Apparently inspired by the 2000 Gore-Nader brouhaha, the head of New Mexico’s GOP tried to bribe Green Party leaders to field candidates in upcoming elections in order to drain votes away from Democrats. The state’s Republican Party chair, John Dendahl, spoke with Green leaders about the possibility of making a six-figure contribution to their party in exchange for running candidates in two New Mexico congressional districts. Dendahl said the contribution offer came not from himself but from a Republican in Washington, D.C., whom he refused to identify, saying only that the person was not an elected official or party officer. The Green Party refused the money, and New Mexico’s Democratic Party chair, Jamie Koch, called on Dendahl to resign and said he planned to alert the Federal Elections Commission. Tuesday was the filing deadline for minor-party candidates, and, unlike in past years, no Green filed for a congressional seat in New Mexico.
