Dow ad hits Ronchetti over 2019 climate change, anti-Trump comments (NM Pub gov primary)

The Piñon Post ^ | April 26, 2022 | John Block

[CedarDave]

On Tuesday, state Rep. Rebecca Dow released a new advertisement showing fellow Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti’s ties to George Soros-funded groups, first reported by the Piñon Post in 2020. Ronchetti addressed a “climate change” event in 2019 at the University of New Mexico, where he pledged to work with climate activists.

As we previously reported:

The radical group Ronchetti partnered with, Climate 350, is currently funding a campaign called “Vote Climate” that plans to use people in the media to help “educate” the public, namely REPUBLICAN VOTERS who they believe do not acknowledge the “science of climate change.”

Dow’s campaign wrote about the ad in an email to supporters, “Not only are we battling Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their liberal crony MLG – but we’re fighting a two-front war against a well-funded fake Republican using DC establishment money to sell the fairy tale that he is still a Republican.”

“Even though he ADMITTED he wasn’t a Republican anymore, because of ‘the orange one’… Three guesses who he’s insulting,” referring to Ronchetti’s jab at President Donald J. Trump.

“That’s right. He’s not only a Never Trumper, but a Soros-backed climate activist and a PRETENDER to the Republican nomination,” added Dow’s team.

[CedarDave]

Link to the Dow ad:
Pretender

Link to 2020 Piñon Post article:
Mark Ronchetti agreed to work with George Soros-funded climate activists to ‘educate’ Republicans, used weathercast to push ‘climate change’ propaganda

[IYAS9YAS]

Interesting, because he was touting the Trump line when he ran for senate in 2020.

[CedarDave]

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[CedarDave]

The Dow ad is a killer. I have contributed to Ronchetti’s campaign and was planning to vote for him in June, mainly because he is the best known of Pub candidates who I believe has a chance of defeating MLG. Now I’m not sure.

[Dr. Sivana]

Even before I was sold on Trump, it never occurred to me to call him “The Orange One”. That particular epithet seems to ONLY be lobbied by people who are hard left or those who cannot take Trump seriously because of his style, or his class. (has money, but doesn’t wear it like they think he ought to)

This Ronchetti guy falls into one of those categories, probably the second, but he would get along better with hard lefties who play the game the way he thinks it ought to be played. Fail.

[CedarDave]

And the response from the Ronchetti campaign:

The false, negative attacks have started.

Mark has focused his campaign on laying out his conservative vision for New Mexico and making the case against Governor Lujan Grisham.

Unfortunately, one of Mark’s Republican opponents – Rebecca Dow – is joining the likes of MLG and the national Democrats in attacking Mark. That’s what happens when Mark is ahead in the race.

These are old and discredited attacks, but let me set the record straight.

When Mark was working at KRQE, part of his job was to give speeches to schools and groups. Dow is falsely claiming Mark was working with some Soros climate change group – completely false. Mark has always been a strong advocate for the oil and gas industry.

She also takes jokes Mark made out of context. Mark is a proud conservative Republican and never left the Republican Party – voter registration records prove this is just another lie. Mark supported President Trump and we all remember the attack ads by the Democrats hammering him for that support – Mark never backed down.

We have avoided criticizing our Republican opponents, but we won’t agree to unilateral disarmament. You deserve the truth.

The real reason Dow is running a negative campaign is because she can’t run on her own record – it’s way too liberal. And that record is also why MLG and the Democrats would love to run against Dow – Dow is the only Republican candidate who has voted FOR MLG’s liberal policies… policies that attract illegal immigrants, put criminals ahead of cops, weaken our schools, and waste taxpayer money with reckless government spending.

It’s why the American Conservative Union Foundation gave Dow a lifetime FAILING grade for her liberal voting record.

As we get closer to the primary election, Mark’s opponents will try ANYTHING to take the attention off their own records and the real issues facing New Mexicans. We will continue to focus our campaign on taking our conservative message to every New Mexican. At the end of the day, it’s about defeating MLG to turn New Mexico around.

Help us fight back and continue to push our positive, conservative vision for New Mexico.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I went to check Dow’s ACU rating. It’s very mediocre.

http://ratings.conservative.org/people/2904a9a3-7e21-4c6f-b40a-e79288ca1b49

31% Conservative in 2018 ? That’s pretty bad. You have to score an 85% to be considered a Conservative, and she has never scored that high. Liberal-to-moderate RINO.

[fishtank]

https://zanettiforgovernor.com/

[girlangler]

Rebecca is a friend of mine. She is genuine. The democrats are so afraid of her, because of her popularity in the southern part of the state, they brought out the big guns to defeat her in her last House race. I provided the research that proved Brian Egolf’s PAC paid for the opposition research to provide her opponent (then (Karen Whitlock’s) the material to file a phone ethics complaint against Dow. Most of Whitlock’s charges have been dropped (she filed with the AG who dropped all charges) but one charge. To be honest the new state ethics commission is nothing more than a go-to for political candidates to slander opponents. It’s a long story, but I am happy to private message the facts to anyone who wants them. When Dow won that race Egolf publicly stated he would get rid of Dow through redistricting, and did dissolve D-38. Now Las Cruces will be representing the rural people in that district (which means no representation). The democrats are going to get really dirty and slander Dow because they are afraid of her. Ronchetti, as Dow states, is a one pony show. I liked him a lot as a weatherman, watched him daily. But he doesn’t have the experience and backbone Dow has.

