RPNM was divided, DPNM was united: One destroyed a political party, the other destroyed a state.
It is up to us to overcome the challenges facing our state.
What have they done?
For more than a decade, leaders of the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM) have explained away one disappointing election cycle after another as the result of bad luck, bad timing, or weak candidates. Today, however, RPNM's leadership has revealed a deeper problem: the party itself.
What was once discussed quietly behind closed doors is now out in the open. The RPNM Executive Director publicly acknowledged that the party has long been divided. Chairwoman Amy Barela went a step further by identifying herself as the leader of a southeastern New Mexico and rural-county coalition, not as the chair of the RPNM.
The problem is that neither major faction appears to command a majority of the State Central Committee. As a result, political energy is often spent building factional strength and limiting the influence of competing factions rather than unifying Republicans and expanding the party's appeal to voters. Whether one aligns with the Pearce-Barela-Rival faction, the Martinez-Wilson-McClusky faction, or the Johnson-Dunn libertarian wing, the outcome is the same: a divided party that is unable to win statewide elections.
If this pattern continues, Democrats will likely maintain their dominance in New Mexico politics. While the Democratic Party has created many of the state's persistent challenges, RPNM leaders must also accept responsibility for the condition of their own party and why it is unappealing to a majority of New Mexicans. New Mexico's voters deserve a competitive two-party system. Today, neither side appears to be serving the state well.
What am I going to do?
I am not going to spend my time on how to overcome the internal struggles of the Republican Party of New Mexico.
Instead, I will continue focusing on overcoming the challenges facing our state and the country.
Why does New Mexico continue to rank near the bottom in measures of child welfare? Why do so many families feel trapped in cycles of poverty, crime, and underperforming schools? Why does our state continue to lose economic opportunities while other states attract investment and growth?
I will continue to ask difficult questions and point out stories that receive little attention.
I will continue to challenge elected officials when their actions do not match their rhetoric.
And yes, I will occasionally have some fun doing it.
Our favorite congressional sorority sister, Melanie Stansbury, may continue searching the halls of Congress for the latest scandal while her district is dying. Meanwhile, I will keep asking questions closer to home about the decisions being made in Santa Fe and their impact on everyday New Mexicans.
I will continue examining the issues that affect public safety, government accountability, economic opportunity, and the future of our state.
The Republican Party's internal battles will continue with or without me. New Mexico's challenges, however, are far too important to ignore.
What are you going to do?
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