{"id":41626,"date":"2012-08-28T20:33:31","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T02:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=41626"},"modified":"2012-08-29T20:45:54","modified_gmt":"2012-08-30T02:45:54","slug":"erhard-pledges-to-focus-on-the-plight-of-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2012\/08\/erhard-pledges-to-focus-on-the-plight-of-the-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Erhard pledges to focus on \u2018the plight of the people\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Evelyn<\/a>

Evelyn Madrid Erhard<\/p><\/div>\n

Many have a difficult time on America\u2019s \u2018uneven playing field,\u2019 Evelyn Madrid Erhard, the Democrat taking on U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., says. She wants to \u2018work with farmers, ranchers, the oil industry, whoever it is necessary to work with to achieve balance and to make sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.\u2019<\/h4>\n

\u201cI\u2019m running for congress, and I\u2019m a Democrat,\u201d Evelyn Madrid Erhard<\/a> offers strongly and convincingly.<\/p>\n

I ask Erhard, why now? Here\u2019s what she says:<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to Las Cruces in 1975, and for most of that time the district has been Republican. First it was Joe Skeen<\/a> and now it is Steve Pearce<\/a>. They\u2019re always with the Republicans \u2013 there was the \u2018Contract for America,\u2019 Skeen was there for the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Halliburton incidents and so on. Now the Republicans are bringing the U.S. close to failure and deep poverty.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her website includes this note: \u201cTheir agenda was always to take care of their own interests and the interests of the top 1%. They have supported laws that created corporate loopholes and stripped American workers of pension and health insurance benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of those concerns, and having received leadership recognition from the Democratic National Committee and being invited to participate in Hispanic leadership conferences, Erhard felt that her time to try and make a big difference had come.<\/p>\n

Although always a long time political observer \u2013 \u201cI remember having an interest in politics starting about the time that JFK was assassinated,\u201d she said \u2013 Erhard never really had an opportunity to get involved until the Obama campaign of 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband really encouraged me, even though I was busy all the time,\u201d she said. \u201cHe knew that I listened to other people\u2019s stories, and when the Obama office opened here in 2008, he told me to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n

She did, and found herself busy as a volunteer from the first day. She helped sign up more volunteers and assisted in arranging campaign events locally for Obama and former U.S. Congressman Harry Teague<\/a>, who lost to Pearce in the last election.<\/p>\n

Her efforts did not go unnoticed, and in 2009, she was one of a handful of supporters to be chosen to meet President Barack Obama at a rally in Rio Rancho.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did a talk and there were some pictures of us taken with him,\u201d she said. \u201cHe… encouraged me to continue to work hard, and recently has given me his support for my campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

A grassroots candidate\u2019s uphill battle<\/h3>\n

Erhard faces an uphill battle in her race against the incumbent Pearce. One could argue that the election system of this country always gives short shrift to perceived underdogs or those who don\u2019t fare well in polls or with the media, or who don\u2019t receive proper support from party officials.<\/p>\n

There have been no publicly-released polls of this race in part because of the lack of attention on it. To date, Erhard hasn\u2019t accomplished what it takes to generate buzz in today\u2019s political and media worlds. As of June 30, she had less than $3,500 on hand to Pearce\u2019s $815,000.<\/p>\n

But one would probably have to look long and hard to find a more grassroots, non-third party candidate for national office than Erhard, the Democratic candidate for New Mexico\u2019s 2nd Congressional District.<\/p>\n

Her campaign is decidedly low key and without a huge advertising budget and any professional handlers as she crisscrosses the district without the use of polished political consultants. \u201cI\u2019m not even aware of what the salary is for this job, is and I don\u2019t want to know,\u201d Erhard noted in our recent interview. \u201cThe issues are much more important to me than the salary.\u201d<\/p>\n

In case you are interested or want to run for the office yourself next time, the salary is $174,000 a year, with an annual cost-of-living increase. Retirement benefits kick in after five years in office. And the only requirements to run for such an office are to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and to live in the state that you want to represent. You do not have to live in the district you want to represent until you file to run for office.<\/p>\n

New Mexico has three districts, with District 2 covering the most ground (not to mention being the 6th largest in the Unite States), reaching clear up to I-40 in two spots. The area is lightly inhabited and has Hispanic majority.<\/p>\n

Erhard\u2019s staff is small and made up of what appear to be younger volunteers. Her media contact person is Mark Steffen, a well-known local filmmaker and media consultant who is working on his first political campaign. Steffen is also her chief assistant, helping to make appointments and accompanying her to appearances around the district. The small budget for her campaign has effectively not allowed for the hiring of any outside consultants.<\/p>\n

The \u2018uneven playing field\u2019<\/h3>\n

Erhard was born in Espa\u00f1ola in 1955, and said, \u201chow I came into the world has a lot to do with how my parents\u2019 lives and careers came together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erhard went on to tell the story of how her parents met prior to World War II, then married and lived with a set of grandparents until her father served in the war as a medic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey used to group the men by their skills, and he had some first aid training from high school,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was later asked to help with more serious wounds and injuries and became a surgical assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted the boost that the GI Bill gave her father after the war. It helped get a lot of returning vets back into the world and workplace, something that she feels strongly needs to happen now to get present-day Americans and returning veterans back on their feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t born into poverty. I did have some extraordinary opportunities while growing up, too. My father became a teacher and basketball coach and my mother worked at Los Alamos National Lab,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, I want to try and make sure other people receive opportunities as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erhard attended New Mexico State University and, after graduating, had her first job at White Sands, working for Lockheed as a technical writer.<\/p>\n

