New Mexico District 3: Tom Udall
Turning Back "Wise Use"
New Mexico's Third Congressional District takes in the liberal communities of
Santa Fe and Taos, along with most of the northern third of the state. One-third
of its citizens are Latino, one-sixth Native American, and more than twice as
many voters are registered Democrat as Republican.
So why is the district represented by Bill Redmond, an anti-environmental
Republican? The seat opened up last year when environmental stalwart Bill
Richardson gave it up to serve as ambassador to the United Nations (and since
then energy secretary-designate). Redmond, a former preacher originally from
Chicago, was able to rally district Republicans, whose numbers have increased
recently thanks to an influx of out-of-state workers lured to the state's booming
high-tech industry. (Peter Ruff, political director of Newt Gingrich's GOPAC,
attributed Redmond's victory to his ability to attract "a coalition of
property-rights, gun-rights, anti-tax, and pro-life activists.")
The Democrats, for their part, were badly divided, and led by a controversial
candidate chosen by state party leaders, as required by New Mexico law. Moreover,
the New Mexico Green Party fielded a candidate, Carol Miller, who won 17 percent
of the vote in a low-turnout election. The environmental vote split, and Redmond
rode to victory.
In his short term in office, Redmond has managed to acquire a truly miserable
environmental record, with a League of Conservation Voters score of 21. He
supported increased logging on national forests, continued subsidies for logging
roads, and a new highway through the middle of Petroglyph National Monument.
Incredibly, Redmond cosponsored the infamous "dirty air bill" that would have
further tainted air quality in his own once-pristine district. A member of the
"wise-use" group People for the West!, he hired that group's public-affairs
director for his chief of staff. Nevertheless, Redmond now claims to be an
environmentalist, having joined the newly formed Coalition of Republican
Environmental Advocates.
Luckily, there is a real environmentalist on the ballot: Tom Udall, son of former
Interior Secretary Stewart Udall and nephew of former Arizona Congressman Morris
Udall. Since 1991, Udall has been New Mexico's attorney general, successfully
prosecuting and recovering substantial fines from environmental criminals. He has
strenuously opposed the Energy Department's proposed nuclear-waste dump in the
southern part of the state, filing a lawsuit to block its opening until all
health and safety issues are fully resolved. Udall joined other state attorneys
general to oppose takings legislation and has assigned a member of his staff to
work full-time on environmental issues on the U.S./Mexican border. Unlike many
other candidates, Udall has explicitly made the environment one of his top
issues.
Linda Taylor, a board member of New Mexico's Conservation Voters Alliance, says
many local environmentalists wonder why Green Party candidate Miller is still in
the race. "Udall has a great environmental record, and she has none," says
Taylor. Still, even if Miller wins only a small percentage of the vote, she could
tip a tight election to Redmond. Eric Treisman, one of Udall's opponents in the
primary, has suggested that in New Mexico "Green" stands for "Get Republicans
Elected Every November."
