ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas’ bid for a second term has drawn two challengers in the general election vying to run the office that has authority to prosecute criminal and civil cases, enforce state transparency laws and represent the state in litigation.
The challengers include Republican Michael Hendricks, an immigration attorney, and Libertarian A. Blair Dunn, who also is an attorney at an Albuquerque law firm that says it represents farmers, ranchers and businesses.
Balderas - a Democrat, former state lawmaker and former state auditor - has maintained a clear fundraising lead over his opponents.
All three live in Albuquerque and are graduates of the University of New Mexico School of Law.
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HECTOR BALDERAS
Balderas, 45, was elected attorney general in 2014 after serving two terms as state auditor. In his first term, his office prosecuted high-profile cases against state politicians, including former Secretary of State Dianna Duran.
A Republican, Duran resigned from office and was convicted on embezzlement and money laundering charges in a scandal that rocked the state in 2015.
Last year, former state Sen. Phil Griego, a Democrat, also was convicted in a case brought by Balderas’ office over fraud, bribery and felony ethical violations stemming from allegations that he used his position for personal gain.
Balderas, who has pursued numerous criminal cases, also has sought to underscore his prosecutions and advocacy against child exploitation.
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A. BLAIR DUNN
Dunn, 36, hails from a southern New Mexico political family. His grandfather was Aubrey L. Dunn Sr., a longtime lawmaker, and his father, named for the eldest Dunn, is serving as the New Mexico State Land Commissioner.
The youngest Dunn says his bid for attorney general represents a push against partisan politics and cronyism, asserting that the state is rife with corruption.
In past campaign statements, he has suggested he would be proactive about pursuing litigation on behalf of the state and in defending natural resources. A critic of U.S. management of national forests, he has expressed interest in suing the federal government for allowing a “nuisance to persist.”
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MICHAEL HENDRICKS
Hendricks, 36, is an immigration lawyer who moved to New Mexico just more than a decade ago, and lives in Albuquerque with his family. He has stated that one of his big motivators in running for office has been targeting crime, citing reports of high crime rates in recent years in the Albuquerque area. He has criticized Balderas’ aggressiveness in the area.
Hendricks says he sees his status as a non-native of New Mexico as an asset for the attorney general’s office, because it means he is not beholden to anyone in the state, including special interest groups and companies.
Hendricks also has condemned corruption in state government.
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