Illinois politico makes fundraiser stop

U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel backing Ben Ray Luján for Congress

Steve Terrell | The New Mexican

8/7/2008 - 8/8/08

The leisurely diners in the patio of Gabriel's Restaurant north of Santa Fe on Thursday probably had no idea that some serious politics with one of the highest ranking members of Congress was going down in an indoor dining room.

U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the Democratic Caucus leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, was at a closed-door fundraiser for Congressional candidate Ben Ray Luján, who hopes to win Democratic Rep. Tom Udall's seat.

Luján, a Democrat, faces Republican Dan East and independents Carol Miller and Ron Simmons in the general election.

Emanuel, who two years ago was head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is considered one of the chief architects of the Democratic takeover of the House in 2006. That year, Democrats won 30 House seats and regained control from Republicans, who had been in power for 12 years.

Even though reporters were invited to interview Emanuel after the event, like virtually all political fundraisers, reporters were not allowed at the luncheon. This practice encourages politicians to speak candidly with their financial supporters without worrying about their unscripted remarks being repeated in print or on the air.

(One infamous case of this backfiring occurred earlier this year at a San Francisco fundraiser when presidential candidate Barack Obama referred to "bitter" small-town residents clinging to their guns and religion. A cell-phone recording of the remarks was leaked and caused a media uproar.)

The Luján campaign declined to say how much money was raised at the event. The campaign's policy is not to disclose how much is raised at individual events, spokesman Mark Nicaster said. "I can say we were very happy," he said.

Although any contributions will be reported in the next round of campaign finance reports, Nicaster also was tight-lipped about who attended the luncheon. "There were childhood friends, key supporters and family," he said.

While Luján campaign officials including campaign manager Carlos Trujillo, political director Aaron Trujillo and Nicaster chatted with a reporter at Gabriel's bar, well out of earshot of the fundraiser, about 15 to 20 contributors and their guests sat around a large table dining on enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas and — the main attraction at Gabriel's for many people — guacamole made fresh at the table. According to those who were in the room, Luján and Emanuel made brief statements after lunch followed by a 45-minute question-and-answer session with the Illinois representative, who talked about Democrats' chances in New Mexico and the rest of the country.

"The guy is definitely high energy," said state Rep. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, who said he was the only state legislator to attend the luncheon. "You can see the passion and see the leadership that played such an instrumental role in the 2006 election."

"I just left a family vacation in Seattle, and my wife went home with our three little kids, so I said, 'I'm going to go to New Mexico for the day and I'll meet up with them back in Chicago,' " Emanuel told reporters after the fundraiser. He joked that campaigning in New Mexico was easier than a four-hour plane trip with three children.

"I just left Harry Teague," he said, referring to a Thursday morning event for New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidate. "And I'm hightailing it out of here as soon as you and I are done to do a fundraiser and press conference for Martin," he said, referring to Martin Heinrich, the 1st Congressional District's Democratic candidate.

So why would Emanuel spend time coming to a heavy Democratic district that most pundits consider a good bet to stay in Democratic hands?

"Ben Ray and I hit it off real well," Emanuel said. "I supported him financially. And as a former chairman of the DCCC, you don't take anything for granted. He is a friend. I want to see him get elected. But it doesn't come at the expense of helping both Marty and Harry as well.

"All three races are open," Emanuel said, referring to the state's Congressional delegation. "No other state in the country has all (seats) that are going to have new members. We have an opportunity to pick up two seats and the opportunity to maintain obviously a seat Democratic."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.