By Andy Lyman / The Paper.
Democratic primary voters in a progressive enclave of Albuquerque will need to comb through the policy differences of four candidates with very similar ideals to determine who’s taking the reins from a long time state representative.
Democratic Rep. Gail Chasey — the longest serving member of the House — announced earlier this year that she was retiring from the Legislature. Chasey has represented House District 18 since 1996 and currently serves as the House majority leader. The district’s physical boundaries stretch from Kirtland Air Force Base to I-40 and from I-25 to as far as San Mateo Blvd. in some spots. According to U.S. Census data, more than half the population of the district identifies as white, while about 30 percent identifies as Hispanic. Given that the House district has remained blue since the time of dial-up internet and that the corresponding Senate, City Council and County Commission Districts have all been long-represented by politically left-leaning office holders, the area is all but a guaranteed win for progressives.
This year is no different for the House district — all four primary candidates are Democrats and three are graduates of a local program that trains and encourages Democratic women to run for public office.