What do you fellows know about this John Sanchez?
Thanks.
He knocked off Ray Sanchez for a state house seat (Ray was sort of the Manny Aragon of the house, you just figured he’d die in office and still win another term).
They put him up against Richardson during the first race, and he got his head handed to him, he was just too green.
He ran for Lt. Gov this year and won, and he hasn’t seemed to be too visible. His relation is Gov. Martinez is unknown to me, but she hasn’t put him out front on anything that I have seen.
Although Wilson isn’t as conservative as I’d like, she’s got a much better chance than Sanchez (he’s got none IMO) and a ugly primary fight definitely benefits Heinrich the DIM. (although he’s got some good old boy challengers).
His claim to fame was bumping off the sitting NM Democrat House Speaker back in 2000 and after a single term in the House, he jumped into the Gubernatorial race and beat Gary Johnson’s Lieutenant Governor, Walter Bradley. He also got badly shellacked by Fat Boy Richardson in the general in a race where he was ignored and Richardson coronated by the media (sound familiar ?). He was out of politics for 8 years until he won the Lt Gov nomination last year and won as part of a ticket with Susana Martinez (not separately elected).
The problem we have is that there is no “ideal” candidate here for us. Sanchez has lost running of his own accord in a general, but Heather Wilson, although experienced and a protege of Pete Domenici, is considered too unmotivating and liberal by the base (she also lost the nomination for the Senate race in 2008). If we could combine Wilson’s experience and expertise with Sanchez’s profile, we’d have a good candidate, but that’s not how it is.