Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Prospective presidential candidates are known to chew over pork chops on a stick at Iowa\u2019s iconic State Fair. They gather in South Carolina at Rep. Jim Clyburn\u2019s \u201cWorld Famous Fish Fry.\u201d And they\u2019re all over New Hampshire \u2026 well, any chance they get.<\/p>\n
New Mexico today is entering the convening conversation with chicharr\u00f3n at the \u201cMatanza.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the long tradition of major state gatherings that have become dead giveaways of politicians\u2019 presidential ambitions, New Mexico is formally stepping into the political fray, with an inaugural \u201cFourth in the Nation Matanza Rally\u201d hosted by Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n designed to introduce the 2028 crop to the state.<\/p>\n
What exactly is a Matanza? It\u2019s a \u201cNew Mexico election season staple,\u201d Deb Haaland, who was Interior secretary in the Biden administration and is running for New Mexico governor, told POLITICO.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou dig a big hole in the ground, you build a fire, you put a pig in the coals, and it cooks overnight, and then you share this grand feast along with tortillas and chicharr\u00f3n,\u201d Haaland said.<\/p>\n
Over 1,500 people, local and state leaders and New Mexico\u2019s congressional delegation are gathering to eat and listen to mariachi and local bands at Albuquerque\u2019s International Balloon Museum this afternoon, in part to rally voters to turn out on Nov. 3. Yet the presidential undertones are quite intentional in the new Democratic early nominating state.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatanzas typically in New Mexico have centered around family gatherings, weddings, big celebrations, community celebrations, bringing people together,\u201d Luj\u00e1n told POLITICO. It\u2019ll be a \u201cfirst taste of New Mexico\u201d for 2028ers to introduce themselves to the state.<\/p>\n
New Mexico\u2019s entry into the early nominating lineup has set a course for a primary season where some of the Democratic Party\u2019s most elusive voters will be front and center. Some 2028ers will be hearing from voters directly today \u2014 among them Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Van Hollen has admitted he\u2019s testing the waters for a presidential bid and told POLITICO \u201cthis is going to be part of that process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also in the mix is Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) \u2014 who wanted to be \u201cneighborly\u201d and show up for Luj\u00e1n \u2014 and said he\u2019s \u201cconsidering\u201d a run but won\u2019t make a decision until after the midterms.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Mexico is a lot like Arizona. We’ve got some shared issues and priorities,\u201d Kelly told POLITICO. \u201cAnd I think, you know, the Southwest is growing in importance, more people are moving here.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Luj\u00e1n is offering free advice for visiting Democrats: \u201cUnderstand that you need to get out and earn the trust back from so many families where we lost support: labor families, union families, Hispanic families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Latino voters make up the majority of voters statewide, and together with Nevada they\u2019re poised to dominate the early primary calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that both the fact that Trump betrayed voters when it came to the economy, plus the fact that they did a bait and switch when it came to their immigration policies, has turned off a lot of Hispanic voters,\u201d Van Hollen told POLITICO. \u201cBut where Trump was right was recognizing people’s economic pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blue collar work and agriculture run deep in the fabric of the state. \u201cThe [border] lines moved on a lot of families,\u201d as Lujan put it \u2014 making the \u201cNew Mexican\u201d identity particularly potent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re the fifth-largest state in the country,\u201d Haaland told POLITICO. \u201cWe have three national labs. We’ve got veteran services here. \u2026 We’re also a border state, and so much commerce here in New Mexico happens on our border.\u201d<\/p>\n
And Haaland is also adamant about keeping Native Americans at the forefront of the 2028 conversation. \u201cI want any presidential candidates to really know and understand why they need to think about tribes. Why they need to have a plan for Indian tribes when they’re working on their platforms,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
If Haaland wins the governorship, she and Luj\u00e1n will be critical touchpoints for 2028ers. Luj\u00e1n, a former DCCC chair, said he\u2019s already started reaching out to potential candidates. And Haaland, through her gubernatorial campaign, has shared the stage with several of them already.<\/p>\n
Pete Buttigieg hit the Land of Enchantment last month, campaigning for Haaland and Vasquez in the heavily Latino town of Las Cruces. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) held a fundraiser in the state in August. Michigan\u2019s Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois\u2019 JB Pritzker have both swung through the state. And Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been fielding calls from prospectives<\/a>, including Rahm Emanuel and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who\u2019s supporting Haaland as chair of the Democratic Governors Association.<\/p>\n But today marks the first official 2028 cattle call for the state. Complete with tribal leaders, local business owners and VIP donors, the first Matanza event will test the appetite for a more Latino-specific cultural touchstone that could round out the obligatory presidential candidate event rotation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I hope that being fourth in the nation can create in New Mexico is a better understanding of what’s needed across the West, across the Rocky Mountains, the high desert,\u201d Luj\u00e1n told POLITICO.<\/p>\n As for the 2028ers? They \u201cbetter learn how to eat chile,\u201d Luj\u00e1n added. \u201cOur red and our green, because it’s on everything \u2014 breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes even dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO’s Playbook newsletter<\/a>.
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