The Primary Election Series: What’s it all about?

The most dramatic change in the NM legislature in re­cent years has been the triumph of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. In 2017 progressive Brian Egolf replaced Republican Don Tripp as Speaker of the House. In 2020 three moderate Democrats were ousted from the Senate, replaced by progressives, leaving both chambers in progressive hands. Progressive clout in the House in­creased with the 2022 elections, and Egolf, who left the House voluntarily, was replaced by even more progres­sive Javier Martinez.

NM progressives come in four flavors, often mixed: (1) those who want to reverse the rise of what some describe as “crony capitalism” and other distributional inequities; (2) those concerned about identity politics, such as wom­en’s rights, gay rights, ethnic equality, etc.; (3) environ­mentalists; and (4) gun control advocates. While versions of these can be found within the Republican camp, it is progressive Democrats who have tried to codify them through legislation.

Speaker Javier Martinez has spent two legislative ses­sions managing these factions, while at the same time accommodating the agenda of a sometimes-progressive governor, who wields a powerful veto stick, while fend­ing off attempts by moderate Democrats and Republicans to quash parts of his agenda. Senate leadership appears to be an unstable alliance between politically correct pro­gressives and more traditional moderates. As the primary election nears, it bears asking, how well have progres­sives fared? Are the primary elections likely to lead to any changes in direction?

Like their moderate Democratic and Republican coun­terparts when they were in power, following the gover­nor’s lead progressives avoided issues voters most want fixed. No effort in either chamber exists to fix education, with plans and deadlines. Chunks of money were tossed at early childhood education but with no accountability. Accountability in higher education? Let them drink wine. A college president whose institution ties for last place in the US News and World Report rankings of Western regional universities will be remembered for his lavish junkets abroad and cases of $800 wine; and that he got away with it.

And while the state’s mental health system — de­stroyed by Governor Susana Martinez a decade ago — has received generous funding, again, no clear plan, no deadlines. Likewise, no urgency exists to raise to New Mexico’s ranking in health care above the normal bottom 10-15, where it stands now, or to address the demoralized workforce in much of state government.

The most striking thing about progressive rule is that legislative ambition has aimed only for modest change, sometimes change nobody knew was needed. The most predictable thing is that they, like previous regimes, have spent money like drunken sailors with record revenues thanks to the frack­ing many of them claim to detest.

Within a narrow lane of modesty, there have been modest achievements, not all of them “progressive” in tone. State cash reserves to cover a rainy day improved our fiscal standing. Anticipating the over­turning of Roe v Wade, an ancient ban on abortions was eliminated; there will be no Arizona here. While they lost — by one vote — a generous paid-sick-leave bill, this popular issue is likely to remain on the progressive agenda. A gun con­trol bill — 7-day waiting period — was passed, although public security, high on the voters’ list of priorities, was ignored so obviously that the governor has called a special session in July to deal with it. A few gestures at improving our tax code resulted in modest increases in corporate taxes and modest income tax reductions for all. Gaps in the coverage of the lottery scholarship were filled. All in all, this leg­islative record of progressives is not much different from legislative records of mod­erate leaders of the past twenty years, and Javier Martinez has proven to be surpris­ingly skilled at pragmatic-driven manage­ment.

Last year, when the bill mandating tam­pons for boys’ bathrooms in every school district in the state was signed into law, I predicted there would be a strong move to flip enough seats in the 2024 elections to form a coalition between moderate Democrats and Republicans in the House or Senate. They have done so before on several occasions. It appears I was wrong.

The tipoff came when Speaker Martinez made clear earlier this month, he would support all incumbent Democrats, pro­gressive or moderate. This suggests two things: first, as he surveys the scene he sees no serious threat to his re-election as Speaker next year. Despite a handful of heated primary races between moderates and progressives, and a last-minute plea from Jeff Apodaca for Norteño Hispanics to elect his favorite candidates, Martinez is probably correct. Moderates challeng­ing progressives and vice-versa will likely cancel each other out, give or take a seat or two, which he can afford. The Senate also appears to be headed back to progres­sive hands, although moderates may gain or lose a seat or two. And Republicans in the general election seem highly unlikely to acquire enough new legislators to be able to form a coalition with the handful of moderates left in the House.

Second, the Bullring lobbyists, whose money flows toward power, not ideol­ogy, have found most of their interests intact. They, not the national money for conservative or progressive causes, still determine the local terms of debate in leg­islative races. This is the real reason pro­gressives refuse to tackle the longstanding failures of New Mexico state government, and why no statewide unified effort to reduce progressive power has emerged. My fellow Democrats, Speaker Martinez seems to say, let us all hold hands and await the probable outcome of the prima­ry and general elections. Welcome to the land of entrenchment.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jose Z. Garcia taught in the Government Department at New Mexico State University for nearly four decades. He was appointed Secre­tary of Higher Education by Gov. Susana Martinez in 2011 and served in that ca­pacity for four years. He writes columns for El Rito Media, owners of the Artesia Daily Press and Rio Grande Sun.)