THE DRUG DEBATE PROMISES TO KEEP GOP PRIMARY LIVELY

Democrats Aren't Alone In Choosing Sides In The Primary Election

Gov. Gary Johnson, a Republican, confirmed through a spokeswoman that he is
taking a serious look at a candidate in the Bernalillo County sheriff's race.

Johnson is not yet ready to offer an endorsement - something he has avoided
in the past during Republican primaries. But he might have a compelling
reason to get involved this time.

The candidate he is looking at, former Albuquerque Police Department Sgt.
Marshall Katz, is running against Darren White for the GOP nomination.

Yes, that Darren White, the former secretary of the Department of Public
Safety who quit Johnson's administration in 1999 over the governor's
support for easing drug laws.

White, who spent time as a TV reporter for KRQE News 13, quit the station
earlier this year to run for sheriff. At least one other Republican, Adolph
Saenz, has announced he is running. Several Democrats also will run.

In the meantime, White joined forces with other Republicans to torpedo some
of Johnson's drug reform legislation during this year's 30-day session.

It was the perfect way for White, a former Albuquerque police officer
himself, to get back into politics and craft a backdrop for his campaign.

Johnson, apparently, isn't thrilled that White is getting political mileage
out of opposition to the governor's controversial drug reform agenda.

We'll see how far Johnson is willing to go to torpedo White's political career.

The infighting over drug reform - whether to support legalization or
decriminalization of marijuana - didn't quite reach the fever pitch some
Republicans predicted for the pre-primary convention on Saturday.

Thank - or blame - state party boss John Dendahl for that.

The anti-drug crowd, such as White and former Bernalillo County Republican
Party Chairman Frank Gorham III, successfully changed the party platform to
spell out their opposition to legalization and decriminalization of drugs.

Republican leaders, including Dendahl, were inclined to let that political
statement stand - without a fight.

But other Republicans, including the Bernalillo County contingent, wanted
to debate other possible changes to the platform.

One delegate challenged the platform committee's decision not to include a
"family plank" that would basically define marriage as a union between two
sexes.

Other delegates wanted to know why the crime plank was changed to get rid
of the party's traditional support for the death penalty. Speculation was
that Johnson's change of heart about the death penalty might have led to
the platform change.

But a majority of delegates successfully stifled debate over those issues.
They pointed out the platform should be sufficiently broad so Democrats
wouldn't have specific issues to target against Republicans in November.

Dendahl, handling the gavel as deftly as Democrats who control the House
Voters and Elections Committee, rallied the troops to stop debate before it
ever happened.

And just like that, a Republican platform - with an anti-drug plank, but
absent a family plank or support for the death penalty - was adopted.

The drug debate will probably cause reverberations throughout the election
season.

Rep. Joe Thompson, a Northeast Heights Republican, has been the chief
champion of Johnson's drug agenda in the Legislature.

After mingling with Republican insiders at the pre-primary convention this
weekend, Thompson said he is convinced a GOP candidate will surface to run
against him.

Thompson said he expected he'd probably have to pay a price for supporting
Johnson's drug reform agenda.

On Tuesday, filing day for legislative candidates, Thompson will find out
how strong that opposition will be.

On the other side of the drug debate, Rep. Ron Godbey has long suspected
the governor's allies would convince someone to run against him.

Republicans confirmed over the weekend that they, indeed, have found a
candidate in Godbey's East Mountain House district.

It's starting to look like the best political matchups will be within
Republican and Democrat ranks in June.