{"id":3307,"date":"2008-05-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-05-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/05\/roswells-legislative-primaries-become-bitter-battles\/"},"modified":"2008-05-30T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-05-30T12:00:00","slug":"roswells-legislative-primaries-become-bitter-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2008\/05\/roswells-legislative-primaries-become-bitter-battles\/","title":{"rendered":"Roswell’s legislative primaries become bitter battles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two prominent Republican legislators from Roswell<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> have been under heavy attack from their primary opponents in a public brawl some say threatens to divide the party and others say reveals a chasm that already exists. <\/p>\n

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

Nothing has been off limits as House Minority Whip Dan Foley\u2019s<\/a> challenger has hit him for a number of public controversies including his 2007 arrest at a basketball game and Sen. Rod Adair\u2019s<\/a> challenger has labeled him a liberal.<\/p>\n

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

Ch<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>aves<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place> Republican Party Chairman William E. Cavin tried to intervene earlier this month by demanding that Adair\u2019s challenger, Rory McMinn<\/a>, and Foley\u2019s challenger, Dennis Kintigh<\/a>, stop the negative assaults. He expressed concern that the negativity could destroy a county<\/st1:placetype> Republican Party<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> that has been dominant in local politics for almost 50 years.<\/p>\n

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

But Cavin\u2019s attempts failed, and the races have degraded into bitter battles.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIf some candidates want BLOOD and MUD so be it. With only 17 days until the primary I can only hope that the stains can be washed out on June 4th,\u201d Cavin wrote on May 17 in an e-mail to county<\/st1:placetype> Republicans<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place>.<\/p>\n

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

Kintigh has been running this TV ad attacking Foley:<\/p>\n

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

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

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

In the ad, he accuses Foley of using his public office to benefit insurance clients by voting to expand gambling at racetrack casinos, and he attacks Foley for the now-infamous military flyover<\/a> of a Roswell<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> car dealership in 2006. Kintigh also attacked Foley in a recent mailer<\/a> for his 2007 arrest at a basketball game in Roswell<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> on charges that were later dismissed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

<\/o:p>In mailers, McMinn has accused Adair of being a liberal who voted to legalize and decriminalize marijuana<\/a>, give undocumented immigrants college scholarships<\/a> and require that all 12-year-old girls be vaccinated<\/a> for a sexually transmitted disease. Another mailer attacked Adair for voting in favor of legislative retirement plans<\/a> after originally opposing them as unconstitutional \u201cperks.\u201d <\/p>\n

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

\u201cRod Adair\u2026 Talks Conservative back home, votes Liberal in Santa Fe<\/st1:city><\/st1:place>,\u201d one of the mailers states.<\/p>\n

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

McMinn has also run this TV ad attacking Adair on the same issues:<\/p>\n

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

<\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n

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

Tough fights<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Both incumbents said in interviews that they are hopeful voters will see their true records as conservatives who have served their constituents well and re-elect them. But Foley acknowledged that he\u2019s in a serious fight.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cClearly it\u2019s a tough race. But it\u2019s always tough when people go negative,\u201d Foley said.<\/p>\n

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

Adair sounded more confident. He said his opponent\u2019s attacks are lies.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI believe that the folks in Chaves and Lincoln counties, from what I\u2019m hearing from them, see through the deception,\u201d Adair said. \u201cThey know me and they know what I stand for.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Kintigh has not responded to requests for comment. McMinn would say only that he is \u201coptimistic, and the campaign is going as expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Chairman Cavin wrote in his first e-mail to Republicans on May 11 that he was \u201cputting Rory McMinn and Dennis Kintigh on notice that their negative and destructive campaigns WILL NOT BE TOLERATED by the Republican Party of Chaves County. \u2026 You do not have the right to destroy what has taken over 50 years to build, namely our Republican Party in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Foley is trying to use Cavin\u2019s words to his advantage. In a recent mailer<\/a> to Republican voters in his district, Foley claimed that Kintigh has been \u201ccensured by the GOP chairman.\u201d In that mailer, Foley said Kintigh\u2019s \u201cnegative tone must come to an end\u201d and pledged \u201cto conduct a clean, civil campaign\u201d and discuss \u201cpolicies and not personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Cavin said in an interview that the situation got even worse after his first e-mail, and that\u2019s why he eventually \u201creleased\u201d Adair and Foley from their duty to run positive campaigns \u2013 a duty he said was established in a meeting with all candidates in March. Adair said he has \u201chad no choice\u201d but to respond to McMinn\u2019s attacks by going negative.<\/p>\n

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

Some have accused Cavin of intervening because he backs Foley and Adair. Cavin said that was not the intent of his letter. Foley said he didn\u2019t take Cavin\u2019s letter as an endorsement. He said the party infighting \u201cis getting progressively worse,\u201d and Cavin was simply \u201ctrying to put a stop to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

