{"id":2664,"date":"2007-12-20T12:29:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-20T18:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/12\/teague-wont-concede-las-cruces-to-opponents\/"},"modified":"2007-12-20T12:29:00","modified_gmt":"2007-12-20T18:29:00","slug":"teague-wont-concede-las-cruces-to-opponents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/12\/teague-wont-concede-las-cruces-to-opponents\/","title":{"rendered":"Teague won’t concede Las Cruces to opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions in March.<\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Though there are three candidates from Las Cruces<\/st1:city> joining him in the race for the Democratic Party\u2019s nomination for Southern New Mexico\u2019s congressional seat, Hobbs<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> oilman Harry Teague<\/a> isn\u2019t conceding anything \u2013 even their home turf.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He visited Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> last week for the third time since formally entering the race on Nov. 8. While in Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>, he met with journalists, community activists and supporters and took part in a candidate forum.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to give anything away,\u201d Teague said in an interview during his visit.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague has impressed some Democratic Party insiders early on by running an active campaign. Though he isn\u2019t the best debater in the race, Teague is personable and approachable, and he\u2019s taking advantage of that with one-on-one meetings and in small-group settings around the district.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The other Democrats in the race are state Rep. Joseph Cervantes<\/a>, retired Presbyterian minister Al Kissling<\/a>, Do\u00f1a Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley<\/a> and Roswell<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> businessman and retired teacher Frank McKinnon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague began the race with a fundraiser that netted $175,000, and topped it off with an additional $200,000 of his own money. His son runs his oil business, so he\u2019s campaigning full-time.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

About the candidate<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague moved to eastern New Mexico<\/st1:state> from Oklahoma<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> when he was 9 years old. He quit school when he was 16 to work in the oil fields and started a successful business. He sold that business in 1997, but started a new business involved in several aspects of oil field work in 2000. Today it employs more than 250 people. He\u2019s volunteered on community boards for 30 years.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

After he sold his first business, Teague ran for and was elected to the Lea County Board of Commissioners, and he served eight years in that capacity, including 3.5 years as chairman. Teague says the fact that a board controlled by Republicans made him chairman for 3.5 years is proof that he is a consensus-builder, and he says his time on the commission \u201cwas the most profitable time in the history of Lea<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He cites the securing of a casino and racetrack and a uranium enrichment plant as proof.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI generated so much economic development that the Wal-Mart (in Hobbs) has to close at 10 because there\u2019s not enough workers (to keep it open later),\u201d Teague said, adding that a new International House of Pancakes only seats customers in half the restaurant for the same reason \u2013 there are so many new businesses that there aren\u2019t enough workers in Hobbs to fully staff them.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Campaign platform<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

Asked about the issues important in his campaign, Teague cited economic development and said he has created jobs both as a public official and a private businessman. He said in such a poor district creating jobs has to be a primary focus, and he has a proven record of doing it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Improving people\u2019s situations also includes increasing access to health care, he said. He is in the process of creating a clinic and hiring a nurse practitioner for the employees of his company. He can offer his employees basic services cheaper than other clinics, and he hopes it will also reduce his costs as an employer.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said he hopes to create \u201ca model that works\u201d and show the industry how it can reduce health-care costs and reform the system.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

On Education, Teague said he would scrap the No Child Left Behind Act. On Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>, he said he favors beginning to withdraw American soldiers, but doesn\u2019t favor setting a firm date.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said the first priority in immigration and border security reform has to be securing the border, which he advocates doing through increased money for personnel and technology, not a border fence. After that, Teague said the United States<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> must crack down on business owners who employ undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said he favors working to bring undocumented immigrants \u201cout of the shadows,\u201d but he doesn\u2019t call that amnesty.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like that word amnesty, because I think that\u2019s what President Bush has given Scooter Libby,\u201d Teague said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He said he understands that allowing the millions here illegally to stay isn\u2019t fair to those who have legally been waiting in line for years, but said those here illegally won\u2019t come out of the shadows unless they\u2019re provided a real opportunity to join society. The nation\u2019s economy is dependent on undocumented immigrants, and most are hard-working, he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to make everybody happy, but it\u2019s something we\u2019re going to have to do,\u201d Teague said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said his focus through all issues will be on building strong families with strong values.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

One \u201cstrong value\u201d he cited is combating the meth scourge. Republican Steve Pearce<\/a>, the congressman Teague seeks to replace, gained attention for holding \u201clistening tours\u201d throughout the district to talk to residents about meth. Meanwhile, Pearce voted earlier this year against two bills that included funding for combating meth, citing other flaws in the legislation.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t have any more listening tours about the meth,\u201d Teague said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to start having dome \u2018doing tours\u2019 and put some money into this.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

A history with Pearce<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague had long been a supporter of Pearce \u2013 giving $1,000 to Pearce\u2019s campaign in 2004 and $2,100 in 2006 \u2013 but said the congressman\u2019s recent votes against funding to combat meth changed that. Teague said the two had been friends for some time. Pearce was two grades ahead of Teague in grade school, and Pearce\u2019s family is close to the family of Teague\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague pointed out that he has given most of his contributions over the years to Democrats \u2013 including Kissling in 2006 and McCamley earlier this year \u2013 but said he\u2019s been considering running for Congress for the last three or four years. After Pearce voted against the funding to combat meth, Teague got more serious about considering it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

When he learned that U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici<\/a> was retiring, he said he had no doubt that Pearce would run for Senate, so he didn\u2019t even wait for Pearce to make it official before he jumped into the congressional race.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Asked if the contributions to Pearce will harm his candidacy, Teague said he doesn\u2019t believe they will.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

A controversial helper<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Former<\/st1:placename> Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename> Commissioner Gilbert Apodaca is actively helping Teague in the Las Cruces<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> area. Apodaca isn\u2019t working for the campaign, but has been brought on board as a volunteer, though he\u2019s been given no specific duties.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Some Democrats will find Teague\u2019s acceptance of Apodaca\u2019s help controversial. During his tenure on the commission, Apodaca was twice accused of bribery but never charged by the FBI. He had a reputation for ruling with an iron fist and a special audit found numerous problems with the operations of county government during his tenure.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Many Democrats in the county have openly expressed their dislike for Apodaca. When the governor appointed Apodaca to the state border authority in 2004, Democratic legislators from Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> protested during a meeting with the governor. Days later, Apodaca declined the appointment.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said he knows Apodaca through the state association of counties. They were commissioners at the same time. He said Apodaca offered to help him with his congressional run and he agreed, but hasn\u2019t decided whether to hire him or keep him a volunteer.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Teague said he wasn\u2019t aware of the controversy surrounding Apodaca.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cHe might be (working for me) because I like him, but I want some more information,\u201d Teague said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Thus far, Teague\u2019s campaign has only one employee \u2013 Steve Fitzer, who manages the campaign of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish<\/a> and who Teague said is \u201con loan from Diane\u201d until March to help him get his campaign going. Teague\u2019s campaign manager will start Jan. 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the first in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties\u2019 preprimary nominating conventions in March. Though there are three candidates from Las Cruces joining him in the race for the Democratic Party\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}