Judging from both the applause and an exit poll, Benny Shendo, Jr. was the candidate who gained the most new voters at last night's Candidates' Forum in Santa Fe. The event was sponsored by Temple Beth Shalom and members of the Interfaith Leadership Alliance (an organization of faith organizations). Two of the religious leaders, Rabbi Marvin Schwab of Temple Beth Shalom and Aziz Eddebbarh of Taha Mosque Santa Fe, are depicted in the photo at left with Benny.On the stage were five Democratic, two Republican, and both Independent candidates for the 3rd Congressional seat currently held by Tom Udall, who is stepping down to run for the Senate. Missing was land developer Don Wiviott, who had a "scheduling conflict” (although he was at a high-ticket fundraiser down the street just an hour earlier).
Several times during the evening’s discussion, Shendo alone drew loud and sustained applause from the audience. The two-hour session included opening remarks from each candidate, a Q&A section and closing statements from each candidate.
Afterward, as the audience filed out, they were surveyed to determine if they had been influenced to support any particular candidate. Of those who were not previously tied to one of the candidates (staff or campaign volunteers), most audience members indicated that they did not have a preference going in, but over 80% indicated that they were now inclined to vote for Benny Shendo, Jr.
One audience member summed it up nicely, “It makes all the difference in the world to see the candidates in action. Benny Shendo, Jr. was clearly the one who is ready to really represent us, all of us, in Congress.”
