Congressional Dist. 3 Democratic incumbent Ben Ray Luján and Republican challenger Jefferson Byrd field questions from the audience gathered at Fuller Lodge for Thursday’s final forum of the 2014 political season. The forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Republican challenger Jefferson Byrd. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.comFeelings ran high at Thursday’s League of Women Voters (LWV) Forum at Fuller Lodge featuring the candidates vying to represent District 3 in the U. S. House of Representatives.
The northern New Mexico district, which includes Los Alamos, is currently served by Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Luján who was elected in 2008. He is seeking re-election. Luján is opposed by Republican candidate Jefferson L. Byrd.
LWV President Barbara Calef moderated the forum. She began by assuring the candidates that Los Alamos audiences behave with politeness and decorum. Two out-of-town supporters of Byrd upset the status-quo by audibly grumbling while Luján was speaking, including the use of profanity by one. The other Byrd supporter stormed out of the Forum when Luján was speaking, stating he’d “had enough.”
The stark political differences between the candidates were obvious from their opening statements, though they share some similarities in background. Both men are New Mexico natives. Byrd grew up on his family’s ranch in northeastern New Mexico. Luján was born in Santa Fe and spent time working on his family’s small farm in the Espanola Valley. Luján’s mother, as well as his aunt and uncle were in the audience at the forum.
Byrd said his campaign is based on four pillars: faith, family, fuel and finances. “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior,” he said. Keeping the federal government’s financial house in order is extremely important, Byrd said. Fuel is a big part of the New Mexico economy and it’s important to promote both the “fuels of the past, like oil and gas, and the fuels of the future, wind and solar.”
Luján stressed his family connections to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) where his father was employed. He has siblings employed there presently, he said.
He stressed his opposition to the privatization of Medicaid and Social Security.
“President Bush suggested privatizing Social Security. You can imagine what would have happened during the economic downturn if Social Security was in the Stock Market,” Luján said. “Strengthening the economy is the way we strengthen Social Security. It [Social Security] has been going strong for 75 years and we need to work to keep it strong for another 75,” he said.
“Social Security is going to fail,” Byrd countered. “The money has been spent and the IOUs are there.” He accused current politicians of “kicking this can down the street,” instead of dealing with the issue of making the system secure.
The candidates also differed on the question of raising the minimum wage. Byrd said the solution is to create high-paying jobs and supporting employers so that they can pay higher wages. He said those earning minimum wage were only 4 percent of the population.
Luján countered that 19 percent of New Mexicans earn minimum wage. “People are working two and three jobs to keep a roof over their heads,” he said.
Studies have shown that raising the minimum wage has no impact on the economy, even during downturns, Luján said. New Mexico is 49th in job creation and something has to change, he said.
“More people making more money builds the economy,” Luján said.
When questions tuned to the Forest Service, Luján pointed to his role in promoting competitive contracting for work on public land, and encouraging the Forest Service to work with local companies and put people to work.
“We have to make sure local communities are at the table with the Forest Service and the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) every step of the way,” Luján said. He is working on legislation to ensure this, he said.
Byrd claimed that 20,000 New Mexico jobs have been lost because of endangered animals in the National Forests.
“Burning is not a better answer than allowing companies to remove timber projects,” he said, referring to the practice of using controlled burns to manage forests. “Sound science” must be used to make land use determinations, Byrd said.
“My goal is to eliminate the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Byrd said. “Every state has an environmental department. We can keep regulation small.”
Byrd, who has worked as an environmental engineer, claimed that global warming has not been proven and that “we are still in an ice age.”
Luján countered with data about loss of land in Louisiana to rising ocean levels and to research at LANL that points to ocean warming.
“With 97 percent of scientists saying this is what the data means, we need to accept it and deal with it,” he said.
Luján said that environmental threats such as acid rain cross state lines and eliminating the EPA would eliminate protections for agricultural land affected by such threats in New Mexico.
“We can have clear air and clean water as well as a strong economy if we work together,” he said.
When questioned on support for LANL, Luján stressed expanding the Lab’s mission while continuing its primary national security role. He said preventing government shutdowns and across the board spending cuts will help to protect the Lab. “Count on me to support the Lab every step of the way,” he said.
“The most important mission of the Lab is to make sure our fighting men and women have the best equipment possible,” Byrd said. “We have to make sure the people of this country are protected and I would fight to support this mission.”
Byrd suggested cutting a penny per dollar across the board to control government spending and ending automatic increases made to budgets because of population growth and rising interest rates.
Luján countered that a balanced budget was in place under President Clinton, but then undermined by tax breaks for the wealthy during the Bush years. Under Clinton, there was a policy of finding funds to pay for increases within the existing budget, which was done away with by Republican administrations, he said.
Luján decried the political deadlock in Congress. “Partisanship is ruining this country,” he said. “People need to air their differences in a respectful manner. Even if we disagree on 80 percent of things, we can work together on the remaining 20 percent.”
“The government shutdown cost millions and lost jobs because the Congress could not get along,” Luján said. “There’s a reason that cockroaches poll higher than Congress … .”
Byrd stressed the difference between compromise and capitulation. “I will continue to fight against regulation that will kill jobs,” he said.
In their closing statements, the candidates hit on their major themes. For Luján, this was his service to New Mexico, his visibility and willingness to serve his constituency on an individual basis as well as New Mexicans, and his core belief that “we have to look out for each other” as a nation and a people.
Byrd asked the audience, “When was the last time you thought politicians were working for you? When did you last see Ben Ray Luján when he was not running for office? Why do you think the government can run your affairs better than you can?
He ended by saying, “Nancy Pelosi is Luján’s biggest contributor and San Francisco values are not New Mexico’s values.”
Rep. Pelosi represents California’s 12th District, which includes San Francisco. According to https:////www.followthemoney.org, which tracks political spending, she is not among those contributing $100 or more Luján’s campaign. Contributions under this amount are not recorded. Political contributions are a matter of public record.
For those unable to attend any of the political forums conducted by the Los Alamos League of Women Voters for the Nov. 4 election, DVDs of the PAC 8 recordings of each forum are available at Mesa Public Library for checkout and viewing.
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s mother Carmen, center, with his aunt and uncle, left, attended Thursday’s forum. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
GOP Chair Robert Gibson addresses the candidates. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
