I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
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Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
State Auditor Hector Balderas is shown here with Michelle Obama campaigning in Las Vegas, N.M. earlier this year. (Photo courtesy of Barack Obama’s campaign)
Hector Balderas said he’s trying to keep in the proper perspective the fact that he’s been named as a strong contender to become the state’s next lieutenant governor.
“I’m really at this point, I think, going through what every voter and citizen in New Mexico is going through,” the 35-year-old state auditor said in an interview on Monday. “I’m really excited about the opportunity for change, and I’m really excited that new leaders are getting opportunities. I’m just proud to be considered in that dynamic.”
For Balderas, the youngest Hispanic statewide elected official in the nation, the rise to prominence has been quick. A little more than two years ago, he was a second-term state representative from Wagon Mound, a community north of Santa Fe on I-25 that has fewer than 400 and one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the nation. A desire to make a difference, an eye for political opportunity and a little bit of luck catapulted him to being named by many politicos as a top candidate — if not the frontrunner — to become lieutenant governor now that Gov. Bill Richardson is taking a job in the Obama administration and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is set become the first female governor in New Mexico history.
While most Democratic insiders aren’t talking on the record about their belief that Balderas is — or at least should be — a top contender for the job, the below-the-radar chatter is widespread, and both the Santa Fe New Mexican and Albuquerque Journal mentioned it.
Balderas said he’s waiting for the “official announcement” that Obama selected Richardson as commerce secretary, but acknowledged the coming shift and said he is interested in being appointed by Denish to fill the lieutenant governor vacancy.
“I would anticipate that it’s likely that we’ll have a Gov. Denish soon, and we’ll have a Secretary Richardson soon, and, in that situation, I would certainly consider the position,” he said.
Denish’s spokeswoman said the lieutenant governor isn’t commenting on Balderas or any other potential candidates to fill her shoes and pointed out that Obama hasn’t officially announced Richardson as his commerce secretary. Another politico who expressed interest in the job is Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments.
Rise to prominence
Balderas kicked off his political career in 2004, when at 29, he was elected to the state House. He beat the odds when he defeated a Democratic incumbent in the primary by a two-to-one margin and then beat a Republican in the general election. Before moving back to his hometown of Wagon Mound to run for that office, he was an assistant district attorney in Albuquerque.
Balderas got his big political break in 2006, when then-Democratic state auditor candidate Jeff Armijo was pressured by the governor, the speaker of the House and others to quit the race because of allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a female campaign volunteer. Armijo was indicted on a felony charge and three misdemeanors in the case, but the charges were later dropped.
In the meantime, the party replaced Armijo on the ballot with Balderas, who was elected two months later at age 33, making him the youngest statewide Hispanic elected official in the nation.
As the state’s auditor, Balderas has worked to increase the influence of his office by employing its previously little-used subpoena power in special audits, hiring criminal investigators and developing a fraud hotline. Hispanic Business Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the nation in 2007. Last week, he was named to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Board of Directors.
‘A privilege to even be considered’
During his tenure as auditor, Balderas has earned the respect of progressive and conservative Democrats. That’s one of many positives people who are pushing his appointment to lieutenant governor cite.
Balderas said he has heard such talk, and he’s honored by it.
“To be thrown around as a possible lieutenant governor nominee, truly it’s been kind of reflective of the work and the kind of people that I want to serve,” Balderas said. “But for me, it’s just been a privilege to even be considered. … First and foremost, I am committed to the greater interest that government stabilize itself and that the citizens of New Mexico, if there are vacancies and positions, that they absolutely receive the strongest leadership that they can.”
Balderas said he has “not asked (Denish) directly” to appoint him as lieutenant governor and he’s not lobbying for the job. Instead, he said, he’s talking about his record “and the kind of politics and government that I seek,” and waiting to see whether Denish believes “that it would be a nice fit.”
“That’s really all I’ve done this far, is just maintained good relationships and just did my job the best that I could,” Balderas said. “… I’m pretty flattered to be in this position.”
