Calls for C. de Baca’s resignation grow louder

Pressure continues to mount for Bernalillo County Republican Party Chairman Fernando C. de Baca to resign, with the state’s two U.S. Senate candidates among those calling for his ouster and the state GOP chairman saying he may have the authority to remove the embattled county chairman.

C. de Baca continues to reject the calls to step down. Click here to listen to his latest interview with 770 KKOB-AM radio in Albuquerque.

The Albuquerque Journal is reporting that state party Chairman Allen Weh says he has been advised that he has “the authority to remove a chairman under special circumstances.” Weh hasn’t said whether he’ll try to remove C. de Baca.

All three of New Mexico’s U.S. representatives have joined the chorus of Republicans and Democrats calling for C. de Baca to step down. Steve Pearce, also the GOP Senate candidate, told the Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican that C. de Baca is a “good friend.”

“He’s done a lot of good for the Republican Party in Bernalillo County. But the comments were very unfortunate,” Pearce was quoted by The New Mexican as saying. “I feel like it’s affecting the party. I called him and told him there’s no way he should continue as county chairman.”

Pearce’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Tom Udall, said in a statement released by his office that C. de Baca’s comments, which come during Hispanic Heritage Month, are “insulting and disgraceful.”

“We boast New Mexico’s long-standing minority-majority status because of our immense pride in our vibrant diversity,” Udall said. “Chairman C. de Baca’s comments are not only demeaning to the people and pride of New Mexico; they perpetuate and validate racism. These words are unacceptable for any official who represents our great state.”

The Journal also reported that GOP Rep. Heather Wilson says C. de Baca should resign.

Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Harry Teague released his own statement calling for C. de Baca’s ouster. He also called on his GOP opponent, Ed Tinsley, “to denounce his supporter’s comments and ask him to resign,” something Tinsley has not done, at least publicly.

The comments

The furor is over a Friday blog posting on BBC News’ Web site in which C. de Baca was quoted by Jon Kelly as saying, “The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.”

C. de Baca claims the quote was published out of context, and he was speaking in a historical context about his grandfather’s generation. He claims he believes many young Hispanics will vote for Obama. But BBC News and Kelly stand by the blog posting’s portrayal of the comment as referring in general to Hispanics.

In addition, there is a recording of a separate interview C. de Baca conducted with a different BBC reporter in which C. de Baca said this:

“I feel strongly that Hispanics will not support, in my generation and the generation around my age, are not going to support the Democratic candidate for president primarily because there is a strong feeling that African Americans during the civil rights movement took advantage, full advantage, of all the benefits and programs that the government offered, that were supposed to be offered to all minorities. But we were left behind, we were left sucking air, and we resented that ever since the 60s, and I don’t see how a black president is going to change that.”

The county party’s executive committee has backed C. de Baca, but the county party’s central committee has not acted. With the possible exception of action by Weh, only the central committee has the authority to remove C. de Baca.