Meet New Mexico’s freshman class of congressmen

WASHINGTON — While I was loitering in U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan’s foyer the morning after the inauguration a funny thing happened. The superintendent of the building came in to complain about a little table sitting outside the office door in the hallway.

The table held Lujan’s guest book, which, although he had only been in office a few weeks, was already filling up quickly. (Second entry: “Diane Denish”)

“The Speaker has a policy: There can’t be anything in the hall,” the superintendent said. “If I come by tomorrow and it’s still there I have to write you up. If it’s still there after three days, I have to confiscate it. Now I know y’all are freshmen, so I’ll give you a break, but you gotta move it.”

After he walked out, I rolled my eyes at the assistant behind the desk and we both laughed.

In many ways, New Mexico’s three new Democratic members of Congress are like pimply-faced ninth graders trying to make their way in a new school full of older, cooler kids. It’s not a flattering comparison, but it’s true. When we lost U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici and Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, we lost quite a bit of combined seniority in our state’s congressional delegation. In the House, all three of our representatives are starting at square one.

So, to continue the high school metaphor, are Harry Teague, Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich going to play varsity ball and date junior girls? Or will they be relegated to intramural badminton, the chess club, an empty table in the lunchroom?

I sat down for one-on-one interviews with each of them and this is what I found out: These new kids on the block are hangin’ tough.

Harry Teague: Mr. Congeniality

When Harry Teague shakes my hand he uses both of his meaty paws and pumps them heartily. At the same time, he flashes a wide, toothy grin that leaves a strong impression of being entirely authentic.

"My district IS rural America," says Harry Teague.

Teague’s got a great story, one repeated often during the campaign: He lived without running water until the age of nine; when his dad got sick, he left left school at 17 to work in the oil fields. Now, after 50 years in southern New Mexico, he lives the American Dream. His oil-well servicing company has made him a millionaire and years of hard work (and a splash of luck) made him a congressman.

The morning after the inauguration, the freshman congressman from Hobbs is wearing a suit and tie, sitting at a small round conference table made of the same dark wood as the other furniture in his under-decorated office. I ask questions and he responds in a slow, dulcet tenor reminiscent of Mr. Rogers — with a Little Texas twang that’s especially noticeable as he talks about Nuh MEYKS-uh-coh. He’s a polite, humble conversationalist who does a lot of listening and no interrupting.

Although Teague is a newcomer in Washington, he’s got a few good friends from back home who might come in handy. He’s been friends with Diane Denish since he wore short pants and they have remained close friends; Denish’s daughter, Sara Schreiber, is Teague’s communications director in Washington.

He founded a business with Johnny Cope, the chairmain of the New Mexico Transportation Commission and a prominent Richardson supporter. Teague says his relationship with Cope makes for a pleasant synergy with the congressman’s new place on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (I’m paraphrasing here; I’m sure Teague would never use a Dilbert-y word like “synergy.”) And there’s Gov. Bill Richardson, who owes Teague a few favors (and a bunch of money) for lending out his corporate jet during Richardson’s presidential campaign.

Although Teague has been assigned to the Committee on Veterans Affairs and the the transportation and infrastructure panel, he hopes to be particularly influential on energy policy.

“We’ve seen [the price of oil] spike up from a reasonable price to almost $150 [per barrel] that was very unreasonable, then we’ve seen it fall like rain from the sky, you know, just coming down hard and fast. Neither one of those are right, so we needed someone up here like me, that understands energy, that can have an influence on the Democratic caucus.”

While oil and gas revenue is a very important source of revenue in New Mexico, providing the vast majority of money needed for public education, Teague explains, “People who have an average income of $37,000 a year can’t pay $4.87 for gas.”

He touts investment in alternative fuels as the solution.

“We’re gonna have to have someone like me that understands all these parts of the industry so we can bring it together, help our people, help our environment, help keep our companies viable so they can take care of our schools.”

