A special election to determine the member of the United States House of Representatives for New Mexico's 3rd congressional district was held on May 13, 1997. Republican Bill Redmond defeated Democrat Eric Serna in a result which flipped this heavily Democratic seat to the Republican column. Redmond replaced Bill Richardson, who resigned from his seat in the House after he was appointed by Bill Clinton to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
New Mexico's state law required the Governor of New Mexico to call for a special election within 10 days of a vacancy in the Congressional delegation to be held 84 to 91 days after the resignation. Governor Gary Johnson set the date of the special election as May 13. The election was held in the backdrop of the 1994 New Mexico gubernatorial election, where a Green Party candidate had taken over 10 percent of the vote and the party as a whole was continuing to grow in strength. All three parties (Democratic, Republican, and Green) held conventions to select their candidates for the special election, and the Democratic Central Committee's selection of Eric Serna proved to be especially controversial due to the "smoke-filled room" selection process it employed. Serna was repeatedly attacked during the campaign by Republicans for ethics complaints against him from his time at the State Corporation Commission, and the campaign was marred by negative campaigning from all sides.
Redmond's victory (by just 3,017 votes) was considered to be a huge upset in the strongly Democratic-leaning district. His win was attributed to the Green Party spoiler effect, the low turnout in the election, and the negative perception of Eric Serna. Redmond would be ousted in the 1998 midterms by future United States Senator Tom Udall, who won by a sizeable margin.
Background District and campaigns
Democratic Congressman Bill Richardson had held New Mexico's 3rd congressional district since it was first created in redistricting after the 1980 census. After serving 8 terms, Richardson was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. The heavily Democratic 3rd district held a large Democratic voter registration advantage, and was widely seen as a safe Democratic seat. The district breakdown was 59 percent Democratic, 29 percent Republican, 2 percent Green, and 9 percent Independent, giving Democrats a wide support base.
The Green Party of New Mexico had run a strong third party campaign in the 1994 New Mexico gubernatorial election, where former Lieutenant Governor Roberto Mondragón claimed 10 percent of the vote statewide, and was growing in strength in New Mexico at the time of the special election.
Nomination process New Mexico's state law required the Governor of New Mexico to call for a special election within 10 days of a vacancy in the Congressional delegation. The law remarks that "... each qualified political party may nominate in the manner provided by the rules of that party." This meant that recognized parties in New Mexico, the Republican Party of New Mexico (GOP), Democratic Party of New Mexico, and the Green Party of New Mexico could nominate candidates through their own independent procedures. Independents were required to collect 4,786 valid petition signatures in order to appear on the ballot.
Pushback against the current nominating rules came from some Democrats in the New Mexico Senate, who worked to get a bill passed that would allow for a primary. Sponsors including Senators Gloria Howes, Dede Feldman, and Pauline Eisenstadt felt that a party primary would "open up" the process. The bill was initially delayed by the Senate Rules Committee because of technical issues with its language. Although it was able to pass this hurdle in committee, Governor Gary Johnson, a Republican, announced that he would veto the legislation, and the bill died before coming to a vote on the floor, leaving the party nomination process unchanged. Johnson cited the potential cost of the a primary ($214,000 to the state and $600,000 to the counties where the special election would be held) as his reason for supporting a veto. When the bill came up for a vote in the State Senate, its defeat was perceived as assured and Senator Ben Altamirano was even quoted as saying, "Is this the dead candidates bill?" The bill to change to a primary system for New Mexico was tabled in the Senate Finance Committee, meaning that even if it were to eventually pass, it would be too late for the May special election.
Richardson did not resign immediately, and waited until just before being confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to leave his Congressional seat. This delayed Johnson's ability to set a special election date, per state law. Richardson was confirmed to his new position on February 13, and resigned as a Congressman on the same day. Governor Gary Johnson set the date of the special election to May 13. Both the Republican and Democratic parties scheduled their nominating conventions for February 22. Earl Potter, chairman of the State Democratic Party, said "It's ours to lose" and noted the registration advantage Democrats had in the 3rd, while Earl Potter, New Mexico GOP chairman, noted that if the Green Party posted a candidate, it would siphon Democratic vote share. The Santa Fe New Mexican's Editorial Board heavily criticized both the Democrats and Republicans for a nominee selection process that it argued put power in the hands of so few people.
