SKEEN, WILSON JOIN IN DENDAHL CRITICISM

Congressional Republicans Joe Skeen and Heather Wilson on Thursday
joined U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici in criticizing state Republican
Chairman John Dendahl for his support of Gov. Gary Johnson's drug package.

The fact that all three New Mexico Republicans in Congress have come
out against him will make it tougher to hang on to his chairmanship,
Dendahl acknowledged.

"It's a David-and-Goliath situation," he said. The state's GOP
central committee will decide in May who will be chairman for the next
two years.

"Mr. Dendahl has every right as a private citizen to express any view
he wishes, no matter how inimical to the principles of the Party he
represents," the Republican Congress members said in a joint
statement released Thursday.

"However, expressing views that directly violate the wishes of the
vast majority of those who elected him Chairman, and who have labored
to elect a President who opposes legalization of marijuana, reveals
that John has simply left the Republican Party on this critical issues
of moral values."

Unlike Domenici, who on Wednesday called for Dendahl to step down,
neither Skeen nor Wilson called for his resignation.

"That's because they know I won't resign," Dendahl said
Thursday.

Dendahl, who has been party chairman since 1994, is the only announced
candidate for the chairmanship.

Dendahl earlier this week announced his support for the governor's
drug-reform package, which includes a bill that would remove criminal
penalties for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana.

Although opponents call this a "drug legalization" bill, under the
measure there still would be civil fines for possession. Selling
marijuana and possessing more than an ounce would still be a crime.

House Bill 918 and Senate Bill 315 are still working their ways
through the legislative committee process.

"I'm not surprised," Dendahl said of Skeen and Wilson's statement.
"I don't think Sen. Domenici wouldn't have started this if he wasn't
confident he could get the whole delegation behind him."

"I regret it," Dendahl said, "But I never doubted it would
happen.

In their statement, Skeen and Wilson said, "State Republican Party
Chairman John Dendahl's recent comments supporting legalization of
marijuana in our state stand in direct opposition to the National
Republican Party Platform, to the New Mexico State Republican Party
Platform, and to the views of our newly-elected President, George W.
Bush.

"We agree with Sen. Pete V. Domenici that John Dendahl has gone too
far. While we agree that Mr. Dendahl has done good work for our party
and has been a warrior for many of the Party's principles, he simply
has broken faith with the party in this matter, in our view.

"We have seen the families ruined by drug use, the children abused by
parents caught in drug addiction. All of us have seen that the fight
against drug use by young persons has made progress. To take this
giant step backward now, to legalize marijuana in our state would be a
tragic error that would lead to thousands of more broken families and
ruined lives.

"We intend to communicate our views to all of our interested Party
colleagues," the representatives concluded.

Several of Johnson's drug-reform bills have cleared the Senate with
bi-partisan support. The "Medical Marijuana" Bill (SB319), which
would allow sufferers of severe medical conditions use marijuana to
relieve pain and nausea, passed with more Republicans voting for it
than against it.