Commentary: New Mexico - On Saturday, the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) elected a new leadership team to guide the Party into the 2018 election. Richard Ellenberg (Santa Fe) will serve as state Party chair, Naomi Martinez Parra (Lordsburg) will serve as vice chair, Katharine Clark will serve as secretary, and Robert Lara (Las Cruces) will continue to serve as Treasurer.
"Democrats are united and working hard to make sure we never have another governor like Governor Susana Martinez nor a disaster like Donald Trump," said Richard Ellenberg, the newly-elected chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. "I look forward to the state Party supporting the efforts of our volunteers and continuing to build a strong grassroots network."
The new officers are well-positioned to continue Democratic success into the 2018 election. The outgoing Democratic Party Officers worked to eliminate the Party’s debt, regain a Democratic majority in the New Mexico House of Representatives, expand the majority in the New Mexico Senate, and elect a Democratic Secretary of State.
"New Mexicans deserve opportunities to make our lives better, and we know Democrats work to for New Mexico families in all levels of government," said Neomi Martinez-Parra, the newly-elected DPNM Vice Chair. "We'll be working to further enhance the lines of communication between the Democratic National Committee, our state party, county chairs, SCC members and our constituency. Above all we will work to get Democrats elected so New Mexico has a brighter future."
The new leadership team was elected by the Democratic Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee (SCC), at this weekend’s SCC Meeting. Each member of the new Democratic leadership team will serve a two year term. At the meeting Democrats heard from elected officials, worked on grassroots campaign organizing and looked ahead to the 2018 election.
"I look forward to working to keep New Mexico Blue and the State Party in the black. As we move forward, the work to retain our majorities in the State House, retake the Governor's office, and maintain our blue federal delegation will be at the top of our priorities list," said DPNM Treasurer Robert Lara, who begins his second term as state Party Treasurer. "When we work together, can we help the entire state move forward together. Lets get to work."
The new DPNM Secretary Katharine Clark stated, "As Secretary of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, I'm looking forward to maximizing coordination with all our our hardworking Democrats and using my experience to reach voters in all parts of the state.
The Democratic Party has seen renewed engagement in efforts to resist the Trump and Martinez-Sanchez Administrations’ reckless Republican agendas. Over the past few weeks, thousands of New Mexico Democrats gathered to reorganize on the county level and elected 17 new county party chairs. This year’s changes in leadership reflect an energized group of New Mexico Democrats who are ready to organize and stand up for all New Mexicans no matter where they live or their background.