Rep. Herrera endorses newcomer to succeed her in House, says Rodella 'owned' by lenders

A retiring state House member plans to work hard to ensure the conservative Democrat she unseated in 2018 does not reclaim the rural Northern New Mexico seat.

Outgoing Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, announced Wednesday she is backing Yolanda "Pancha" Jaramillo in the Democratic primary to represent House District 41. Jaramillo is running against former Rep. Debbie Rodella, who represented the heavily Democratic Rio Arriba County-centered district for more than two decades before Herrera unseated her in an at-times bitter primary.

"She [Jaramillo] shares all my values, and I think she's what we need for the North," Herrera said in a telephone interview.

Jaramillo, a Dixon resident who has served as secretary and treasurer of La Acequia de La Plaza de Dixon since 2009 and is on the board of directors of the New Mexico Acequia Association, said she was "very honored" by the endorsement.

"Susan's endorsement says that I'm on the right path toward improving, moving forward, for District 41 and the entire state," said Jaramillo, who describes herself as a progressive Democrat. "With the issues that she's represented and fought so hard for, I'm there."

Herrera said the endorsement was "not personal" but driven by her policy differences with Rodella.

"I look at a person's record when I decide who I'm going to support, and Debbie Rodella, she was pretty much owned by the predatory lending folks," Herrera said.

Rodella, who sponsored a bill with Republican then-state Rep. Yvette Herrell to enable storefront lenders to charge annual interest rates of 175%, was a target of ire for more liberal Democrats who supported stricter limits on interest rates. Herrera made going after such lenders a centerpiece of her 2018 primary campaign.

"I can say for the past four years, she's been hired as a lobbyist by predatory lenders, so that should tell you something," Herrera said of Rodella. "I mean, we disagree on guns, we disagree on predatory lending, we disagree on choice for families, so all of those things are really important to me, and I think important to the Democratic caucus in the state of New Mexico. So, I really believe that Yolanda is going to be our best bet for the future."

Rodella fired back, saying Herrera has been bad for the district and its residents.

"It is clear that my opponent and her circle of political friends are deeply out of touch with the needs of our district," she said in a statement.

"What have they done for families who are struggling to pay their bills? What have they done to create meaningful jobs and support opportunities in the state and our district? Absolutely nothing," Rodella continued. "In fact, the policies they stand behind have done far more harm than good. As a Democrat who represented this district for many years, I am not happy with the lack of action, and that is exactly why I’m stepping up to run once again."

Herrera isn't just endorsing Jaramillo — she said she's actively working on her campaign.

"We're going to work hard at fundraising," she said. "We're going to work hard at getting out to every single precinct in this region, talking to people, holding events, meeting with people, meeting with the press, doing everything we can so that people know what's at stake."