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It’s on to November for Arnold-Jones
Janice Arnold-Jones
Court tosses Gary Smith from the ballot, giving Janice Arnold-Jones time to focus on general-election fundraising. She’ll need it; she ended the last reporting period with a fraction of the cash that all three Democratic candidates had.
A state judge tossed Republican Gary Smith off the primary election ballot on Monday, making Janice Arnold-Jones the GOP’s nominee for the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House.
District Judge C. Shannon Bacon agreed with eight GOP voters who filed the lawsuit alleging that Smith lacked the petition signatures needed to stay in the race.
“Defendant’s nominating petitions are at least 166 signatures short of the 1,579 valid signatures necessary to secure a position on the Republican primary election ballot for Congressional District 1,” Bacon’s order states.
Smith had to collect additional signatures to stay in the race because he won the support of only 4 percent of delegates at the recent GOP preprimary nominating convention. You need 20 percent to qualify for the ballot.
Arnold-Jones won the support of 63 percent at that convention. Dan Lewis, who later dropped out, won the support of 34 percent of delegates.
The petitioners alleged that at least 492 signatures Smith submitted to stay in the race weren’t valid. The judge agreed that most of those 492 did not qualify.
Arnold-Jones said she was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling.
“Gary’s departure from the race gives us the opportunity to focus on fundraising and allow the professional staff we’re adding to work with our volunteers toward a November victory,” she said. “And make no mistake – with the foundation we have laid, we have every intention of winning this race, no matter who the Democratic Party’s nominee happens to be.”
Arnold-Jones now has time to focus on fundraising while three Democratic candidates battle for their party’s spot on the general election ballot. And she needs it. She raised about $55,000 in the last fundraising quarter and ended it with $38,000 on hand.
That’s far behind all three Democrats. Michelle Lujan Grisham raised almost $210,000 and ended the reporting period with almost $345,000 on hand; Eric Griego raised more than $275,000 and ended the reporting period with almost $322,000 on hand; Marty Chávez raised almost $153,000 and ended the reporting period with about $201,000 on hand.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly identified Bacon as a federal judge.
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Dr J, Im glad your not gonna run for office becasue its obvious you are an apologist and enabler of the right wing disaster, we call the Republican Party. Funny though how you bemoan the politicians who screwed up this country while you consistently and simplistically berate democrats and hold on a pedastal those who have screwed us up worse than any other.
That little irony aside, it will be interesting to see if Janice now spreads her wings as the intellectual probelm solving moderate she is, of if she continues her embrace of the far right wing propaganda spewed by folks like Swickard and Spence that she has all too eagerly coddled up to in the last few years. Janice can make a difference in this country, but only if she abandons the corrupt and distastrous ideology, methods, and policies of the far right. She can show her party a new direction committed to solutions and working together, and win lose or draw, I hope she uses the campaign as an opportunity to do so. We’ll wait to see her choice.
You are right about those three being more “politically savvy” than I, EW-aif. I am proud to say I have never and will never run for any political office. Given what the professional politicians like these have done to our government and our society, I can’t say I would want to be part of that club or in any way involved. Like the Greek philosopher who was continually searching for an honest man, I am still searching for an honest elected office holder, and none of these are even close. Someday there may be one, but I am not holding my breath. But, if I were running for office, I would be out there furiously drawing distinctions between myself and my opponents, and vigorous implanting impressions of same in all the voters mind far ahead of the actual day of voting, as Obama has done since 2007 and is constantly doing 24/7. But you may be correct about waiting till the last minute and blasting the population with propaganda, it just seems a bit rushed and ineffective and annoying to me, but I am just a citizen and voter, what do I know about politics.
Yep, thanks. Correcting it now.
A federal judge tossed Republican Gary Smith off the primary election ballot on Monday
Shouldn’t that be STATE District court judge Shannon Bacon?
http://www.nmcourts.gov/seconddistrictcourt/judges2.html#Row2
The three Democrats (and J A-J) are more politically savvy than you, DJ. Early voting starts approximately May 8, that is when absentee ballots will be mailed out, at least here in Otero county. Around then the blizzard of mailers and TV ads will start. Therre are already some billboards up.
BTW, I was shocked to find that the SOS web site does not have this voting timeline available. I understand that different counties have different early voting hours and locations, but is it possible that the dates for these procedures vary from county to county?
Oh I wouldn’t fret about Ms. A-J’s money situation. The SuperPACs will be here in force, as well as more outside NM money than even Griego could imagine. Meanwhile, I do wonder what these three tweddle-dee-dumb tweddle-dee-dee candidates are doing with their vast war chests of cash. I have seen no ads or any efforts to differentiate themselves from one another, admittedly a difficult task since they are peas in a pod. And their names and resumes will not do that either, same, same again. Of course the SuperPACs and Congressional funders would love to have Griego, he would be perfect, as would Ms. L-G to a lesser extent. Marty is a bigger problem maybe, or maybe not given his taste in women. Meanwhile Ms. A-J is the Dem’s worst nightmare. It will be interesting though, whatever happens.