Past due actually. She's the one who got indicted for many charges of fraud &c. The writing has been on the wall for awhile, but Duran has been slow to face reality. Perhaps yesterday's late night email is related to a scheduled court appearance this morning for motions in her criminal case:
On a more cynical note, perhaps Duran resigned now hoping it would get minimal coverage. Not only was there the Benghazi hearing spectacle, there's a huge hurricane about to take over the headlines. And in Albuquerque, there were two high-profile shootings this week, including the national story of 4-year-old Lilly Garcia, shot in a road rage incident. (Thank goodness,
there's been an arrest in that case.) The opposite of a slow news day.
In NM, the SoS has responsibility for ethics issues, which contributed to Duran's problems getting so far out of hand. Eventually, NM Attorney General Hector Balderas stepped in with an indictment with scores of counts. The Democratic state legislature had also begun moving towards Duran's impeachment.
Duran has a gambling problem, from which (IMO) all these charges stem. The core of the problem is that something short of half a million dollars of campaign funds were withdrawn by Duran from ATMs at casinos throughout the state. Even the GOP Governor, Susana "la Tejana" Martinez, is ready to cut her loose. Reported last month:
Staff in Duran's office confirmed she has not returned to her Santa Fe office since the allegations came to light, and Gov. Martinez even said Tuesday that enough could be enough.
"If the allegations are true, they are extremely concerning. If they are true, she should resign," Gov. Martinez told KOB Tuesday.
In Duran's absence, no one knows for sure if the functions of her office are being effectively carried out in her absence.
Martinez gets to appoint a replacement, so why not?
But the SoS term ends in 2018, and the appointment only stands until 2016 when there will be a special election. Democrats have an excellent candidate in Albuquerque's Bernalillo County Clerk, Maggie Toulouse Oliver. She is a friend to all who think Democracy functions best when everyone votes, losing to Duran in a close race last year.
Both Toulouse Oliver and Balderas are excellent young up-and-comers in New Mexico. Balderas ran for US Senate, losing to Martin Heinrich in the primary. When Tom Udall retires, he may get another shot at it, or perhaps he'll find something else worthwhile to do. It's worth keeping an eye on both of them - I think the best is yet to come for each of them.
It is also worth noting that the rulemaking mentioned in the email is meant to move New Mexico back towards being a Presidential swing state. I hope Duran gets help for her gambling problem and finds something useful to do with her life henceforth (in the private sector.)