Steve Pearce's Win Far From A Vote-of-Confidence

Above, Steve Pearce at CPAC in 2013. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Delegates to the New Mexico Republican State Central Committee met and re-elected Steve Pearce as party chairman for a third term yesterday.

According to Piñon Post:

On Saturday, members of the New Mexico Republican Party’s State Central Committee (SCC) met in Las Cruces to vote on state leadership positions in the GOP.

Running for his third term as party chairman, former Congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico’s Second District won the race, taking 213 votes (55.2 percent) to Bernalillo County GOP officer Sarah Jane Allen’s 80 votes (20.7 percent). Attorney Robert A. Aragon garnered 51 votes (13.2 percent), Eddy Aragon had 40 votes (10.4 percent), and Rodney Tahe got two votes (0.5 percent).

Following the chairmanship results, newly reelected Chairman Pearce wrote in a press release, “This was a spirited campaign, and I thank the grassroots Republican leaders from across New Mexico for trusting me to lead for another term as RPNM chairman. An overwhelming number of these leaders agree that our data-driven approach to identifying and turning out conservative leaning voters is working, proven by the fact that Republican candidates are getting closer and closer to defeating the Democrats in competitive races.”

“Turning New Mexico red is a marathon, not a sprint, and as we look toward 2024, I am excited about helping our future Republican nominees be successful in their campaigns.”

From the way the RPNM has been performing over the past several election cycles, it is neither equipped for a marathon or a sprint on its arthritic legs. Mealy-mouth comments by Pearce doesn't hide the fact that the state party leadership has failed. How do you explain that an unpopular and crooked governor got herself re-elected? 

Pearce's 55% vote win should not be construed as a vote-of-confidence. In fact, almost half the delegates voted against him. Added up, votes against Pearce total 44.8%. A successful party chairman would have garnered over 65%.

The next two years will show whether or not the RPNM has a real plan for success or more of the same road trip to failure.

To read more, go here.