(Updated) NM:03: I Take It Back - Shame on Shendo (and Wiviott Weighs In)

UPDATE 5:40 PM: Benny Shendo has issued a statement explaining his aims and reasons for confronting Lujan about "lifestyle." You be the judge.
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I posted yesterday about my decision not to cover the negative campaigning that's erupted in the NM-03 Congressional race. I said I believed that any one of the top three candidates -- Don Wiviott, Ben R. Lujan, Jr. and Benny Shendo, Jr. -- would make a wonderful Congressman for the Third District. I take it back in the case of Shendo. As far as I'm concerned, he's gone way over the line with comments he made last night about Lujan's personal life. Shendo's attack is lower than low in my book, representing the very worst of what a campaign for public office should be about.

Shendo raised the issue of Lujan's "lifestyle" -- read sexual orientation -- in a candidate forum yesterday in Farmington. He provided no documentation for his accusation. Kate Nash and Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican report:

Benny Shendo Jr. caused a stir at a Monday night candidate forum in Farmington when he asked a question of Ben Ray Luján that implied Luján is gay. "You say that you stand up for the people of New Mexico," Shendo said, "and I want to know how you can stand up for the people of New Mexico if you can't stand up to your mom and dad about your lifestyle."

The question was supposed to continue, but Shendo said he was cut off by raucous members of the audience.

Lujan responded at the forum:

"Mr. Shendo, I'm very honored to have parents like I have as you are with your parents as well. It's with great honor that I'm before you because of my great parents. I'm not sure what you are referring to, Mr. Shendo, but I honor my mom and dad, and I believe that I represent them well."

The Lujan campaign quickly responded:

Luján's campaign manager, Carlos Trujillo, said Tuesday: "For a fringe candidate like Benny Shendo to use such a personal issue to try to gain political points is despicable and has no place in this race. Obviously Benny's been unable to gain traction in this race so he's decided to stoop to a whole new level."

... Trujillo said .. Ben Ray Luján has "a loving and committed relationship with his girlfriend."

Shendo's campaign later expanded on the claim:

Shendo's campaign said in an e-mail later that before he was interrupted, he had planned to continue his question by asking Ben Ray Luján about lifestyle "choice, especially, in this day and age when it's much more accepted to be openly gay in public life, but your parents made you pretend to have a girlfriend at public events, for political reasons."

While Shendo didn't offer any evidence that Ben Ray Luján is, in fact, gay, he said in an interview Tuesday that he raised the issue because Luján has been "purposely and aggressively introducing a young woman at numerous political events as his girlfriend."

Shendo also said he doesn't care if any candidate is gay. "If he is gay, and he's deceiving people, that's wrong," he said. "The voters have a right to be concerned about the deception — not whether one is gay or not. The issue is deception. That's relevant."

Sorry, whether Lujan is gay or not, making accusations of this sort about a fellow Democrat at a public forum can only be considered to be inflamatory, unnecessary, unwarranted and just plain sleazy. Especially when the accuser has nothing to back up his claim. I agree with what spokespersons from Equality New Mexico have to say about the incident:

Negative campaigning aside, some members of equal-rights groups said Tuesday that Shendo's move was mean-spirited. "That kind of gay bashing is extremely inappropriate, especially coming from a candidate," said Alexis Blizman, executive director of Equality New Mexico, a prominent gay-rights organization. She said it's wrong to question peoples' sexual orientation, saying, "Until someone tells me otherwise, I take them at their word."

Blizman said her organization hasn't endorsed anyone in the congressional races. "We only endorse in state races," she said. However, she said both Ben Ray Luján and Wiviott "have been supportive of (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender) issues. Benny Shendo has too."

Linda Siegle, a lobbyist for Equality New Mexico, said, "Whether he's gay or not shouldn't be an issue. Whether he has a girlfriend or not shouldn't be an issue. The issue should be the issues. Why would another Democrat be bringing this up?"

Given Shendo's behavior last night, I now urge anyone who's been considering voting for Shendo to think again. In my view, we shouldn't stand for this kind of nasty, innuendo-based politicking to happen anywhere near a Democratic primary.

Wiviott Weighs In
Don Wiviott's campaign just released the following statement criticizing Shendo's statements at the forum:

"I was unable to attend the forum, but I was disgusted by comments made by Benny Shendo in today's paper and I'm disappointed that a candidate would resort to such tactics,” Wiviott said.

“If someone made a racist remark in this campaign, I'd speak out about it.  If someone made a sexist remark in this campaign, I'd speak out about it.  This is no different.  Rumors and innuendoes regarding the personal life of any candidate should play no role in this election.”

“Northern New Mexico faces a real choice between candidates with different qualifications and positions on the issues.  That, and only that, should guide how Democrats make their decision on June 3rd.”

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