Former Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales, who was once one of Donald Trump's favorite Democrats, is now hoping to become one of his favorite Republicans: On Wednesday, Gonzales announced he'd seek the GOP nomination to take on Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich in New Mexico this year.
Gonzales' kickoff comes after news broke in October that federal authorities suspect him of participating in a scheme to help arms dealers illegally obtain machine guns, but he has not yet been charged with any wrongdoing.
Gonzales, who revealed his party switch in the same Fox News interview where he launched his campaign, is the first notable Republican to challenge Heinrich in what's become a Democrat-friendly state. The candidate filing deadline is March 12, and the primary will take place June 4.
The ex-sheriff has long had an antagonistic relationship with progressives in New Mexico's largest county, which is home to Albuquerque and many of its suburbs. In 2018, Gonzales turned back a primary challenge from Sylvester Stanley, who served as police chief in several small communities, by a 49-38 margin, with a third candidate taking the balance. Stanley, who had narrowly lost to Gonzales four years earlier, faulted the incumbent for not requiring his deputies to wear body cameras, while the sheriff argued they weren't necessary.
Gonzales was reelected that fall, but he had yet to attract much attention outside New Mexico. That all changed in 2020, however, when he appeared at a White House event where Trump and then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announced that they were deploying federal agents to Albuquerque.
New Mexico Democrats roundly condemned what Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called "authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable military-style 'crackdowns,'" while Heinrich demanded Gonzales' resignation. The sheriff refused to budge, though, and Trump soon commended him in a tweet for his "great comments on Operation Legend!"
Gonzales made more enemies the following year when he launched a campaign to unseat a fellow Democrat, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. The sheriff's campaign, though, attracted news in all the wrong ways. Some of the problems were not his fault: During one campaign event, for instance, a drone carrying a sex toy interrupted his event, leading one stunned attendee to ask, "Is that a dong on a drone?"
In a less salacious matter, Albuquerque's city clerk denied Gonzales over $600,000 in public campaign funds because of complaints alleging he'd turned in forged paperwork to participate in the program. Gonzales aides acknowledged that some of their documents had indeed been falsified, but they argued it was common in campaigns to submit improper documents. (A city official responded, "I reject the corollary notion that some level of fraud and falsification is tolerable or OK.")
The matter dragged on for weeks, and Gonzales ultimately announced he'd rely on private donations after he failed to prevail in court. Keller went on to win 56-26, while term limits prevented Gonzales from seeking another term as sheriff in 2022.
Gonzales appeared in the news again last October when it became public knowledge that federal prosecutors in Maryland believed that he had illicitly helped a local firearms dealer obtain machine guns. Gonzales and an associate had attested that guns were intended to serve as demonstration models for prospective law enforcement buyers, but prosecutors concluded that the pair "had no expectation or understanding that such weapons would ever be demonstrated to their respective law enforcement agencies."
Gonzales responded by arguing the allegations were "politically motivated" and proclaimed his innocence. There have been no public developments since then.
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Gonzales' kickoff comes after news broke in October that federal authorities suspect him of participating in a scheme to help arms dealers illegally obtain machine guns, but he has not yet been charged with any wrongdoing.
Gonzales, who revealed his party switch in the same Fox News interview where he launched his campaign, is the first notable Republican to challenge Heinrich in what's become a Democrat-friendly state. The candidate filing deadline is March 12, and the primary will take place June 4.
The ex-sheriff has long had an antagonistic relationship with progressives in New Mexico's largest county, which is home to Albuquerque and many of its suburbs. In 2018, Gonzales turned back a primary challenge from Sylvester Stanley, who served as police chief in several small communities, by a 49-38 margin, with a third candidate taking the balance. Stanley, who had narrowly lost to Gonzales four years earlier, faulted the incumbent for not requiring his deputies to wear body cameras, while the sheriff argued they weren't necessary.
Gonzales was reelected that fall, but he had yet to attract much attention outside New Mexico. That all changed in 2020, however, when he appeared at a White House event where Trump and then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr announced that they were deploying federal agents to Albuquerque.
New Mexico Democrats roundly condemned what Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called "authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable military-style 'crackdowns,'" while Heinrich demanded Gonzales' resignation. The sheriff refused to budge, though, and Trump soon commended him in a tweet for his "great comments on Operation Legend!"
Gonzales made more enemies the following year when he launched a campaign to unseat a fellow Democrat, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. The sheriff's campaign, though, attracted news in all the wrong ways. Some of the problems were not his fault: During one campaign event, for instance, a drone carrying a sex toy interrupted his event, leading one stunned attendee to ask, "Is that a dong on a drone?"
In a less salacious matter, Albuquerque's city clerk denied Gonzales over $600,000 in public campaign funds because of complaints alleging he'd turned in forged paperwork to participate in the program. Gonzales aides acknowledged that some of their documents had indeed been falsified, but they argued it was common in campaigns to submit improper documents. (A city official responded, "I reject the corollary notion that some level of fraud and falsification is tolerable or OK.")
The matter dragged on for weeks, and Gonzales ultimately announced he'd rely on private donations after he failed to prevail in court. Keller went on to win 56-26, while term limits prevented Gonzales from seeking another term as sheriff in 2022.
Gonzales appeared in the news again last October when it became public knowledge that federal prosecutors in Maryland believed that he had illicitly helped a local firearms dealer obtain machine guns. Gonzales and an associate had attested that guns were intended to serve as demonstration models for prospective law enforcement buyers, but prosecutors concluded that the pair "had no expectation or understanding that such weapons would ever be demonstrated to their respective law enforcement agencies."
Gonzales responded by arguing the allegations were "politically motivated" and proclaimed his innocence. There have been no public developments since then.
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