[girlangler]

I don’t know who put together that score but they are wrong. She is as conservative as it gets.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The American Conservative Union put that together. They are one of the premier sources in scoring legislators at the state and federal level as to whether they are remotely Conservative or left-wing. Rarely are they incorrect in their assessments.

Given the mediocre ratings, your friend isn’t remotely “Conservative” in her voting habits in Santa Fe. The difference between “talk” and “walk.”

[girlangler]

You must be referring to this organization, which no doubt has helped many RINOS: https://www.yahoo.com/news/conservative-leader-backs-romney-131027244.html

[girlangler]

The American Conservative Union gives Susan Collins a lifetime conservative rating of 59.63 percent.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/murkowski-collins-who-are-two-women-gop-senators-who-helped-n787711

[fieldmarshaldj]

A 10-year old story that the then-head of the ACU endorsed the leading GOP candidate for President ? Other than for a weak and underfunded Rick Santorum, there were no Conservatives of any note by that point. It was an utter disgrace of a primary, to be honest. My opinion of Willard the Rat is well-known on FR. I supported and endorsed Virgil Goode for President in 2012.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Actually, Collins’ lifetime rating has declined to 43% now. She scored a 41% in 2021. That is still a terrible rating for a Republican, a left-winger. All the more alarming is that your friend scored to the LEFT of Collins’s lifetime and yearly ACU rating in 2018. Collins got a 41%, Dow got a 31% rating(!). In fact, Dow ranked the 2nd most left-wing Republican in the NM House, outranked only by Sarah Maestas Barnes, who got a 29% rating.

Now, while her rating has improved since, she still hasn’t broken out of that nebulous RINO moderate-squish range, and has yet to reach that magic 85% Conservative threshold. Her rating is more like my ex-Sen. RINO Lamar! Alexander, who may have been great for a left-wing state, but certainly not for mine.

But attacking the ACU when Dow’s votes in Santa Fe reflect a non-Conservative agenda isn’t going to change the reality that Ronchetti’s criticism of her record is spot-on. Unfortunately, because Ronchetti does not hold office, he can’t be rated in a similar manner. But clearly your friend’s record and claims that “She is as conservative as it gets”, doesn’t pass the smell test whatsoever.

[girlangler]

The first one to release the negative ads was Ronchetti, because he knows she is the one to beat.

[girlangler]

Why should I pay any attention to these RINO enablers?

[fieldmarshaldj]

You didn't address post #15. The issue is your friend's voting record. You made a generalized statement that “She is as conservative as it gets”, but when her voting record was rated, the entire NM Republican House caucus, save one, voted to her right in 2018. How do you reconcile yourself making a comment that is demonstrably and provably false ?

[girlangler]

Here re a few bills this “liberal” sponsored while in the House:

HB 35 Enhanced Penalty for Firearm Used in a Crime
HB 114 Firearms & Controlled Substance Penalty
HB 25 Change Some Statutes of Limitation
HB 27 Pretrial Release
HJR 4 Denial of Bail
HM 28 Recognition of Victims of Violent Crime
Not only do I sponsor bills that would have kept the most dangerous criminals from being let out of custody. I voted against:
HB 74 Felon Voting Rights: Would have given felons regardless of crime committed voting rights upon release of prison.
HB 114 Habitual Offender Judicial Flexibility: Would make all habitual offender enhancements discretionary rather than mandatory.
SB 114 Medical and Geriatric Parole Procedure: This bill repeals current law which directs the Parole Board to develop rules and implement a program for geriatric and medical parole. The bill transfers that authority to the Corrections Department and requires that the Parole Board grant the release on parole of an inmate recommended for parole unless it “finds by clear and convincing evidence that the inmate’s release is incompatible with the welfare of society.” The board is prohibited from denying parole based solely upon the nature of the crime or the criminal history of the inmate.
HB4 Removal of Qualified Immunity
Lastly:
HB 564 would not let the most dangerous felons out of prison. It established a hearing process after 30 years of imprisonment. That’s it. If in the unlikely case that somehow a dangerous felon were paroled after 30 years The purpose of probation is to “enforce victim restitution, hold persons accountable for their criminal conduct, promote a person’s reintegration into law-abiding society and reduce the risks that the person will commit new offenses.”

[fieldmarshaldj]

That’s great. How does that alter the fact that she still scored the second-most left-wing Republican in the NM House in 2018 and continues to score a squishy RINO “moderate” rating ever since ?