CORRALES — In the mellow, sun-dappled New Mexico afternoon, someone
suggests Ben Ray Luján take a seat on the hay ride during the Corrales
Harvest Festival.
To that idea, the 36-year-old says he could actually drive the tractor that's pulling the wagon loaded with festival-goers.
Luján, a member of the Public Regulation Commission, makes the offhand comment in jest.
But in a way, the line is a key part of the Democrat's approach on
the campaign trail: convince voters he can go from rural New Mexico to
the beltway — without forgetting his tractor-driving, Nambé roots.
In the end, Luján doesn't drive or ride behind the tractor. With
roasting green chile wafting heavily in the air, he shakes some hands
in the area at the southern edge of the 3rd Congressional District and
heads off to a town hall in nearby Rio Rancho.
It doesn't take long before Luján is all policy, talking health
care, energy and education with a clearly supportive audience and
friends who present easy questions and offer plenty of compliments. He
works again later to tie himself back to his beginnings, talking about
growing up in a rural community north of Santa Fe.
The day — which started with a breakfast in Cuba and then a
sparsely attended outdoor rally in San Felipe Pueblo — is a typical one
on the campaign trail for Luján. Son of House Speaker Ben Luján, he now
seems a natural, flowing from handshake to handshake, easily asserting
the key points of his campaign in front of crowds.
The ease with which he campaigns now is different from how it was
in the six-way primary race, during which Ben Ray Luján at times seemed
nervous, stiff.
Plenty of practice out in the expanses of the district apparently
has helped. "Getting an opportunity to travel the district, I guess you
learn every day," he said when asked about his campaign style.
After he emerged the victor in the primary, Ben Ray Luján's
outlook, too, appears to have changed. Like the other candidates, he
talks about what he'll do when he's elected. And he knows what
committees he'd like to serve on, what topics he'd like to work on most
in Congress.
There is a reason for his confidence.
So far, Ben Ray Luján is the favorite in the race, according to a recent
Albuquerque Journal poll,
which gave him 41 percent, but he says he's not counting out his
competitors. Even though Republican Dan East and Independent Carol
Miller trailed well behind, 27 percent were undecided or wouldn't say,
according to the poll done Sept. 29 to Oct. 2.
With the most name identification in the race, Ben Ray Luján also is the magnet for the most criticism.
An anonymous flyer circulated last week suggesting an investigation
be launched into a campaign e-mail apparently sent from the computer of
a state employee during work hours.
Ben Ray Luján said he didn't know the employee sent e-mail on work
time and canceled an event that was mentioned in the mail to show he
doesn't condone what happened.
Detractors also have suggested he isn't qualified to represent New Mexico on Capitol Hill.
Ben Ray Luján graduated from Pojoaque High School 1990. In the 18
years since, he has shot to one of the state's highest-paying elected
jobs: Public Regulation Commission member. Elected in 2004, he started
the $90,000-a-year job in 2005, serving as chairman from 2005 through
2007.
After high school, he took some introductory classes at The
University of New Mexico, and last year finally completed his college
degree at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas.
Along the way, he has worked as a casino dealer, in human resources
at a race track, in the State Treasurer's Office under Michael Montoya
and at the Cultural Affairs Department. He served as deputy state
treasurer, but he wasn't implicated in the kickback scandal that led to
prison time for Montoya and Montoya's successor, state Treasurer Robert
Vigil.
Ben Ray Luján points to his experience at the commission as
experience that qualifies him for Capitol Hill. "The work I've done on
the commission, the hearing process, bringing counsel in and (chief
executive officers) in and looking them in the eye and holding them
accountable," he said. "The rule-making process, working with
colleagues, going through large amounts of hearings and filings ... all
of my experience at the PRC will allow me to hit the ground running."
During the campaign, he has emphasized his willingness to stand up
to company executives. He recently asked for a study of the salaries of
companies including the Public Service Company of New Mexico. The
commission's general counsel is reviewing the information collected by
the PRC, he said this week.
On the campaign trail, Ben Ray Luján has repeated lines about his
willingness to stand up to big companies regulated by the PRC including
PNM and Qwest.
When asked for comment about the company's dealings with him during
recent cases — which include a rate increase sought by the utility — a
PNM representative declined to comment.
A spokesman for Qwest, which tussled with the commission over how
much it should be required to invest in the state's infrastructure,
said the telecommunications company wished Ben Ray Luján luck in his
race, but didn't comment on its dealings with him.
The commission in 2007 ordered Qwest to credit a total of $15
million to customers as part of a December 2006 settlement. The
settlement stemmed from a 2001 regulatory agreement in which Qwest had
agreed to spend $788 million on the state's telecommunications system
but came up about $220 million short. The 2006 settlement, under which
Qwest is spending about $270 million for the customer credits,
additional high-speed service and other improvements, ended litigation
between the company and the commission.
Like the other candidates, Ben Ray Luján has plenty more packed days between now and the election.
So what keeps him up during the grueling campaign hours?
It's the stories he hears on the campaign trail, the people he
meets, he says. "When you get a chance to share those stories, that's
what gets me through this."
Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or
knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog, Green Chile Chatter, at www.santafenewmexican.com.
BEN RAY LUJáN JR., DEMOCRAT
Family: Single; son of state House Speaker Ben Luján and Carmen Luján; one brother and two sisters
Hometown: Nambé
Education: New Mexico Highlands University, bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in management, 2007
Age: 36
Years in New Mexico: I was born and raised in New Mexico.
Occupation: Member of Public Regulation Commission
Have you ever been arrested for, convicted of, charged with or accused of a felony or misdemeanor? No.
Have you or any company you've owned or own ever filed a bankruptcy petition?
Best meal you can cook from scratch: Green chile chicken enchiladas
Name the last book you read: I recently re-read Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya.
What alternative energy programs do you use, either in your car, at your home or at your work? My car is a hybrid, and I make sure we practice energy efficiency at the campaign office and at my PRC office.
Name the last charity for which you volunteered. I
handed out compact fluorescent lightbulbs with the Sierra Club after
working with the club to initiate their lightbulb exchange.
What role, if any, does spirituality play in your life? My faith is very important to me and helps me make every decision with integrity and the good of others in mind.
When was the last election in which you didn't vote?
I missed a vote on a school bond issue about a month ago because I was
out of town at a Public Regulation Commission meeting and a series of
meetings in Albuquerque.
What kind of car do you drive in New Mexico? Mercury Mariner hybrid
Campaign Web site: www.benrlujan.com
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