Former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (Photo by Heath Haussamen)

By backing candidates who are or may be underdogs, former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is taking a chance, but she doesn’t seem concerned about that.

Former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who was the Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nominee in 2010, is sticking her neck out by endorsing candidates in two high-profile primaries some consider underdogs.

In July, Denish endorsed Hector Balderas, who polls have shown has an uphill battle against Martin Heinrich in the U.S. Senate primary. And earlier this month, Denish gave her support to Michelle Lujan Grisham in a three-way 1st Congressional District primary. She said she doesn’t consider Lujan Grisham an underdog.

Whether such endorsements matter is a long-standing debate in politics, but Denish built a statewide network, and the candidates hope her endorsements will at least energize their supporters. Balderas and Lujan Grisham are touting Denish’s backing, which shows she still has influence in a party that is in some ways soul-searching after a 2010 shellacking that included her loss to Republican Susana Martinez.

Denish said she thought carefully before making the endorsements. By backing candidates who are or may be underdogs, she’s taking a chance, but she doesn’t seem concerned about that.

“I endorse the candidates who I think have the opportunity to be the best public servants in the jobs they’re running for,” Denish told NMPolitics.net.

‘Delighted’ Balderas is running

Balderas is New Mexico’s state auditor, so he and Denish worked together in Santa Fe. Denish said she was “delighted” when he entered the Senate race in April.

“I’ve admired him – his very quiet, stick-your-neck-out attitude of plodding along,” Denish said.

She was referring in part to Balderas’ role in exposing and addressing the scandal in New Mexico’s housing authority system. As some establishment Democrats sought to downplay the misuse of millions of dollars in public money that led to indictments in an ongoing criminal case, Balderas and Denish spoke out.

---

Advertisement

Denish publicly challenged House Speaker Ben Luján, accusing him of trying to kill legislation that would reform the affordable housing system. And at a time when others were seeking to downplay the problems, Balderas’ office released damning audits (here and here) and he labeled the housing authorities a “colossal failure.”

“We were walking in the wind, so to speak, against the powerful interests, especially in the House, who didn’t want to do anything about that,” Denish said, noting that Balderas’ work on that issue was especially impressive because he served in the state House before he became auditor.

“He had a lot of really strong relationships in the House, but he knew he had to do what was right,” Denish said.

She said Balderas, who is from Wagon Mound and characterizes himself as in touch with rural New Mexico, is a better fit for statewide office than Heinrich, who currently represents the Albuquerque-area seat in Congress that Lujan Grisham and others are now seeking.

“He knows New Mexico, and I believe not only can he be a great U.S. senator over the long haul, and represent all of New Mexico, but I think he’s the candidate who can win the race for the Democrats in November,” Denish said about Balderas.

She added that Heinrich is a good fit for the 1st District seat he currently holds – Heinrich represents her in Congress – and she wishes he had chosen to remain in that office.

The most recent poll of the Democratic Senate primary, an internal survey released by Heinrich’s campaign, had him leading Balderas by 30 points overall and 23 points among people who can identify both candidates. Other polls have also shown Heinrich with a big lead. He was up by 17 points in the most recent independent poll.

Lujan Grisham is ‘absolutely fearless’

Denish, the first woman to be elected New Mexico’s lieutenant governor, has long focused on electing women to office. Though 50.8 percent of Americans are women, they make up only 18 percent of members of the U.S. House and Senate. Denish said she’s “going to do everything I can to help good women, smart women, elected to the House.”

New Mexico has only elected two women to the U.S. House since becoming a state. One was Republican Heather Wilson, who represented the 1st District before Heinrich and is trying this year to become New Mexico’s first female U.S. senator, seeking the same seat as Balderas and Heinrich.

But Denish isn’t just backing Lujan Grisham, a Bernalillo County commissioner, in the 1st District race because she’s a woman.

“Michelle Lujan Grisham is courageous; she’s fearless,” Denish said. “That’s one word I would absolutely use about her. She’s absolutely fearless.”

Lujan Grisham faces former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chávez and State Sen. Eric Griego in the primary. There have been no publicly-released polls of the race, so it’s not as easy to label Lujan Grisham an underdog as it is Balderas, but many in the Democratic Party view the race as being primarily between Chávez and Griego. Lujan Grisham was one of three other Democrats Heinrich defeated to become the party’s 1st District nominee in 2008.

Chávez has a long history in Albuquerque and lots of name recognition. Griego, a former Albuquerque city councilor, has been in the race longer than the other candidates and has built an impressive level of support from the party’s progressive wing.

But during the last fundraising quarter, the three were essentially tied in the cash race. While Chávez has lots of high-profile endorsements – including that of former President Bill Clinton – many national political action committees have put their support and money behind Griego and Lujan Grisham.

Denish, who was Chávez’s running mate when he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1998, doesn’t view Lujan Grisham as an underdog.

“I view her as one in a race with three people – and a strong competitor,” Denish said.

This article has been updated to mention that Denish ran with Chávez in 1998.