Former US Senator Weighs in on NM Governor's Race

**** This opinion column originally ran on Nov. 28 in the ABQ Journal

Way Too Early for All This GOP Mud-Slinging

By Fred Harris, ABQ Journal

I've been around politics for many years. I know how elections are won and I know how the game is played.

But I also know, and firmly believe in my heart, that there should be honor in the political process. After all, the winner of the coming governor's race will be referred to as "The Honorable" for the next four years.

Unfortunately, from the Republican candidates for governor, we've seen very little of that.

None of the four candidates running for the Republican nomination is well-known. None has ever held statewide office and they're all just now beginning to introduce themselves to New Mexicans.

However, instead of introductions founded on ideas and solutions for our state, the Republican candidates are introducing themselves by publicly tearing someone else down. That someone, of course, is the front-runner, Democratic Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

New Mexicans won't go to the polls for another year. But already, the Republicans are attacking Denish with the malice and recklessness that we usually don't see until the weeks right before an election.

As a voter, I simply don't have the appetite for an entire year of this.

Take two weeks ago for example. Denish announced several key reform ideas to save New Mexico taxpayers money, including overhauling the capital outlay system and eliminating double-dippers. These are solid, much-needed reforms that I believe must be implemented, but at the very least, they're worthy of public debate and discussion.

Yet, the Republican candidates didn't offer their opinions. They didn't even offer constructive criticism. Instead, on the day that Denish proposed these reforms, the Republicans just found another reason to irresponsibly attack her character.

The Republicans don't only attack Denish when she makes a statement herself, but they attack her for virtually anything that may appear in the news on a given day. If a state bureaucrat gets into trouble, the Republicans point their guns at Denish. When Gov. Bill Richardson makes an announcement, they unleash a flurry of press releases attacking Diane. When the Lobos lose another football game, the Republicans blame Diane. (Well, that hasn't actually happened yet, but wait.)

I'm a little bit old school. I keep resisting being on Facebook and I don't "tweet." But if I did, my in-boxes would be filled every day with Republican attacks. Is this really the best way to use these new technologies?

I've known Diane Denish for many years. While her positions on the issues are fair-game, there is nobody in New Mexico who has served our state with more honor and distinction.

So to my Republican friends in the race, I say this: Elevate the level of discourse, please. Tell us where you stand on the issues. Tell us how you would balance the state budget or how you would strengthen the education system or create new jobs.

But if the Republicans think Diane Denish is going to sit quietly and take this, then they don't know Diane Denish.

Fred Harris is a UNM Professor Emeritus of Political Science. The former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma sought the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination.