{"id":23916,"date":"2010-12-01T09:46:17","date_gmt":"2010-12-01T16:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=23916"},"modified":"2010-12-02T07:37:19","modified_gmt":"2010-12-02T14:37:19","slug":"yates-reflects-on-gop%e2%80%99s-2010-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2010\/12\/yates-reflects-on-gop%e2%80%99s-2010-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Yates reflects on GOP\u2019s 2010 success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Congressman-elect Steve Pearce (left, photo by Heath Haussamen) and Gov.-elect Susana Martinez (courtesy photo) were among the Republicans who won seats previously held by Democrats while Yates was chairman.<\/p><\/div>\n

Harvey Yates Jr. chaired the Republican Party of New Mexico<\/a> during what was arguably its most successful election cycle in decades, but he says much of the credit for that goes to Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the party is in better shape than it has been in in a long time,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cPerhaps some of that is because of things I\u2019ve done, and of course a lot of it has to do with the help that we\u2019ve received from Mr. Obama and Mr. Richardson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started, the wind was in our face. It was a difficult time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe wind shifted and the wind was at our back during the election.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yates, who became GOP chairman in January 2009, leaves the position at the end of the month. Republicans are set to pick a new chairman<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Certainly, GOP gains this year were largely due to voters being upset with the president and tired of business as usual in Santa Fe. But the fingerprints of Yates, an oilman, are undoubtedly all over the 2010 election.<\/p>\n