Big-name endorsements fall flat in some races

Endorsements by New Mexico’s top politicians fell flat in several races in Tuesday’s primary.

Gov. Bill Richardson backed three state legislators who were easily defeated by Democratic challengers – Sens. Shannon Robinson and James Taylor and Rep. Dan Silva, all of Albuquerque.

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici stepped into two races. In the Republican 3rd Congressional District race he backed Marco Gonzales, who lost by six points. He also backed Heather Wilson in the GOP U.S. Senate primary. Though her opponent Steve Pearce hasn’t declared victory, the Associated Press has declared him the winner. He’s currently leading by about 2,900 votes with 99 percent of precincts reporting.

Certainly Richardson backed some other candidates who ended up winning, including two congressional hopefuls and several incumbent lawmakers. But I wonder if, in this year of change, endorsements from establishment politicians mean less than they might in other years.

I wonder also whether the Internet, which has changed the way political campaigns organize and operate, has allowed a new level of involvement that empowers people to make their own decisions and lets them rely less on the opinions of politicians.

Or maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some, and it’s that simple.