Twenty aging Rio Arriba County Republican Party faithful met for a biennial convention April 5 in Alcalde to discuss their party’s future in the aftermath of nationwide losses in last year’s elections.
The County party suffers from low morale, is nearly broke and has few young members, Party Chairwoman Geraldine Sanchez acknowledged. But 2009 will be the year the party turns all that around, she said.
“We’re just going to start all over again,” Sanchez said. “Hopefully we’ll get some Republicans back.” Republicans did not challenge Democratic candidates for any elected County offices in 2008. In the presidential election, Republican John McCain garnered only 24 percent of the County vote and lost by 50 percentage points to Democrat Barack Obama. McCain’s poor turnout came just four years after former President George W. Bush received a surprisingly high 34 percent of the vote in the Democrat-dominant County.
Sanchez’s goal is not merely to support Republicans in statewide and federal elections but to mount a serious challenge to Democrats for a County commission seat, Sanchez said.
A Republican hasn’t run for a County Commission seat since 2002. Two of the three seats will be up for election next year.
Former Third Congressional District candidate Dan East announced at the meeting his intention to run for congress again in November 2010. East was defeated by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-Nambé) 57 percent to 30 percent in 2008. Lujan is currently serving a two-year term in the seat vacated by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM).
The County Republican Party is strongest in the northern towns of Los Ojos and Chama and the western ones of Lindrith and Gallina, Sanchez said.
“I fear for my grandchildren,” East said of Democratic victories in 2008. “I hope we see a swing back to conservative values in the mid-term elections.”
That message resonated with attendees, but conversations among them centered around fiscal rather than social concerns.
Darlene and Lee Hickerson, who live south of Ojo Caliente, expressed concern with Obama’s economic strategy.
“I want job stimulation with tax relief,” Darlene Hickerson said.
Lee Hickerson agreed. Small manufacturing firms could be attracted to Northern New Mexico with the right tax breaks, he said.
“The Democrats have controlled the legislature for 75 years in this state, and we’re behind economically because of that,” he said. “Emphasis has been on giveaways and welfare for the poor. With small business, we could be creating jobs and the area would prosper.”
County Republicans must overcome several significant obstacles before they can challenge Democrats, Sanchez said.
One problem is that there are few young people among its ranks, Sanchez said. That was evident at the meeting where very few of the attendees were younger than 50.
Another problem for County Republicans is that the Party coffers are nearly empty. The Party’s balance is currently $745, according to a County Central Committee financial report.
Perhaps most daunting for Sanchez is the low morale among Rio Arriba Republicans.
Only 20 of 1,900 party members in the County showed up to the meeting in Alcalde.
“It’s difficult to get people from Lindrith and Chama, the outskirts areas, especially with the weather,” Sanchez said.”
Sanchez was re-elected County Party chairwoman at the meeting and will serve her third term through 2011. Her husband, Paul Sanchez, and Betty Jo Welch, of Lindrith, were elected vice chairs, and Party Secretary-Treasurer Theresa Martinez was re-elected. Martinez is not related to former County Democratic Party chairwoman Theresa Martinez.