A challenge to Allen Weh’s leadership of the Republican Party of New Mexico isn’t the only thing happening at Saturday’s GOP convention.
Delegates plan to vote on two proposals that would shift more power in the Republican Party to rural counties and the eastern side of the state. The changes would increase the number of delegates and central committee members to the state party, but award Republican strongholds with an increased share of overall membership.
The proposals, made by State Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, would increase the number of delegates from moderate counties such as Bernalillo and Doña Ana only slightly, but Republican strongholds would gain a significant number of members. Democratic strongholds such as
Under the current system, a county gets a delegate for every four hundred votes cast in the last election for the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate in that county. Adair’s proposal would keep that in place, but also add “bonus delegates” as incentives to counties:
• Counties would get an additional delegate for each county elected official who is Republican.
• They would get an additional two delegates for each other statewide elected official who won the county in the last election.
The change would significantly shift power in the state party to the east and to rural counties. For example,
But the smaller
The proposal would apply a similar incentive program for membership on the state central committee.
Pointing out that both national party organizations have incentive programs in place, Adair said his proposal isn’t revolutionary.
“It’s just a positive reinforcement approach,” Adair said. “You want to encourage success. That’s all this is about.”
Adair pointed out that, under his proposals, no county is penalized by losing delegates or members of the central committee, but the counties that do a better job of electing Republicans gain members.
“It’s to encourage local innovations to win elections, that’s all,” he said.
Critics say a shift in power to the rural counties, where conservative thinking is stronger, would move the Republican Party to the right, and say that won’t help the minority party in a purple state.
Republican officials in
Doña Ana County Republican Party Chair Sid Goddard doesn’t know how he’ll vote on the amendments, but said his concern is that delegates will only be allowed to vote for or against the proposals. There is no opportunity to propose changes before the vote.
“I’m not particularly pleased that we are just going to have an up-or-down vote,” he said. “We have some questions about it.”
I spoke with a number of other Republicans about Adair’s proposed change, but none were willing to go on the record because of the sensitive nature of inner-party deliberations. Some expressed concern about the party shifting to the right in a purple state. Others said if county parties like that in