Photo by dbking/flickr.com
There’s currently no obvious frontrunner to be elected chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico when central committee members gather in April to make the selection.
Current Chairman Javier Gonzales says he isn’t sure he’s going to run again. A movement aims to put a stop to the campaign of criminal defense attorney Sam Bregman, who has defended some high-profile public officials, including former State Treasurer Robert Vigil, who are now serving time in prison.
And Letitia Montoya, who most recently worked on the losing campaign of former Secretary of State Mary Herrera, remains in the mix, but many Democrats are unexcited about her ties to the first Democrat to lose the secretary of state race in decades.
Here’s what Gonzales told The Santa Fe New Mexican’s Steve Terrell last week:
“Gonzales said he’s trying to decide whether he’d rather stay on as party chairman or keep his position as a regent at New Mexico State University. He is slated this year to become chairman of the Board of Regents.
“‘It would be difficult to continue wearing both hats,’ Gonzales said.”
As for the anti-Bregman website, stopsam.com, here’s what its anonymous creator has to say on the site:
“I believe electing Sam Bregman as Democratic Chair is a mistake. Though he says he shares our values, he has been an on-record and public face defending corrupt officials and those implicated in pay-to-play scandals.”
How will this all play out? Will another candidate emerge? Time will tell…