are the appointees, magistrate judge and otherwise, who have been huge embarrassments. There are the controversial commuter rail and spaceport projects. (I support the spaceport, but it’s still controversial.) There are allegations, backed by fairly convincing evidence, that the governor vetoes the capital outlay projects of those legislators who oppose him.
I could go on, but there’s no need. Dendahl is sure to do it. As a syndicated columnist for Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces newspapers for the past few years, Dendahl knows the issues.
Richardson is a man of vision. He has big plans for the state, and wants them accomplished quickly while he builds his résumé for a presidential run.
But critics who say he plays fast and loose are right. An example is the commuter rail, which has a final price tag that more than tripled from what the Richardson administration first told legislators.
Oops.
It’s those flubs Dendahl will attack.
But will it matter?
Not likely. Sure, Dendahl will energize the conservative base and raise more money than Damron, but it will take much more to convince voters to send the popular Richardson packing.
The right-wing Dendahl won’t convince many moderates to vote for him, so he’ll have to convince them to vote against Richardson.
Dendahl’s entry into the contest will make this an interesting election year, and that should lead to higher voter turnout in November. And, in the end, anything is possible.
Richardson was aiming to win 70 percent of the vote in November, sources tell me. I don’t think that will happen now.
You can read more analysis of what’s happening from the Wednesday Morning Quarterback by clicking here.