New Mexico Democratic House speaker pushes back at Republican leader over vacancy

New Mexico House of Representatives Speaker Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) on Friday publicly urged the Doña Ana County Commission to fill a vacant seat, and pushed back against the Republican minority leader’s call for the body to leave the position open until the general election.

The push-pull follows the July 27 retirement of state Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces), leaving a vacancy in District 37. Ferrari, along with State Rep. Susan Herrera (D-Embudo), had previously announced she wouldn’t seek reelection, but their terms run through the end of the year.

As a result, county commissions in each House district will select replacements for their preferred candidates and send them to Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, for approval. 

Subsequently, House Republican Leader Rep. Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) issued a statement that criticized Ferrary for dropping out early and urged the Doña Ana County Commission to let the Nov. 3 general election between Democrat Lori Martinez and Republican Isabella Solis play out. 

The winner of that race will take office in January and serve a two-year term. 

“The Democratic nominee should have to earn this seat from the voters, not receive it through a political appointment designed to tip the scales in her favor,” Armstrong said in a statement. 

Martínez, on Friday, disputed Armstrong’s characterization of the process, writing to the commission that her letter “ letter fundamentally conflates two separate matters: the county commission filling an immediate vacancy within an unexpired legislative term and the voters of House District 37 duly electing their representative for the next two years. The Commission is in no way being asked to determine who will represent the district in the long term. That decision remains, as it always has, with voters this November.”

Moreover, he said, appointing a replacement still leaves the final decision with voters.

“Nothing currently before the Commission alters that fundamental democratic principle,” he wrote.

Members of the Doña Ana County Commission and officials at the county manager’s office did not return Source NM’s calls seeking comment on when the commission might take up the matter. Naming a replacement for Ferrary is not on the commission’s Aug. 11 meeting agenda.