On the Road in Southern NM With Dolores Huerta: “¡Que Viva Diane Denish!”

Bayard. Click for photo album

Contributing writer Stephen Jones checks in with more on-the-ground coverage from Southern New Mexico.

With the desert wind at their backs, and Dolores Huerta swept through southern New Mexico on Saturday. “We are here today for a reason,” declared Huerta to audiences at well-attended early vote rallies in Las Cruces, Deming and Bayard, New Mexico, “the stakes are high.” Dolores Huerta, who addressed each of the rallies, is a leader of the United Farm Workers and was a close associate of Hispanic civil rights leader and union organizer César Chávez.

“Diane Denish is a good mother,” said Huerta. “I like to think that she will be a good mother for all of New Mexico. I’m not sure what that other lady stands for, she certainly doesn’t stand for you and I.” Huerta called on the attendees to get active. “We don’t need to go backward,” she said. “That other team drove the car into the ditch. Diane Denish will take New Mexico forward.” Huerta urged voters to bring others to the polls. “If you can walk, I want you to knock on doors, if you can’t walk I want you to make calls,” she said.

Huerta also warned voters not to be confused by the Republicans' negative advertising. “The Republicans are running ads telling Hispanic voters not to vote,” warned Huerta. “That is like telling us to cut off our own heads,” she said.

Las Cruces. Click for photo album

Diane Denish spoke of her long association with Huerta and stressed her central campaign themes of jobs, educational opportunity and economic development. “My opponent wants to talk about the past, I want to lead New Mexico into the future,” Denish said.

“You saw the debates. I asked if she was willing to end the tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to avoid their fair share of taxes. She said no,” Denish said. “She wants to balance the budget on the backs of New Mexico’s working people. She wants to cut education. I support our children’s future. She won’t protect our natural resources. I will. I stand with you, the people of New Mexico!”

Denish also reminded voters of the Republican candidate's sources of funding. “My opponent doesn’t like it when I bring up her associations with Texas,” Denish said. “She has received $800,000 in contributions from Texas. Those contributions came in $450,000, $200,000 and $100,000 chunks,” Denish explained. “I don’t know what those contributors are buying, but it can’t be good for New Mexico” she said. “My running mate, Brian Colon, and I our proud to be funded by New Mexico’s people. We are proud to have received contributions from over 16,000 individual New Mexico contributors."

Deming. Click for photo album

The events at Las Cruces and Deming were held outside early voting sites. At Deming, Diane Denish personally escorted a local voter, Daniel Flores, to the polling place at the Deming Learning Center. “This sure has been an exciting day for me, today,” said Flores.

At Bayard, Denish and Huerta spoke to a packed union hall, the historic USWA Local 810, which was the at the center of the 1950-1952 Empire Zinc Strike, the focus of the world-acclaimed film Salt of the Earth. “I’m proud to say my father was a mineworker,” Dolores Huerta said to thundering applause. U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, who also attended the event at Bayard, announced to the crowd that he and Senator Menendez of New Jersey had nominated Dolores Huerta for a Presidential Medal of Honor.

Following Bingaman and Huerta, Denish repeated her campaign appeal to the Bayard crowd, who responded with cheers of “¡Que Viva Diane Denish!”

“Every child in New Mexico has a right to a dream,” said Denish. “We need to support their dreams.” Other speakers echoed Huerta and Denish. “Tell them we need jobs and opportunity here,” said Daniel Manzano at the Bayard Union Hall, “¡Si se puede!”

Dolores Huerta, Bayard union hall mural

Photos by Stephen Jones. To see more posts by Stephen, visit our archive.

Click for info on the Bayard Union Hall Mural and the film Salt of the Earth.