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New Mexico Secretary of State Mary Herrera
First-term Democratic Secretary of State Mary Herrera is giving some New Mexico Democrats heartburn with as the Nov. 2 election election approaches.
Whether Democrats like it or not, the embattled Herrera is on the ballot. The deadline for replacing a candidate on the ballot passed last week — Sept. 7 — according to state law.
Herrera, the state’s top elections official, is in the political fight of her life. She stands publicly accused of wrongdoing by three former employees, two of whom have threatened to sue her under the state’s whistle-blower act.
Adding to her woes is the worsening of her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of the state’s 33 county clerks, one of whom – Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza, a Democrat – has come out publicly to endorse Herrera’s Republican opponent, state Sen. Dianna Duran.
A public airing of dirty laundry, and what appears to be a full-blown mutiny, is rare for any public official. But during election time it’s startling, leading one long-time observer to say the GOP is in the best position to wrest the statewide office from Democrats for the first time in 80 years.
Perhaps then it came as no surprise when there were rumblings recently that some in the Democratic party leadership had asked Herrera, a former Bernalillo County clerk, to consider stepping aside — or at least let the state party take charge of her campaign.
Gov. Bill Richardson declined twice Friday to respond to The Independent’s question if he or a representative had approached Herrera to talk about stepping down.
The question is largely academic now, with the window for replacing a candidate now closed. State law requires an appointment to fill a vacancy on the ballot 56 days prior to a general election.
Herrera attacks foes, defends her record
In an unsolicited telephone interview with The Independent on Friday afternoon, Herrera acknowledged hearing the rumors about being asked to step aside. They are false, she said. No one ever approached her, she said.
Herrera also said she believed that time will vindicate her.
“Pretty soon all the truth will come out,” Herrera said. “I have done nothing wrong.”
Herrera’s former officer manager, communications director and elections director all have gone to the FBI to allege wrongdoing in her office. The allegations range from forcing employees to solicit “sponsorships or donations” from businesses that contract with the state to possible kickbacks on contracts and having office employees campaign for Herrera on state time.
Herrera has repeatedly dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
On Friday, she sounded a similar refrain. Herrera said a small group of county clerks and the former disgruntled employees have it in for her. She also implied that the media is complicit in the attacks that have turned her re-election bid into a slow-motion train wreck.
“I’m going to tell it like it is,” Herrera said. “It’s the few county clerks who call the press. You have to sell your papers. That’s the bottom line. They are not going to stop.”
Herrera declined to name the county clerks she was accusing of treachery.
Herrera’s tenure is marked by high staff turnover, controversy
Herrera has overseen the state’s elections system during historic times, including the mostly blemish-free 2008 presidential year election. The disastrous Democratic presidential primary in 2008 was a party-run affair, with minimal state involvement, Herrera has said.
But her four-year tenure has been marked by occasional controversies and scandals, as well as high staff turnover.
There were hints early on during Herrera’s tenure of dissension within the ranks as Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican reported last week. Terrell got a hold of the resignation letter by Daniel Ivey-Soto, Herrera’s first elections director, who left after a few months on the job.
The letter reflects increasing tension between Ivey-Soto and Herrera’s top deputy, Francisco Trujillo II, a former Taos County Commissioner who is Herrera’s right-hand man.
Herrera also has shown a hyper-vigilant streak, asking state police to conduct a sweep for electronic bugs and filed public-information requests for e-mails of past and present staff members and certain political enemies.
During her interview with The Independent, Herrera repeatedly defended her tenure as the state’s top elections official.
“I feel very much at peace,” Herrera told The Independent. “I know I have done a great job. I’ve run the greatest elections in decades. I have saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars.”
“Everyone says ‘Why are you still smiling?’ I am at peace. I know all of this is false,” she said.
As for her detractors, “To me they’re bad people,” she said.
Duran is a formidable opponent
Even if Herrera hadn’t had her own troubles to bog her down, she might have had a hard time this year. Trends appear to favor the GOP, fueled by the poor economy and the numerous scandals that have afflicted New Mexico in recent years. Several high-profile Democrats have either pleaded guilty or been convicted of corruption, while others have been indicted.
In Duran, Herrera faces a dangerous opponent: a GOP state senator with a working knowledge of the state elections code after two terms as Otero County Clerk.
County clerks run local elections.
Duran says she will restore integrity to the Secretary of State’s office and said last week she hopes to raise enough money – with help from the state Republican party — to buy TV ads to tell New Mexicans her story and to hammer away at Herrera.
Herrera hopes for TV commercials too, she said Friday. Asked if she had the money currently to book time for commercials now, the Secretary replied, “I’m raising it.”
She’s not having trouble raising money, Herrera said, just “trouble with time. I have so many people who want to have functions for me.”
Herrera often sounded confident about her chances for re-election. But at other points during the interview she sounded resigned to a possible defeat.
Appearing to acknowledge the challenges that lay ahead — the allegations, the staff mutiny- Herrera said of voters, “If they believe all these lies, maybe I won’t be re-elected.”
