{"id":40522,"date":"2012-06-01T08:03:49","date_gmt":"2012-06-01T14:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=40522"},"modified":"2015-09-26T20:18:36","modified_gmt":"2015-09-27T02:18:36","slug":"in-senate-race-nms-future-is-in-balderas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2012\/06\/in-senate-race-nms-future-is-in-balderas\/","title":{"rendered":"In Senate race, NM\u2019s future is in Balderas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jake<\/a>

Jake McCook<\/p><\/div>\n

Why would we nominate the candidate who leads the pack with money, polling and political endorsements? Hector is one of the most well-respected candidates my generation has seen in New Mexico politics.<\/h4>\n

In the race to fill New Mexico\u2019s open U.S. Senate seat, our voters have a unique opportunity to send a native son to Washington D.C. As a native of Colfax County who works in Washington and cannot vote in this election \u2013 or for any voting member of Congress for that matter \u2013 I am urging Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico to support the one candidate who I believe can truly represent our voices in the halls of Congress. That candidate is Hector Balderas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By now voters are aware of Hector\u2019s hometown roots \u2013 roots which I share and believe make him uniquely suited for the office he seeks. What other candidate knows what it\u2019s like to grow up from the land, in a town of less than 300 people, as I did? What other candidate was raised in public housing and created a future for himself despite all odds?\u00a0Which candidate will take the community values cultivated at New Mexico high school basketball games and county fairs with him to Washington?\u00a0Which candidate carries with him the weekend visits from Highlands back home on I-25 or en route to the Legislature in Santa Fe to fight for his community? Which candidate can bring those experiences with him the U.S. Senate?<\/p>\n

There is only one.<\/p>\n

Supporting Hector simply because of where he comes from is not enough, and I know this. I also support Hector for his stalwart dedication to issues important to our citizens, and because I truly believe \u2013 and I say this as a young gringo with a brown soul \u2013 that New Mexico needs a Hispanic voice to represent our state at this moment in time. The Senate needs one as well, and we are lucky to have that voice in Hector.<\/p>\n

For the past several years, New Mexico has had a loyal watchdog in Hector Balderas. As state auditor, he has combated wasted, fraud and abuse in government \u2013 a collective problem that has plagued our state and Washington for too long. Voters from all four corners and throughout the country are frustrated at the lack of oversight and accountability of their tax dollars. Why not elect someone whose primary job has been \u2013 on a statewide level \u2013 to do just that?<\/p>\n

Focusing on education and job training is exactly what our congressional leaders should be doing for New Mexico\u2019s future. But this isn\u2019t just a campaign platform for Hector \u2013 it\u2019s part of who he is. A product of our educational institutions, Hector will no doubt be a fierce advocate for our high schools, vocational centers, junior colleges and universities to prepare our state for the future \u2013 a future that has too often been neglected by those who know not the challenges and potentials of New Mexico\u2019s youth. As a product of Colfax County schools myself, I can tell you it is the most important issue for my generation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s our future at stake<\/h3>\n

This election is very personal and important to me,\u00a0and I have been\u00a0frustrated at what has been imbalanced coverage in favor of establishment candidates.\u00a0With such an important election, why would we allow the incumbency factor to dictate our nominee? It\u2019s crucial that our coverage represent the diversity of New Mexico, and that our candidates are presented on equal footing.<\/p>\n

Much has been said about experience in this race, but I wonder, with all the disenchantment of government and politics, why would we nominate the candidate who leads the pack with money, polling and political endorsements? Hector is one of the most well-respected candidates my generation has seen in New Mexico politics. It\u2019s our future at stake, and with all due respect to the other candidates, no one represents New Mexico\u2019s future better than Hector Balderas.<\/p>\n

On June 5th, this native New Mexican in D.C. won\u2019t be able to cast a ballot for him in this race \u2013 but I hope you will.<\/p>\n

Jake McCook is a native New Mexican working on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. He was part of the 2005 New Mexico Fellows Program class with the Department of Cultural Affairs, and later worked for Gov. Bill Richardson\u2019s presidential campaign. He\u00a0grew up on an organic farm in Colfax County and\u00a0is a 2001 graduate of Maxwell High School.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why would we nominate the candidate who leads the pack with money, polling and political endorsements? Hector is one of the most well-respected candidates my generation has seen in New Mexico politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2842,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192,16],"tags":[156,1283,227,116],"class_list":["post-40522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-guest-columns","tag-2012-election","tag-hector-balderas","tag-u-s-senate-race","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40522","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\/2842"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}