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Saturday, April 05, 2008
(Updated) Three Women Represented by John Wertheim Challenge Vigil-Giron's Signatures
UPDATE: A later story by The New Mexican's Steve Terrell identifies the women filing the lawsuit on Friday and links the research done on the suit to volunteers for Michelle Lujan-Grisham:
The suit was filed by former Rep. Harriet Ruiz, Albuquerque lawyer Whitney Buchanan and Albuquerque resident Rosemary Sanchez. But John Wertheim, the attorney for the women, said the research for the suit was done by volunteers for one of Vigil-Giron's primary rivals, Michelle Lujan-Grisham, a former state health secretary.
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According to this AP story, three so far unnamed women represented by attorney and former NM State Party Chair John Wertheim are challenging more than 600 petition signatures submitted by Dem Rebecca Vigil-Giron in her effort to get on the primary ballot in the Congressional race in NM-01. Vigil-Giron failed to get the votes of 20% of the delegates at last month's Dem preprimary convention to automatically qualify for the ballot. The story reports:
That would leave her 100 names short of the required 1,214 signatures of registered Democrats in the district. The women's attorney, John Wertheim, says his clients feel the election is very important and it's important to play by the rules.
John Wertheim is known to be a strong supporter of another candidate in the First District primary race, Michelle Lujan-Grisham. Martin Heinrich is the clear frontrunner in the race, having gotten more than 56% of the votes in the four-way balloting at the Dem preprimary, and having raised the most campaign funds by far to date. He also has a slew of endorsements. The other candidate in the race is attorney Robert Pidcock, a newcomer to electoral politics.
April 5, 2008 at 03:23 PM in NM-01 Congressional Seat 2008 | Permalink
Comments
Good for Michelle Lujan-Grisham and her people. Challenging Vigil-Giron's signatures is smart politics. I strongly support Martin Heinrich, and I know that having Vigil-Giron in the race helps split the Hispanic and female identity voters with Michelle to Martin's benefit. Even so, that racist idiot Vigil-Giron is an embarrassment to the party. I'll shed no tears if she doesn't have enough valid signatures. Maybe Vigil-Giron will regret calling Darren "Blanco," but I for one will never forgive her for it. A race-baiting Democrat is a bad Democrat. We don't need bad Democrats running for office, stinking up our brand.
Posted by: Proud Democrat | Apr 5, 2008 10:04:26 PM
I don't get it. Doesn't Blanco mean White? Calling someone racist over this minor remark is utter bullshit.
Posted by: qofdisks | Apr 7, 2008 2:17:28 AM
Given Vigil-Giron's performance as sec of state, i wouldn't hire her to run a fast food joint.
Even though I am supporting Martin, I hope Grisham prevails.
Posted by: PlacitasRoy | Apr 7, 2008 6:56:19 AM
"Blanco" does mean white, but in context it's more like a black person calling him "Honky" or "Whitey." I guess you had to be at the County pre-primary convention to here the tone of her voice. Her tone and delivery made her meaning quite clear. I was shocked and appalled. Several delegates walked out on her.
Democrats who use race-baiting tactics should be shunned. Period.
Posted by: Proud Democrat | Apr 7, 2008 10:25:33 AM
There seems to be a bunch of ethnically or gender charged rhetoric beyond what Vigil-Giron meant or did not mean about Darren White. Lujan Grisham is playing two of those cards. She's talking to many women Democrats about the importance of electing a woman in the same way Hillary uses that ploy. She's also harping on her Hispanic name and family and playing that big to Hispanic Democratic voters. Many of her supporters use it too-very directly.
I'm so tired of the concept that Hispanics will or should vote only for candidates with Hispanic names, that women will or should vote only for female candidates, that Anglos will or should vote for Anglo candidates and that African-Americans will or should vote only for Black candidates.
I have a novel idea-why not pick the candidate based on things like their positions, the strength of their campaign, their mastering of the issues and their ability to be articulate.
For instance, in my questioning of Lujan Grisham I find her sadly lacking in any indepth understanding of foreign policy issues, environmental-energy issues and even health care issues beyond her generalized views on expanding care. But I guess because I'm a woman and Hispanic I should vote for her.
Posted by: Downtown Voter | Apr 7, 2008 5:32:52 PM
