Sen. John Sapien, left, and former State Rep. Ben Rodefer
Ben Rodefer said Democratic primary voters will have ‘a clear choice’ between him and Sapien.
Sen. John Sapien, who’s already being targeted by Republicans in this year’s election, was hoping to avoid a Democratic primary; he learned today that he won’t be so lucky.
Former State Rep. Ben Rodefer, D-Corrales, announced that he’s running against Sapien, another Corrales Democrat, in the June primary.
“I look forward to a spirited campaign with Senator Sapien,” Rodefer said in a news release. “Elections are about choices, and I think there is a clear choice for voters to make this year.”
Rodefer is generally considered more liberal than Sapien. In his news release he cited his work to block a “$400 million taxpayer giveaway to bankrupt California developers SunCal,” and his efforts to “increase clean energy jobs and to close the loophole in New Mexico’s tax code that allows out-of- state corporations to get out of paying the same state taxes that New Mexico companies pay.”
Sapien told NMPolitics.net earlier this month that his more moderate voting record is a better fit for the Senate district. This year’s redistricting shifted the voting performance of the district three percentage points to the left, to 50.5 percent Democratic and 49.5 percent Republican. Before the Obama wave of 2008, the district had long been Republican-leaning.
“I’m proud of my voting record. We’ll go ahead and take whoever or whatever comes,” he said earlier this month, before Rodefer’s announcement. “… Anybody left of me will have a tough time in the general election.”
Rep. David Doyle, R-Albuquerque – who unseated Rodefer in 2010 – has announced his candidacy for the Senate seat as well, and it’s likely the winner of the Sapien/Rodefer primary will face him in November.
“I’m hoping that people who are more liberal than me recognize that I’m the right candidate for the district,” Sapien said earlier this month in expressing his hope that he wouldn’t have a primary challenge. “The progressive side of my party will have me 85 percent of the time… but I think my voting record shows that I voted to my electorate in District 9, and I’ll continue to do that.”
Governor targeting Sapien
Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, has already revealed her intention to unseat Sapien this year. The week after the recent legislative session ended, her political action committee sent a mailer to voters in Sapien’s district contrasting his vote against her push to repeal the law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses with Doyle’s vote in favor of her proposal, which has thus far been unsuccessful.
“Thanks to John Sapien, New Mexico is one of only two states in the entire country that gives driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants,” the mailer states. “… When New Mexicans tried to stop this by repealing the law, John Sapien blocked them and voted to continue giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.”
Instead of agreeing to the governor’s proposed repeal of that law, Sapien and many other Democrats have supported amendments they say would help combat fraud while ensuring that more people who drive on New Mexico’s roads are licensed.
Sapien told NMPolitics.net this month he’s confident in his ability to defend that stance and said voters are more concerned about the economy and jobs.
But before he can focus on defending himself against the governor’s attacks, Sapien will have to focus on defeating Rodefer.