This is the second in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties’ preprimary nominating conventions in March.
There are a few facts about the past of Aubrey L. Dunn Jr. that might make some Republicans suspicious of him, but Dunn wants them to know he’s conservative to the bone.
In fact, the rancher and retired banker who is running as a Republican for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce compared his views to those of conservative presidential candidate Fred Thompson during an interview last week.
“I think his views are probably closest to mine,” Dunn said. “Where he stands on the issues is going to be more in line with where I stand.”
Dunn said he gave $2,300 to Thompson’s campaign in December.
But months earlier, in February of last year, Dunn gave $2,300 to Gov. Bill Richardson’s now-defunct presidential campaign. That was about the same time he switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent. He filed to switch back to Republican late last year as he was preparing to run for Congress.
Even before those switches, Dunn was raised a Democrat by a father who was a state senator. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Dunn switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent and then Republican – an affiliation he kept until he switched back to independent last year.
Dunn has explanations for it all. He said he is conservative and the Democratic Party left him in the mid-1990s. He said he gave money to
“I really don’t think we could take another eight years of the Clinton White House. On the Democratic side I’d really like to see anyone other than Hillary,” Dunn said. “I think it would be devastating to our country, and the state, and even as a rancher it would be devastating here.”
Dunn has given to many other Republicans and Democrats over the years, and he said that’s because he tries to support “the good people on certain issues” regardless of their party affiliation.
The other Republicans seeking to replace Pearce are former Bernalillo County GOP Executive Director Bob Cornelius, Sierra County GOP Chair C. Earl Greer, Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman, restaurant-chain owner and rancher Ed Tinsley and Las Cruces daycare center owner Greg Sowards.
About his switch to independent early last year, Dunn said he became frustrated with the direction of the Republican leadership in
Immigration the focus of his campaign
Dunn is making immigration the focus of his campaign, but he doesn’t advocate major changes in the law. Instead, he said he wants to start enforcing the laws already on the books. If the
He supports the construction of a border fence, saying he believes it will slow illegal immigration, but said other measures, including more money for technology and border patrol agents, are also necessary. He said he opposes amnesty, noting that it was tried in the 1980s and “didn’t really work.”
Dunn said immigration will set him apart from “at least one of the lead contenders (in the congressional race), who has been a lobbyist for the last immigration reform bill, which had amnesty in it.”
He’s referring to compromise legislation that fell apart in the last Congress because of intense lobbying by the conservative wing of the Republican Party and Libertarians. And, though he didn’t name him, Dunn was most likely referring to Tinsley, who as president of the National Restaurant Association backed the legislation that many said included a provision amounting to amnesty.
Dunn said other issues, including welfare and health-care reform, are “really being impacted by our border situation,” so he believes dealing with immigration will help the nation confront a host of other problems. He said he is “not in favor of a nationalized health-care program,” is pro-life and has “basic conservative values.”
Dunn said he will also push for tax reform. He signed the taxpayer protection pledge from Americans for Tax Reform, which asks candidates to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and or businesses.”
And he takes a position similar to that of Pearce on the war in
“I’m fundamentally supporting our military. I think we need to leave the decisions to those that are most informed and our military leaders, and Congress shouldn’t really be meddling in things they don’t have all the details on,” Dunn said. “I, as much as everyone else, want to get our troops home as quickly as possible, but I think we should finish the job.”
‘I’ve seen the light’
Dunn was raised on an apple farm in High Rolls in
Dunn spent much of his career in banking, most recently as president and CEO of First Federal Bank, but last year the bank was sold and he joined his wife in working on their ranch full-time.
His father was a state senator for 15 years and a one-time candidate for governor. Dunn said he thought earlier this year of running for a state legislative seat, but when Pearce announced he was running for U.S. Senate, Dunn and his wife decided Congress was the right place to serve.
“We’re in a position where we can devote full time to this deal, and I think it’s time that we gave back,” he said.
Dunn isn’t talking about how much money he raised during the fourth quarter of 2007 – the total must be publicly reported to the Federal Election Commission by Jan. 30 – but he did contribute $300,000 to his own race.
And though Dunn will likely be criticized during the primary season for his changes in party registration, he said he’s remained consistent in being a conservative. He and his wife sold their
Dunn said he considered running for Congress as an independent, but ultimately decided that would only hurt the Republican in the race.
“I decided the best way I could help was to become a Republican again and to work within the Republican Party to bring it back to those roots,” he said. “I intend to stay Republican whether I get the nomination or not. I’ve seen the light and I’ll stay near it.”
Prior interviews with Second Congressional District candidates:
• Harry Teague, published Dec. 20, 2007
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that First Federal Bank was sold in 2000.