Photo by dbking/flickr.com
Organizers of tonight’s Democratic Party lieutenant governor candidate forum — the first of the 2010 election cycle — may have to reset the number of seats at the table after early morning shuffling among some of the candidates, but keeping track of time could be a bigger problem.
The forum, which is open to the public and sponsored by the Santa Fe County Democratic Party, starts at 6:30 p.m. It’s being held at the NEA Building, 2007 Botulph Road in Santa Fe.
One of seven candidates who is participating tonight privately told NMPolitics.net that it’s too early for these kind of forums, and with so many people still in the race, there will not be enough time for substantive question-and-answer periods.
That candidate said the issues are not even clearly defined for the state election.
Simple math may indicate a potential issue for organizers. Opening introductions and closing statements, if limited to five minutes for each candidate, will take more than one hour. The question-and-answer period will take even more time.
Richard Ellenberg, the county Democratic Party chairman, told NMPolitics.net, “Each question will take 18 minutes, with a possible nine minutes of rebuttal. So I am afraid three to five questions will be all we may get in.”
When asked if the forums should be split into two or more sessions to save time and allow for more comprehensive answers, Ellenberg said, “It’s hard to decide how to split them. I would guess that some candidates will drop out. It is a problem to have so many candidates, in that there is not enough time for many questions.”
Pressing the flesh can never be replaced by social media interaction, but all seven candidates have some Web site presence, and each has a Facebook page. Several have Twitter accounts and at least one has a blog. It’s unclear how many people will be at the event in Santa Fe tonight, but if turnout is low, it could mean more voters are staying in touch online.
The forum will feature seven candidates, or potential candidates, including the hometowner, Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano; Albuquerque state Sens. Linda Lopez, Gerald Ortiz y Pino and Tim Eichenberg; state Rep. Jose Campos of Santa Rosa; Mid-Region Council of Governments Director Lawrence Rael; and former party Chairman Brian Colón.
Many candidates have already been greeting supporters and talking to voters across the state. Several particiapted in last weekend’s state fair parade, and others traveled to county fairs and festivals earlier this summer.