A District Court judge in Valencia County has ordered the state’s top Republican out of her position just days before the state’s party primary elections.
District Court Judge Cindy Mercer sided with plaintiffs that Barela’s position as a candidate for reelection in the Republican Party primary for Otero County Commissioner against Jonathan Emery violated party rules against officers taking sides in interparty races. Interestingly, the suit was brought by Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez, lieutenant governor candidate Aubrey Blair Dunn and Emery. Each has advanced criticisms of Barela’s leadership which gained new attention after the party failed to qualify candidates for statewide races at the party’s statewide convention in February.
In a statement late Wednesday afternoon, the party said First Vice Chair Mike Nelson will lead the party for now, but there were no immediate plans to hold a new election for chair. “The order’s duration is unclear, it does not direct the Party to hold new elections, and it does not declare the position of chair is vacant,” RPNM Executive Director, Leticia Muñoz said in a statement. Muñoz also said the party was preparing an appeal of the decision. That seems to suggest that Barela intends to return to her position after state primary elections conclude on June 2 when she would no longer be in an interparty contested race.
Local radio show host Brandon Voight, who has used his afternoon show on KKOB-FM to launch his own campaign for RPNM chair, told NM Political Report “the Judge saw what we all did, Barela was out of compliance and needed to be removed. Barela could have saved the GOP a lot of embarrassment by vacating the office earlier.