3rd Congressional District candidates trumpet message

Crowded field leaves little time to tackle tough questions

Kate Nash | The New Mexican

5/14/2008 - 5/15/08

Only two of the nine candidates seeking the seat held by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall followed the rules at a forum Wednesday night.

The task, during closing remarks, was to name just one reason they were seeking office.

Democrats Benny Shendo Jr. and Harry Montoya stuck to their topics at the forum hosted by Temple Beth Shalom.

The rest? Well, they rambled.

But that's life in one of the state's most competitive and interesting U.S. House races in decades.

Five Democrats, two Republicans and two independents are running for the 3rd Congressional District seat, which Udall is giving up to run for U.S. Senate. All attended the two-hour forum except developer and Democrat Don Wiviott, whose campaign said he had a scheduling conflict. A spokesman declined to say what the conflict was.

The panel of candidates was so large, that, once the candidates introduced themselves to the 50 audience members, there was only time for three questions from the audience and then closing remarks. That meant candidates spent much of their time getting out their messages rather than taking on tough questions.

As for those most important issues the candidates were asked to talk about, the topics ran the gamut.

Shendo, a former Department of Indian Affairs Cabinet secretary under Gov. Bill Richardson, said he'd focus on renewable energy. "I think in Northern New Mexico, we have to shift our focus toward renewables in the same way (of) our laboratories' first Manhattan Project," he said. "We can't keep clinging onto the old. We have to make that turn."

Montoya, a Santa Fe County commissioner, said he'd focus on another earthly element, water. "I'm dealing with it now. We're working on providing a sustainable water supply for both the city and county of Santa Fe through the Buckman diversion project."

Ben Ray Luján, a Public Regulation Commission member, said he wanted to improve veteran care, the economy, schools and end the war.

Oh, and there's the matter of gas prices, said Luján, who tried to fit many elements into each of his answers during the debate. "One of the biggest problems facing our national security today is our dependence on foreign oil," he said.

Rudy Martin, a Democrat and lawyer from Dixon, almost followed the rules. His campaign is about ending poverty, he said — and helping veterans. He said he's the only veteran in the race.

"The one thing that drives me in this election is the people of Northern New Mexico," he said. "When I travel through the district, I see nothing but poverty, and we need to change that."

Jon Adams, also a Democrat and a lawyer who grew up in Los Alamos, had a slew of topics he's focusing on, including ending corporate tax breaks, getting more people covered by health insurance and protecting the environment.

Adams said voters should go with someone they trust. "No matter who we pick to be our freshman member of Congress, we have to pick someone we trust," he said.

Marco Gonzales, a Santa Fe Republican lawyer, said he's running because the state needs to send someone with experience to Congress.

"No one on this stage understands better than myself about how to protect the labs," he said, alluding to the decade he spent on Capitol Hill working for U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican. But Gonzales also said he'd focus on making sure Cannon Air Force Base, located in the eastern part of the district, maintains support for its new mission.

Dan East, another Republican, who owns a construction company in Rio Rancho, agreed with Montoya that water is a key issue.

But infrastructure needs are big as well, he said. He said there $250 million in infrastructure needs — including for water infrastructure — in the district. That kind of project creates jobs, something else that's needed in the district.

Carol Miller, a public health policy advocate from Ojo Sarco who is running as an independent, said her campaign is about winning and about offering her experience as a mediator and negotiator. "I stand for peace," she said. "I want to change the militarization of the United States."

Another Independent candidate, Ron Simmons, a longtime educator and Santa Fe home builder, said he'd focus on ending the war in Iraq — and on education. "I still focus on education. It's a key. I think we need to spend more money there, more time there, and the dividends will be spent throughout the state."

Audience members were asked to fill out index cards with questions. Only three were chosen from a sizable stack. They focused on the war in Iraq, on whether gay rights issues should be decided at the federal level and on immigration.

Immigration drew the most diverse answers. The question focused on whether candidates think there is a problem with the current system and whether the Constitution should be changed to not allow children born here to immigrants to become U.S. citizens.

Miller said she opposes a fence along the border and said the United States ought to help countries with economies that are so weak that a good portion of its residents leave. She also said people should understand more about how immigrants lose their legal status. "Most of the people considered illegal — and I don't believe people are illegal — are people who have overstayed their visas," she said.

Gonzales said the country needs to focus on border security. "We need to make sure we're not just talking about the southern border. There's a northern border, and the danger to national security is just the same," he said.

Shendo said the U.S. sends a mixed message to immigrants, with both "Help Wanted" signs on work sites but a "No Trespassing" sign at the border. "I think we can all agree that when it comes to our immigration policy, there's a great deal of hypocrisy," he said, adding the country needs a comprehensive immigration policy.

Simmons said a fence is the wrong way to go. "It's an insult and it's doomed to fail," he said.

Luján, who agreed the current system is broken and a fence isn't the solution, said an immigration policy needs to take many things into consideration. "We need to protect workers, protect families, protect wages and prevent exploitation," he said.

Adams said the U.S. can use technology to secure the border. The fence is "a slap in the face, and it's not going to do any good, and it will be a waste of money," he said.

Montoya, who supports a path to citizenship for immigrants, echoed some of the other candidates in saying the fence won't work. "Criminals do need to be deported as well," he said.

East said employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants should be punished. "We need to have employer sanctions," he said. He also said there needs to be a tamper-proof visa system to help employees verify a person's legal status.

Martin said the immigration debate has been boiled down by TV pundits to a point where viewers are afraid of people with brown skin. He also said there needs to be a better way to deal with children of immigrants.

"Kids with no ties to Mexico are now being sent to a country that's totally foreign to them," he said.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com.