There are two taboo facts that New Mexico’s television stations and major newspapers almost never discuss. The first is that no state in the United States has had single-party Democrat rule at the state level longer than New Mexico. The second is that there is any connection between decades of single-party Democrat rule and the current state of affairs in New Mexico.
Here are a few examples of Democrat dominance since 1931.
State Legislature. The last time Republicans held a majority in both houses of the N.M. Legislature at the same time was 1930.
N.M. Supreme Court. The last time Republicans held a majority on the N.M. Supreme Court was in the 1920s. Currently, all five justices on the Court are Democrats.
N.M. Court of Appeals. The N.M. Court of Appeals was created in 1966 and has never had a Republican majority. Currently, nine of the ten judges on the Court are Democrats.
Secretary of State. Republicans have held the position for four years since 1931.
Attorney General. Republicans have held the post for four years since 1931.
And what has nearly 100 years of single-party Democrat rule brought New Mexico? Here are a few examples.
The nation’s worst ranked K–12 public school system — even worse than the deplorable public schools of Washington, D.C.
A state where 46% of the residents over 16 years of age are functional illiterates.
The state with both the highest violent crime per capita and the highest property crime per capita in the nation.
The highest percentage of welfare recipients of any state.
The second highest poverty rate of any state.
A state with anemic population growth compared to its neighbors. In the 1930 census, neighboring Arizona had 12,000 more residents than N.M. Today, Arizona’s population is 5,552,000 larger.
A state with the nation’s fourth highest per capita suicide rate despite having great weather.
A state with one of the highest COVID death rates per 100,000 in the country despite a nearly totalitarian lockdown by the ruling party.
What are we to make of these stunning facts about New Mexico? It would be logical for the Republican Party of New Mexico to be screaming at the top of its lungs, “Good God, look at what the Democrats have done to the state! They’ve had complete control for nearly 100 years, and the state is a shambles. Why do you keep voting for these people, and what hope is there for fundamental change if they keep running the state?”
And yet the response from the Republican Party has been crickets. Nada. Silencio. This is also not a new phenomenon. I’ve lived in the state for nearly 50 years and have never heard the Republican Party or a statewide Republican Party candidate discuss Democrat party single-party rule for most of the last 90 years. Is it stupidity? Lack of cojones? A combination of both?
So yes, the Republican Party of New Mexico is the nation’s most incompetent.
Thousands of New Mexicans are simply unaware of the historical fact that the state has had single-party Democrat rule for most of the last 90 years. That’s because of the nearly total news blackout on the subject by most of New Mexico’s news media, and the Republican Party’s silence on the subject. If more people knew this fact, it could make a big difference.
The Republican Party of New Mexico needs a fighter like Lee Atwater to turn it around. Until it gets one, it will remain the junior varsity team.