The Lea County Tribune is endorsing State Representative Randall “Randy” Pettigrew for re-election in the District 61 Republican Primary. There are no Democratic challengers to this seat, and the Republican nominee will be the presumptive winner.

While there are many good reasons to re-elect Pettigrew, the most important in the opinion of the Tribune is his current experience in the job. Pettigrew went to Santa Fe in 2021 to represent much of Lea County, and he has steadfastly maneuvered Santa Fe politics to be a voice for the people of this area.

In fact, Pettigrew’s challenger, Rebecca “Jill” Jones, seems to offer little difference on matters of policy. Her campaign rhetoric aligns with Pettigrew’s almost verbatim, touting the same Pro-God, Pro-Gun, Pro-Life and Pro-Business principles we’ve already seen first-hand from Pettigrew.

For Republicans in particular, this should be a no-brainer. With the Democratic Party solidly in control of state politics, having someone with the composure and experience to do meaningful work from the minority position is invaluable. Jones on the other hand has shown in her campaigning a propensity for showmanship offering little to no results.

Perhaps the most illustrative example of this is a story Jones tells on the campaign trail. While she seems to chalk the tale up as a point in her win column, any degree of rational thought would reveal her to be recklessly impulsive. At a Republican candidate forum, Jones proudly told of a time in her law enforcement career working in Texas where she came out to a report of a drowning man. Two police officers were already on the scene with on-lookers crying out in horror at an empty lake, no sign of the drowning man in sight.

Jones’s immediate reaction was to drop her gun belt on the ground and rush into the water. In telling this story, she readily admitted that she had no chance of finding or saving the guy. He was likely already dead at this point and his body washed far away or dragged too far underwater to reach. Knowing it was a lost cause, she still ran out into the water….with her bullet-proof vest on. Fortunately for her, she didn’t drown in that futile attempt to accomplish nothing.

The story is particularly worrisome given the Democratic stranglehold the Republican nominee will face heading to Santa Fe in 2023. Does the party really want someone who completely abandons all reason and rushes into political situations only to make a big splash and nothing more? Showboating is not an effective strategy for governing, particularly when your party is not in power.

Instead, Lea County Republicans should nominate Randy Pettigrew who has already learned the ropes in Santa Fe and made in-roads with fellow Republican legislators as well as Democratic ones. Pettigrew’s thoughtful approach to state politics will be more likely to result in wins for the Republican agenda. With hot button issues such as abortion and education on the table, someone like Pettigrew can bring conservative-minded Democrats on board to stand up against the more progressive policies being pushed by Gov. Lujan Grisham.

If the Republican Party decides to trade Pettigrew’s experience and steadfast commitment for a showy new-comer from out of state, they will be handing more power to the New Mexico Democrats.

Again, both candidates tout the same conservative principles, so it hardly makes sense to draw comparisons there. Instead it’s important to look at their differences in style and substance. While Jones is from Texas, only moving to Hobbs recently after marrying into a local ranch family, Randy Pettigrew is from here, growing up on a farm in McDonald, NM. His professional background is also one that is uniquely suited to governing, and one that is far too rarely found in politics. He is a civil engineer, so he understands our public infrastructure and urban planning like no one else in the state legislature.

As the current representative for District 61, Pettigrew has made a serious effort to get out and interact with all his constituents. The current District 61 encompasses a wide range of Lea County, including Eunice and Jal. However, because of recent redistricting, the winner of the 2022 election will be representing a much smaller, geographically, part of the county. Eunice and Jal will no longer be in the district, but even so Pettigrew’s experience representing them will continue to pay off for the rest of his constituents because it gives him a fuller understanding of the area and our needs as a county, rather than someone who may only focus on a small higher populated community. Pettigrew understands the complex relationship between our rural communities and our urban areas, and how those needs differ and intertwine.

Early voting for the June 7th primary begins today, May 10th. The Lea County Tribune hopes that anyone registered as a Republican will get out and vote for Randall Pettigrew and help give our county a dedicated and competent voice in state politics. This is a particularly important election for conservatives as Lea County provides one of the strongest counterweights to the progressive pull of Santa Fe. County Republicans must make sure to elect an effective representative for the position, and we already have one with Randy Pettigrew.