NM GOP official quits over remarks about blacks

ALBUQUERQUE — The chairman of the Republican Party in New Mexico's most populous county resigned Thursday, nearly a week after saying "Hispanics consider themselves above blacks" and won't vote for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Fernando C de Baca, who had been urged to resign for days by members of his own party, said he decided to step down as GOP chairman in Bernalillo County because of "the media circus that has developed."

"It's time to step aside and let the candidates and the political races that are so important to this country and democracy be placed in focus, have the focus placed where it needs to be," he told The Associated Press.

C de Baca, 70, was quoted in a BBC News blog last week as saying: "The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won't vote for a black president."

C de Baca maintains that his comments were taken out of context, explaining that he was referring to views held by some in the generation of Hispanics who grew up before the civil rights movement. He said Thursday that "snippets were used to try and embarrass me."

C de Baca said he supports equal rights for all Americans and that the picture that has been painted of him has left him distraught.

A spokesman for the BBC defended the report as accurate.

Pressure on C de Baca to resign had grown with the release of audio from a second BBC interview.

In that interview, he said older Hispanics would not support Obama "primarily because there is a strong feeling that African Americans during the civil rights movement took advantage, full advantage, of all the benefits and programs that the government offered, that were supposed to be offered to all minorities. But we were left behind, we were left sucking air, and we resented that ever since the '60s, and I don't see how a black president is going to change that."

C de Baca said Thursday that those comments also were taken out of context.

The remarks drew widespread criticism from black leaders, Democrats and high-profile Republicans, including Sen. Pete Domenici. But as recently as Wednesday, C de Baca had refused calls to resign from several Republican leaders, including state GOP Chairman Allen Weh.

"Mr. C de Baca has worked hard on behalf of the party, and his contributions should be appropriately recognized," Weh said. "We are glad this matter has been resolved and wish him well."

Carlos Sanchez, press secretary for the Obama campaign in New Mexico, declined to comment on C de Baca's resignation.

E. Lena Brown, NAACP chapter president in Albuquerque, which is part of Bernalillo County, said C de Baca didn't speak for the majority of the state's Hispanics.

"His comments were without merit and foundation. New Mexico is a multicultural state. Now I hope some of this stupidness will stop," Brown said.

C de Baca led the state's health and social services agency in 1976-79 under a Democratic governor and served former President Ford as a White House assistant for Spanish-speaking affairs in the mid-1970s.

Weh had said in recent days that he has the authority to remove a county chairman under special circumstances but indicated his preference that the county party work to remedy the situation. Ryan Cangiolosi, treasurer of the county party, will take over as chairman.

Recent polls in New Mexico have shown Obama opening up a lead there over Republican nominee John McCain.

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