John Dendahl

John Dendahl is a syndicated columnist and was a Republican politician from New Mexico until he moved to Denver, Colorado. He was a member of the United States ski team at 1960 Winter Olympics.

Political History

Dendahl served as New Mexico's Secretary of Economic Development and Tourism from 1988 to 1990, a position to which he was appointed by Republican Governor Garrey Carruthers. In 1994, Dendahl unsuccessfully sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination, losing to businessman Gary E. Johnson. In late 1994, Dendahl was elected chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, a position he held until he was defeated for re-election as Chairman by Republican State Senator Ramsay Gorham of Albuquerque in 2003.

2006 Race for Governor

Dendahl was the 2006 Republican gubernatorial nominee. He became so on June 17, 2006 when Dr. J.R. Damron, the Republican who won the primary election suddenly dropped out. Dendahl was nominated by the state GOP Central Committee at a meeting in downtown Albuquerque with only perhaps 100 of the some 350 committee members in attendance.

Immediately after his installment as the Republican nominee, Dendahl wasted no time in making it personal. In a TV interview following his surprise nomination, he called the Governor "mean, selfish and vindictive." And the Democrats went to work on Dendahl's achilles heel--his support of drug legalization.

"Not only did the GOP bail on one of their own, they installed a venomous and divisive radical who supports policies, such as legalizing drugs, which are outside of the mainstream," blasted New Mexico Dem Chair John Wertheim.

Dendahl caused controversy early in the fall campaign stating that New Mexico teachers spend too little time on the three R's and too much time on "the three S's"— sexuality, self-esteem and socialism.

In the end, Dendahl was defeated by the largest margin in New Mexico history, losing by to incumbent Democrat Governor Bill Richardson by 384,806 to 174,364 - a difference of 210,442. Dendahl's percentage of 31.18% of the vote was the worst percentage by a Republican nominee for Governor since New Mexico became a State in 1912. Dendahl actually polled 14,710 fewer votes than 2002 Republican nominee John Sanchez even though turnout increased, by 74,937 from 2002 to 2006.

Governor Richardson easily surpassed the previous gubernatorial win record set by Democrat Jack Campbell in 1964. Dendahl lost to Richardson in 32 of 33 of New Mexico's counties. Catron County, as Governor Richardson had predicted, was the sole holdout. Even arch-conservative counties such as Chaves, Lea and Otero fell into the Richardson column.

Former GOP Governor Dave Cargo, when he learned that heavily rural and Republican Catron county was the only one that Dendahl carried, exclaimed: "The vote was 36 steers to 31 bulls."

On January 27, 2007, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Dendahl was leaving New Mexico and moving to Denver, Colorado. Dendahl said in an interview that "I was surprised and felt betrayed by was the unwillingness of too many people that I think know better and should have stood up against it (corruption) and wouldn't and won't..."