Candidate selection process
Democratic Party nomination process Because of the lack of a party primary for the special election, selecting a delegation was up to the Democratic Party of New Mexico's Central Committee. The group consisted of 89 members who would decide the nominee in a small convention together. Initially, there was confusion over the party's rules, where it could be interpreted that the 500 to 600 county central committee members could be the nominating body, but the Democratic Party's Judicial Committee ruled that the party's Central Committee members would nominate a candidate instead.
State Corporation Commissioner Eric Serna became an early favorite in the Democratic Central Committee, as he announced that he had enough support locked in from the 89 Democratic Central Committee members who chose the nominee. Serna met with Democratic leadership to earn their support in Washington, D.C. and to campaign among the delegation there. An early victory for Serna was seen in former Lieutenant Governor Roberto Mondragón's decision not to run for the seat on the Green Party's ticket, and he endorsed Serna. A number of Democrats who considered running for the seat chastised Serna and the Democratic Party for its "back room politics" approach to the nomination, while Serna announced the names of 56 of the 83 member central committee that publicly supported him.
Criticism of the nominating process came from most of the other candidates. A Democratic Party forum was held in Farmington, New Mexico. Gallup Mayor George Galanis vocally called for a primary at the forum but most other candidates focused on different issues instead. Galanis quickly dropped out from the primary, citing a need to focus instead on his own mayoral re-election effort. Galanis noted on dropping out that going through the central committee means "you are dealing with old politicos who are Neanderthals in politics." A group of liberal Democrats, called the "Concerned Democrats of Northern New Mexico", created a 21.5 page questionnaire and announced that they were uncomfortable with the speed at which the nomination was coming forward. Senator Roman Maes, one of the candidates for the Democratic nomination, criticized the process, stating, "Why do you need to raise money for 89 delegates when you don't have to put up any signs or buy any television or radio ads?" Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales dropped out, while Dan Sosa Jr., a former New Mexico Supreme Court Justice, considered jumping into the race (he originally came to a forum to ask people about how to get his name on the ballot, but then joined the other candidates on stage). Maes announced that he was considering a general election write-in campaign due to disgust with the selection process, and then decided to drop out altogether instead.
Democratic leaders scheduled their committee meeting to choose a nominee on February 22, the same day as the Republican meeting. The Democrats held their meeting at the Sagebrush Inn in Taos, New Mexico. Sosa gave a speech to committee members before the vote, criticizing members for rushing to endorse Serna in January when other candidates were still considering runs.
Candidates
Eric Serna, State Corporation Commissioner Ernie Lovato, former Governor of Santo Domingo Pueblo Dan Sosa Jr., former New Mexico Supreme Court justice Santa Fe Mayor Debbie Jaramillo State Senator Roman Maes (dropped out) Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales (dropped out) Gallup Mayor George Galanis (dropped out before convention) Santa Fe lawyer Francesca Lobato
Results Serna successfully won the Democratic nomination at the meeting, with 67 out of the 81 votes cast. 23 of the votes out of the total of 81 were cast by proxy, meaning that the central committee member did not attend in person. Justice Sosa Jr. received 8, Mayor Jaramillo received 2, former Governor Lovato received 2, and Lobato received 0. At 10AM, three hours before the meeting even started, a large sign announcing Serna as the Democratic nominee appeared outside the hotel the vote was taking place in. Upon receiving the nomination, Serna called for unity between Greens and Democrats at a press conference, reminding voters of the 1994 New Mexico gubernatorial election where the Green Party played spoiler to Democratic gubernatorial ambitions.
Republican Party nomination The Republican Party decided to hold a convention with their central committee membership deciding the nominee. Bill Redmond, a pastor for the Santa Fe Christian Church, and State Senator Joe Carraro of Albuquerque both immediately announced their interest as candidates. Another GOP candidate, Rick Lopez, the chief administrative officer for the New Mexico State Engineer Office, in February announced that he was seeking the GOP nomination as well. Thomas Clayton, a Santa Fe lawyer, also sought the GOP nomination. The Republicans held their convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Candidates
Bill Redmond, pastor State Senator Joe Carraro Rick Lopez, chief administrative officer for the state Engineer Office Thomas Clayton, lawyer
Results Bill Redmond received 70 of 134 votes cast in the GOP central committee meeting, and Redmond received the nomination. Redmond had previously been defeated by Richardson in 1996. Senator Carrarro received 33 votes to finish in second place. Governor Johnson briefly appeared at the Republican convention and called for everyone to rally around Redmond. In a speech after receiving the GOP nomination, Redmond called for it as being the time "to discard the liberal agenda."
Green Party nomination