Bolstered by recent wins, progressives target Rawson

Posted 7/22/2008 07:30:00 AM

By Heath Haussamen

Democratic state Senate District 37 candidate Steve Fischmann accuses his opponent, incumbent Republican Leonard Lee Rawson, of supporting allowing Las Cruces to grow to the base of the Organ Mountains.

Rawson says he supports preserving the mountains and calls Fischmann a hypocrite because he lives in the mountains adjacent to federally preserved land.

Fischmann, who has worked to preserve the mountains and the area around them, responds by saying the house he owns is in a development built by Rawson’s brother that was already subdivided. If he didn’t buy it, someone else would have. He says he doesn’t want to stop the purchase of land that is already subdivided -- he just wants to better control future growth.

It’s all part of the sharp rhetoric characterizing what may be one of the hottest state legislative races this year. In 2006, Democrats Nate Cote and Jeff Steinborn were elected to represent conservative-leaning state House districts that largely overlap Rawson’s district. Several months ago, Democratic candidates took control of the Las Cruces City Council in a coup that was centered in Rawson’s district.

But that progressive momentum is up against a 21-year incumbent who is also the Senate minority whip.

Rawson has frustrated progressives in recent years with his stances on ethics and health-care reform. Fischmann is one of the leaders of the local progressive movement that has swept Las Cruces in recent elections.

“Clearly, it will be a contested race,” said Leanne Leith, political and programs director for Conservation Voters New Mexico. “You should absolutely be paying attention to that race.”

Candidates backed by Conservation Voters unseated three Albuquerque-area Democratic incumbents in the June primary. And though it didn’t endorse in the Las Cruces City Council races, Conservation Voters’ Education Fund, the group’s nonpartisan arm, used an elaborate get-out-the-vote system to encourage voting by those who wanted “responsible development,” clean air, public parks, water conservation and “efficient use of tax dollars.” The progressive candidates who took over the council used similar rhetoric.

Conservation Voters revealed its interest in challenging Rawson when it tested potential candidates, including Steinborn and Fischmann, against him last year in a poll. The group hasn’t released the results. It hasn’t backed Fischmann but is currently considering endorsements in legislative races.

The money game

Fischmann has made up for a fund-raising gap between the two candidates by loaning his campaign $13,200, bringing his total contributions to $30,576 as of July 3. Rawson had raised $35,050 by that date.

Rawson had a much larger account to draw from as of July 3. He had almost $49,000 on hand to Fischmann’s $21,000. In an interview, Rawson said the involvement of left-leaning groups will help Fischmann keep up.

He called Fischmann a “serious challenger” largely because of “the interest and involvement of” special-interest groups in the race. Rawson referred to the progressive groups that impacted the Albuquerque legislative primaries. He also said Fischmann is active in environmental groups, Common Cause and the Quality Growth Alliance and said he expects “a tremendous amount of money in the campaign from those groups he represents.”

One organization that was active before the June primary was New Mexico Youth Organized. The group and its parent organization, the Center for Civic Policy, teamed up with two other progressive organizations to send out “accountability” mailers targeting the voting records of several lawmakers -- including the three defeated in Albuquerque -- two months before the June primary. The groups said the mailers were aimed at educating the public in advance of the governor’s promised summer special session and had nothing to do with the election.

Juan Reynosa, who heads New Mexico Youth Organized, said the groups will set their sites on Rawson in the coming weeks with a similar “accountability campaign” that has nothing to do with the election. The focus, he said, will be on Rawson’s past stances on health care and ethics reform in advance of the special session.

Rawson said the groups intend to try to oust him, regardless of what they claim. He said they also intended to take out the Albuquerque incumbents who lost in June. He accused the groups of “working with the candidates and coordinating their efforts” and said they “elude all the campaign laws.”

The attorney general shares some of Rawson’s concerns and has advised the secretary of state to change the status of New Mexico Youth Organized to force it to comply with standards for political groups and candidates instead of those for nonprofits. The group is disputing the AG’s position, and the secretary of state has not acted.

Fischmann said he hasn’t spoken with progressive groups that are targeting Rawson about their plans but said he does anticipate getting “some support from various groups.” He said he’s certain that some “pro-life groups” and other “cultural-conservative groups” will help Rawson.

Meanwhile, Scott Darnell, spokesman for the Republican Party of New Mexico, said the GOP is committed to helping Rawson. He called the senator a tough campaigner and said the GOP is confident that he will be re-elected.

The issues

Fischmann is focusing on what he says are contrasts between himself and Rawson, but Rawson said Fischmann is dishonestly distorting his record and positions. Fischmann said Rawson supports the No Child Left Behind Act, which the Democrat said is “well-intentioned” but not working. Rawson said he, like Fischmann, likes some provisions in the act but believes it needs changes.

Fischmann also claimed that Rawson has called health-care reform a federal issue the state should not touch, but Rawson listed reducing the cost of health care as one of his top issues. Fischmann supports a universal health care plan provided by private insurers but does not believe businesses should be forced to provide insurance because that puts small businesses at a disadvantage.

Fischmann said he is a strong proponent of campaign finance reform, a favorite cause of progressives. He said he favors a public-financing system for elections and campaign-contribution limits. Rawson’s vote against limits in 2007 has helped keep New Mexico one of five states without them.

Rawson said those who want to spend huge amounts find ways to skirt the law. He said contribution limits don’t work because groups including the nonprofits that will be targeting him in the coming weeks become avenues for funneling political money.

Rawson has supported legislation to increase and enhance reporting requirements. In the interview, he said, “it’s not how much money a candidate gets but where it comes from. The people have a fundamental right to know where you’re getting your money from.”

Rawson said his top issues, in addition to health care, are education, stimulating the economy and keeping taxes low. He has been among a group of senators locked in a public fight with the governor over spending issues, and said he said intends to continue holding the line against out-of-control spending and tax increases.

“We can’t sustain the current level of state growth without a tax increase,” Rawson said. “The question is, will voters send someone to Santa Fe who has a known record against tax increases or one who’s going to be pushed into supporting a tax increase by the majority party?”

Fischmann said Rawson deserves credit for being the only state senator to oppose a controversial state law that allows tax-increment-development-district financing -- the use of gross-receipts tax revenue to repay developers’ infrastructure costs. But he said Rawson was unable to stop the bill from becoming law because, on that and many other issues, he is “combative.”

Fischmann is currently working with a diverse group of organizations, including New Mexico Voices for Children, Common Cause and the Rio Grande Foundation, to propose alternatives to the TIDD law, and said his focus as a lawmaker will be “on finding common ground, not on creating battlegrounds.”

A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that New Mexico Youth Organized supported candidates in the June primary. The group didn’t endorse candidates and says its work was aimed at influencing the coming special session, not the election.