Sen. Tim Jennings (D-Roswell)
After 34 years, Tim Jennings is no longer going to be part of New Mexico’s state Senate.
“It’s been an awesome, absolutely incredible ride,” the outgoing Democrat and Senate pro tem told Capitol Report New Mexico in a phone interview some 16 hours after he learned that he lost by four percentage points (52-48) to dairy farmer Cliff Pirtle in Senate District 32 in the Roswell area. “I don’t begrude anything.”
Well, he does begrudge Gov. Susana Martinez a few things.
The Republican governor and the political action committees associated with her targeted Jennings — along with Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, who won a sixth term Tuesday night — as an example of the status quo in New Mexico politics and impediments to an agenda Martinez espouses to move the state forward.
“It’s not a real big surprise,” Jennings said of his ouster. After all, the district has grown decidely more Republican and Pirtle emphasized on the stump that after 34 years, it was time for a change in District 32.
“But I think Susana has created a monster,” Jennings said, “exposing hate and destruction around here just like we’re seeing in politics in other states and on the national level that I think is a disservice.”
The Reform New Mexico Now PAC associated with the governor sent negative ads and mailers attacking Jennings, who responded with his own set of blistering ads blasting what it called “outsiders” trying to influence the outcome. Independent groups from both sides jumped into the race that became more intense with eachy passing week.
The Jennings campaign aired TV ads that portrayed Pirtle as a puppet as well as highlighting a secret tape recording of Keith Gardner — the governor’s chief of staff and former state rep from Roswell.
According to the latest campaign reports from the Secretary of State’s Office, Jennings raised $375,870 – a staggering amount by New Mexico standards — to try to hang on to his seat. Pirtle, the latest records show, raised $64,704.
“She [Gov. Martinez] is mad at me because of the State Fair issue,” Jennings said, referring to a controversial 25-year lease signed last year with the owners of the Downs at Albuquerque to operate a racino and construct an estimated $20 million casino on the grounds of the New Mexico State Fair that Martinez defended and Jennings criticized. “It’s as crooked a deal as you can see, in my opinion,” Jennings said Wednesday.
Late Tuesday night, Pirtle didn’t gloat about his upset. Instead he told Capitol Report New Mexico, “I want to say thank you to Sen. Jennings for 34 years of service and I hope I can earn as much respect with constituents as he earned” and added, “I hope he’s willing to give me some advice and be a mentor for me.”
Jennings said Wednesday he had not seen the quotes from Pirtle. Would he be willing to take the 27-year-old up on the mentoring offer?
“Yeah,” Jennings said. “Our relationship started off a little rocky – when we start by saying, ‘we’re gonna go after you.’ I would be glad to help him but I have some sticklers. As a legislator, you’re really not there to be a roadblock in any way but you have to respect the institution … As new legislators I hope they know this job is not to be a cheerleader but to follow the constitution, both the US Constitution and the New Mexico Constitution.”
So, after 34 years of being in the very heart of the vibrant and sometimes raucous Roundhouse scene, will Jennings miss it?
“I’ll miss the friendship,” he said. “I was there when it was pure hell in the Senate. It’s not like that anymore. There’s only about 5 or 10 percent of the people there now that you just don’t want to associate with.”
Another phone call was heard in the distance.
“I gotta take this call,” Jennings said. “It’s my mom.”