Is Emerge Causing a "Man Problem" for the Democrat Party?
By Frost McGahey, Investigative Journalist
Emerge is a national organization that recruits, trains, and supports Progressive Democrat women running for office. According to its website, it has helped elect over 100 graduates throughout New Mexico.
Better Together New Mexico considers them harmful because Emerge lawmakers support a national Progressive agenda, such as legalizing recreational marijuana rather than one focused on New Mexico's needs.
The Emerge vision:
"Over the next two decades, the country will no longer be majority white. Rather, there will be a New American Majority – Black, Brown, and Indigenous WOMEN, WOMEN of color, LGBTQ+, young, and Unmarried WOMEN – who will lead our country.
We will elevate our mission to change politics as usual by flipping state legislatures to make them majority female."
Emerge alums have already defeated moderate Democrats and made the NM Democrat Party more Progressive. Grant County has seen this.
In 2020, in the Democratic primary, an Emerge graduate, Siah Correa Hemphill ran against State Senator Gabe Ramos defeating him. She wasn't the only one. Three other Emerge graduates along with one Hispanic male beat Democratic senate incumbents. The defeated senators were all conservative.
In 2018, no Democrat senator lost their race.
"That 2020 Senate cycle was unusually significant because it saw the defeat of five long-serving conservative Democrat incumbents by challengers backed by progressive organizations," said one political commentator.
Of the five Progressive winners, three went on to win in the general election, but two lost. One lost to the Republican Crystal Diamond Brantley.
Many political observers regard the 2020 Democratic Senate primaries as one of the most consequential legislative primaries in modern New Mexico politics. That's because the Democrats, by eliminating the conservatives, substantially changed the ideological makeup of the Senate.
This group of five primary upsets fundamentally changed the ideological balance of the New Mexico Senate. The defeats of five Democrat state senators including Gabe Ramos ended the influence of the chamber's conservative Democratic coalition. This gave Progressive Democrats control of the Senate beginning with the 2021 legislative session
One woman remembers a video from that time when Governor Grisham boasted that through the use of Absentee Ballots she had engineered the removal of the conservative Democrats.
In March of 2021, Grisham's Recreational Marijuana bill, HB 2, passed the legislature. All Democrat state senators voted for; all Republicans against. Now Grant County has had to deal with the homeless and the proliferation of pot shops.
In 2022 when Hemphill's first term was up, she decided not to run again. Chris Ponce became the candidate. Not only did Hemphill not support him, rumors have it that she helped the Santa Fe New Mexican run a hit piece on him. She also donated to Gabby Begay's failed run against Luis Terrazas. Begay was a fellow Emerge alum.
Before that, Gabriel Ramos left the Democrat party and become a Republican. He ran against Ponce and won.
Governor Grisham, although not an Emerge alum, has spoken to Emerge training classes and been a mentor. One Democratic source says she was a mentor for Siah Hemphill. Emerge New Mexico has highlighted the governor as a supporter of the organization and its mission, and she has appeared at Emerge events over the years.
From: the Emerge website:
Today, over 100 Emerge graduates hold positions at nearly every level of New Mexico's state government and are helping drive many of the policies being debated. "Our alums are changing the face of New Mexico politics."
Emerge alums are throughout New Mexico including Grant County. Here are some of the alums:
Siah Correa Hemphill, class of 2019 – former state senator
Gabby Bega – 2019 – Cobre School Board, failed house candidate for District 39
Nancy Stephens - 2023 – Grant County Commissioner, District #1
Guadalupe Cano – 2011 – former Silver City town councilor, failed candidate for Mayor.
Deb Haaland – 2007- former Congresswoman and current candidate for New Mexico governor.
Melanie Stansbury – 2017 - current Congresswoman
The GOP has the Federated Republican Women, but they support GOP candidates. They don't run against them.
