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Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca should have been focused on the needs of his military constituents. Instead, he played a game of identity politics and likely lost a bit of their respect in the process.
Baca, R-Belen, actually asked an African American Cabinet nominee during a Senate committee hearing last week if she felt “comfortable adequately representing both cultures,” citing his Hispanic heritage and the state’s low African American population of 3%. His question was insensitive and insulting and totally off point.
Sonya Smith, the governor’s nominee to lead the Department of Veteran Services, responded perfectly, saying she was nominated because of her skill set and ability to lead, not her race. “I don’t think when Gov. Lujan Grisham tapped me for this position, she was concerned about my color.” For the record, Smith is a Gulf War veteran with a background in health care.