Commissioner Evans to run for Steinborn’s House seat

Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans announced today that he will challenge state Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, for the District 37 seat in the state House of Representatives next year.

Evans is serving his second and final term on the county commission and will leave that office at the end of 2008 regardless of whether he is successful in his House bid. Evans said in a news release that he plans to use his experience in the private sector and government to “better represent” the district’s residents.

“I want to represent all of the folks in the district and not just a select few with myopic agendas,” Evans said. “I offer a lifetime of community involvement.”

Steinborn is an energetic, well-funded incumbent, but the district is fairly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Steinborn has not formally announced his plans, but has held a fundraiser for a 2008 re-election bid. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Evans is the third high-profile elected official in Doña Ana County to announce that he will challenge an incumbent lawmaker next year. In the Democratic primary, Doña Ana County Commissioner Oscar Vásquez Butler is taking on Sen. Mary Jane Garcia and Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus Caro is taking on Rep. Joni Gutierrez.

There’s another interesting dynamic to Evans’ run. He and his wife will both appear on the ballot next year. Anna Mae Evans is one of two Republicans seeking to replace her husband on the commission.

Kent Evans is a moderate Republican who has endorsed Gov. Bill Richardson’s presidential run. As a member of the board of the New Mexico Space Alliance, Evans has been a champion of Spaceport America and the gross receipts tax increase that voters narrowly approved in Doña Ana County in April to help fund it.

Evans has served as chairman of the commission and is involved in a number of community civic groups. He spent most of his career working at Cape Canaveral during the height of the Apollo space program, but he’s lived in Las Cruces for more than three decades.

“I’ve seen Las Cruces and Doña Ana County grow and prosper with partners such as White Sands Missile Range and New Mexico State University,” Evans said. “We need to continue to build these strategic relationships while maintaining positive working relationships across the board.”

Evans was selected as the Republican county official of the year in 2005 by the National Association of Counties, and he received the Congressional Medal of Distinction by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

“As a state legislator, I plan to bring a broad spectrum of experience to address the key issues of the day in Las Cruces, Doña Ana County and the New Mexico Legislature,” he said. “I think my education, experience and moral compass will serve the people of district 37 well in Santa Fe. I will listen to their concerns and serve with no hidden agenda or conflicts of interest.”

Update, 3:15 p.m.

Steinborn said he welcomes Evans into the race. He said he is proud that the Legislature passed more bills that he sponsored this year than all but one of the other six members of the Doña Ana County House delegation, and said he has “been an effective advocate for my constituents and the state.”

“I have played a key role in some of the most important issues facing New Mexicans, including ethics and health-care reform, and have passed legislation focusing on border security, consumer protection, water quality and veteran’s issues,” Steinborn said. “There is much more to be done in our state, and I will continue to focus on my constituents and the job they elected me to do last November.”