More on Foley<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>Roswell businessman Michael McKee recently wrote a letter<\/a> to Republicans in the district urging them to vote for Foley and not \u201cbe misled by a candidate who is willing to do \u2018whatever it takes\u2019 to bring down his opponent even if it means destroying other people or his own political party.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Foley said he has focused on the issues and promoting his own credentials<\/a> while his opponent spends most of his time attacking instead of talking about issues.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cLike me or not, you know where I stand on an issue,\u201d Foley said, adding that his record is one of \u201ccutting taxes, standing up for parental notification, holding government accountable, cutting deficit spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>\u201cWhat is my opponent for? Nobody knows. He has yet to take a stance on anything,\u201d Foley said.<\/p>\n

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

Roswell<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> oilman Mark Murphy, one of the challengers\u2019 biggest supporters, said Kintigh has talked about issues, but \u201ccharacter and integrity and how you have voted as a legislator are also legitimate campaign issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cDennis has done a good job of really pointing out how Dan will say one thing and vote another way,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cHe also has done a good job of pointing out the numerous ethical lapses, conflicts of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Jim Manatt, another prominent Republican who is supporting Kintigh and McMinn, said Foley \u201cis what you get when you combine impulsive behavior with weak character. Chaves<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place> is capable of sending people of far greater character (to the Legislature), and has a long tradition of doing so. We need to return to that long tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

In endorsing Kintigh, the Roswell Daily Record<\/a> listed the controversies Foley has faced and wrote that \u201cbullies have no place in our state Legislature. It\u2019s time for a change and Kintigh has the intelligence and evenhandedness we need to represent us in Santa Fe<\/st1:city><\/st1:place>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Though he refused in an interview to talk about the endorsement of his opponent, Foley has complained to the Albuquerque Journal<\/a> that the recent arrest of the Daily Record\u2019s publisher wasn\u2019t given the same prominent treatment in the Roswell newspaper that his arrest was given. He has repeatedly accused the newspaper of having a personal vendetta against him.<\/p>\n

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

More on Adair<\/span><\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>In an interview, Adair also cited his record, saying he is a leader in combating domestic violence and tops in securing capital-outlay funding, and defended his conservative credentials. Critics say Adair is a vindictive spinster, and Murphy accused Adair of hypocrisy, saying his voting record doesn\u2019t match his words \u2013 an accusation McMinn has leveled in calling Adair a liberal.<\/p>\n

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

But Adair isn\u2019t the only candidate in the race who\u2019s been called a liberal. Fifteen members of the Timberon Water and Sanitation District recently wrote a letter<\/a> to Republicans in Adair\u2019s Senate district defending the senator and accusing McMinn of working with well-known Roswell Democrat Virgil Beagles to defeat Adair. They wrote that a vote for McMinn would put Beagles \u2013 who has a history of getting involved in high-profile legal battles \u2013 in control of the Senate seat, along with trial lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union.<\/p>\n

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

\"\"<\/a>The Daily Record endorsed McMinn<\/a>, calling Adair a man who, after \u201cone wrong word\u2026 goes after any and all who dare criticize him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIt\u2019s time District 33 was represented by someone who works to benefit the district and state without all the political baggage inherent in relentlessly targeting opponents rather than working to reach common ground,\u201d the newspaper\u2019s editorial states.<\/p>\n

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

Adair said the endorsement was based \u201con pure vitriol.\u201d He said he recently quit talking with the newspaper and refused to appear for an interview with the editorial board because of the newspaper\u2019s bias against him.<\/p>\n

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

The Roswell<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> divide<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Primary races in Roswell<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> have become increasingly contentious in recent years, with Foley and Adair leading one side and Murphy among the leaders of the other faction. Adair said in the interview that the opposition is \u201cabout a half a dozen people.\u201d Murphy said that\u2019s another lie and an example of Adair\u2019s willingness to spin the truth. Murphy said those who haven\u2019t lined up behind Foley and Adair become their \u201cmortal enemies, and they\u2019ll say and do anything to disparage you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cReally, the vast majority of Republicans are very, very dissatisfied with where Foley and Adair have taken this party,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cPeople vote with their feet, and they\u2019re walking away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Murphy said discouraged Republicans are excited about the potential for change, and that\u2019s why he believes the challengers will win. Foley said he believes the election results will prove that voters in his district support him.<\/p>\n

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

Cavin said the infighting has made the primary season difficult. He said he\u2019s ready for it to be over and, as a schoolteacher, he would have traded the last day of school \u2013 which was last Friday \u2013 for the day after the primary \u201cin a heartbeat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Update, 11:45 a.m.<\/p>\n

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

Several of the members of the Timberon Water and Sanitation District I reported on earlier later signed a second letter retracting their previous letter that attacked McMinn, saying they were misled into signing it. You can learn more in this McMinn ad<\/a> that has the details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two prominent Republican legislators from Roswell have been under heavy attack from their primary opponents in a public brawl some say threatens to divide the party and others say reveals a chasm that already exists. Nothing has been off limits as House Minority Whip Dan Foley\u2019s challenger has hit him for a number of public […]<\/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-3307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3307","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=3307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}