Maybe 30 years from now he’ll be a cynical, jaded old man, but two weeks into his first term, Harry Teague comes across as grounded, humble and responsible.

Martin Heinrich: Class President

The Longworth House Office building was still relatively quiet when I arrived early on the morning of my meeting with U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich. As I walked in the door, the congressman was alone in the office, fussing with a coffee grinder. Eventually he gave up and his director of legislation and communication John Blair brought us coffee from the cafeteria. Heinrich has opted to place more staff back in New Mexico and fewer people in Washington. He has 10 in Albuquerque. By comparison, Lujan has eight staffers back home and Teague has six — in much bigger districts.

“There’s been a long history of constituent services in this district and we want to maintain that,” Heinrich says. “People should have access to their government and constituent services is the number one way to make that happen.”

Martin Heinrich is concentrating hard on constituent services.

Heinrich will have to work hard to hold on to a seat that had been in Republican hands for 40 years. But he’s got several things going for him: He’s good-looking, smart and only two weeks into his new job, he seems completely comfortable, not tentative or unsure in the least.

Part of his task will be paying attention to the voters in the 1st Congressional District, and part will be getting some meaningful things accomplished in his first term. How’s he planning to do that? He’s got some pretty good committee assignments, including a seat on the important Armed Services Committee. That gives him the opportunity to bring home the bacon for Sandia National Labs and Kirtland Air Force Base, two of the most important employers in the district.

He’s also making important connections with the other members. Two weeks ago, Heinrich was chosen as president of the freshman class, making him the liaison between the 32 freshmen Democrats and the rest of the House of Representatives. How did he do that?

“Just like anything else — I asked,” he says.

“Your ability to get things done here is based on people’s perception of you,” he continues. “And if they trust you, if they think you’re a person of your word, your ability to work on behalf of your own constituents back in your home district, is amplified. So it’s really critical to have good relationships with other members.”

Ben Ray Lujuan: Most Popular

Ben Ray Lujan excels at old-fashioned retail politics. Also, he has perfect vision, which is fortunate because he could not possibly wear contact lenses and maintain the most constant level of eye contact I have ever experienced.

When you’re talking to him, Lujan gives the impression that he is really, really paying attention to what you’re saying. Maybe that’s a skill he developed on his own — maybe it’s something he learned from his father, Speaker Ben Lujan, who has been a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives since Ben Ray was a toddler.

Ben Ray Lujan occupies Tom Udall

He is a quick thinker, adept at responding to questions with answers that sound as polished as those in his press releases. Unfortunately, that means he’s also hard to quote … because everything he says sounds like a press release.

Consider this: I ask him, “Would you consider yourself more of a delegater or a micro-manager?” And without blinking or taking a breath, he says, “Well, I would say I’m a team player! We do things together and I encourage ideas … [I say] let’s think outside the box and let’s do it together.”

The morning I visited there was a steady stream of visitors coming in and out. Some were constituents from New Mexico, in town for the inauguration, just stopping in to say “hi”; others came to talk business.

Through the luck of the draw, Lujan not only took the seat, but the actual office of his predecessor, Tom Udall. And it’s a nice office: The ceilings are high, the woodwork wide, the doors heavy. In this spacious room, the walls are painted dark blue and the conference table is topped with a Native American runner, on which sits a Nambe platter commemorating Lujan’s term with the Public Regulation Commission (PRC). Lujan spent five years serving on the PRC. In the House, he’s been assigned to the committees on Homeland Security and on science and technology.

It’s a good office for being photographed in. And that’s exactly what happened the day I was there.

A class of mariachis who had come to Washington to march in the inaugural parade stopped by for a visit and to pose for some pictures with their brand new congressman. Lujan seemed happy to oblige, asking questions about their visit, cracking little jokes. Hanging out with the kids he was much more relaxed than he’d been during our 30-minute interview. And judging by the number of photos they took, the kids were delighted to be there, too.