But her interests were more diverse than that. She worked for the speech department at NMSU later and also owned a small business in Mesilla, the Patchwork Cat, in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt did really well the first year, but after that my husband (Tom, a retired drama\/theatre professor at NMSU) has some health issues, and the economy was not there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

They persevered and, along the way, Erhard started learning more about what she labeled the \u201cuneven playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would go to buying shows and the representatives from the \u2018big box\u2019 stores would always get a big break, and I was thinking that the (small) shops could have done better,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018The plight of the people\u2019<\/h3>\n

Erhard\u2019s small business was not meant to be, and after closing her store, she went back to teach at NMSU. That\u2019s where, she said, she began to hear about the \u201cplight of the people,\u201d which has become the fuel for her congressional campaign.<\/p>\n

While an instructor in a public speaking class, Erhard talked with a student who submitted an essay that Erhard found moving.<\/p>\n

The woman was a non-traditional student, and Erhard asked why she was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said she had been working for a local company for 20 years, and just recently had been required to go to part-time employment, she had lost her benefits, and had divorced,\u201d Erhard said. \u201cShe had two kids and wanted to learn something new or pick up a new trade for another part time job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erhard compared this to her own situation, a fortunate one with some degree of security, and it really opened her critical thinking about was really going on around her. Here\u2019s what she said about that:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy heart was big enough to know how things were for many other people, but I was always too busy to get involved in helping to change that. I was always paying attention and also tried to share with others how to use critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d think, here are the issues, and I should study them from both sides. Most of us aren\u2019t shown how to look at things from the other side, so critical thinking is important for me to look at what goes on in politics. It is not necessarily wanting to be right or correct, but to vote for what your needs are.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not asking for Republicans to vote for me, although that would be appreciated, but rather for them to use their own critical thinking skills when they do vote\u2026 what are your needs?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Erhard noted that she has heard the same story that her former student told her over and over again the last few years.<\/p>\n

As a community activist, Erhard was busy again in 2010, working in Southern New Mexico to get people to register to vote. Motivated in part by the passage of SB 1070<\/a> in Arizona, the controversial \u201cSupport Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,\u201d she said she wanted immigrants in New Mexico to know someone cared. She also attended the Hispanic Congressional Caucus Institute, which helped motivate her to run for a top office in her first attempt to be elected.<\/p>\n

A would-be first if elected<\/h3>\n

If elected, Erhard said she plans to take her communication and leadership skills to Washington, and is presently working with all sorts of organizations \u2013 Hispanic, women\u2019s groups, and others \u2013 to help her break that barrier that so many people face \u2013 recognition for their talent and abilities.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\u201cNone<\/a><\/dt>\n

\u201cNone of this is good for working people. They don\u2019t have dreams anymore. \u2026 We\u2019re one disaster away from being in poverty.\u201d \u2013 Evelyn Madrid Erhard<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

New Mexico has a light history of women elected for national office. Other than former congresswoman Heather Wilson<\/a>, a Republican who is now running for U.S. Senate, only one other New Mexico woman has been in Congress, even though the state has sent representatives to Congress since long before statehood, beginning in 1853.<\/p>\n

Georgia Lee Lusk<\/a>, a fascinating woman from Eastern New Mexico, defeated six Democratic Party bosses to win the nomination for U.S. representative in 1946, then easily won the general election. Her national career was cut short when she was defeated the next election, but she remained active in state politics until 1960.<\/p>\n

Another unsung female heroine of New Mexico politics is Adelina Otero-Warren<\/a>, who shocked party bosses when, as a suffragette and advocate for New Mexico art, education and Hispanic tradition, she won the Republican nomination for Congress in 1922. Although defeated, she was later appointed the head of the state Civilian Conservation Corps by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.<\/p>\n

Erhard would be the first Hispanic New Mexico woman to hold national public office, something many may find hard to believe considering the state\u2019s 150-year political heritage.<\/p>\n

\u2018No one is listening to us\u2019<\/h3>\n

\u201cI care about you and I know the importance of getting people out to vote. No one is listening to us,\u201d has become Erhard\u2019s personal mantra of sorts.<\/p>\n

She is also an advocate of bringing jobs back to the United States that have been given to other countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of this is good for working people. They don\u2019t have dreams anymore. Dreams of owning their own homes are gone. That has become the norm in District 2. Many of them can\u2019t even afford to buy the stuff that is made overseas,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re one disaster away from being in poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erhard said she\u2019s been \u201cgetting ready\u201d to run for Congress for a decade, and recently her husband told her she was ready. In Congress, she said she is more than willing to \u201creach across the aisle\u201d and work with Republicans on the issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been paying attention for a long time,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to work with farmers, ranchers, the oil industry, whoever it is necessary to work with to achieve balance and to make sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes. Everyone needs to pay their fair share.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erhard is in a unique position to bring Georgia Lee Lusk\u2019s thought to truth:<\/p>\n

\u201cMen will listen to women, but they are unwilling to give them recognition.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She is determined to bring her dexterity and passion to the forefront to try and work for everyone in District 2, thus giving Lusk\u2019s comment credence by becoming the first Hispanic woman from New Mexico to hold national office.<\/p>\n

Jeff Berg is a Las Cruces based freelance\u00a0writer who would like to thank the people who donated to\u00a0NMPolitics.net\u00a0for making this article happen! This article has been updated for clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many have a difficult time on America\u2019s \u2018uneven playing field,\u2019 Evelyn Madrid Erhard, the Democrat taking on U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., says. She wants to \u2018work with farmers, ranchers, the oil industry, whoever it is necessary to work with to achieve balance and to make sure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2800,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[156,229,116],"class_list":["post-41626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-2012-election","tag-2nd-congressional-district-race","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41626","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\/2800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}