By Etta Pettijohn

A democratic candidate for the District Attorney seat in the Seventh Judicial District has issued a blistering response on social media to partisan distortions regarding a republican candidate for the 38th District House of Representatives.

Les Deschamps, a candidate for District Attorney, wrote these comments on a website, known for disseminating incorrect and often made up news, responded after the site maligned him for having a Rebecca Dow for House political sign in front of his business.

He wrote this week, GǣI did it because I think she is the best candidate. While political parties are still important as a vehicle for allowing voters to learn more about their respective candidates and helping volunteers get a sense of what a candidate stands for, I do not want anyone to vote for me just because I am a Democratic or just because I was registered as a Republican during my former term of office. Straight party voting is a cop-out on a citizen's God-given right and God-given obligation to support the person whom they think will best fulfill their public trust if elected and do the job for which the voter's entrusted them.Gǥ

Dow is the director of the award-winning AppleTree Educational Center, and on the Board of Directors for the Sierra County Boys & Girls Club.

She is also the recipient of the Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Woman, Distinguished Alumni of Tulsa Community College, and has received a Leadership Award from the National Childcare Association. AppleTree was recognized with the Excellence in Education award from Educate New Mexico, Pioneers in New Mexico Pre-K from the N.M. Lieutenant Governor, the Exemplary Program Award from the Association of Christian Schools International, and the Rio Grande Award for Excellence in Youth Services from the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico.

Recently two partisan websites, masquerading as GǣnewsGǥ sites, financed and operated by state outsiders Moveon.org, accused Dow that she Gǣallegedly hired an employee without conducting a simple criminal background check. According to the documents, she only asked him about his Christian faith - nothing more.Gǣ

These allegations have been proven false (Dow is only one of a board to hire him, and he passed background checks from both the N.M. Department of Children, Youth and Families, as well as one from the Truth or Consequences Police Department), although the New Mexico Democratic Party is still running this as fact on its website.

Dow is highly respected for her public service to educational opportunity for all and tireless efforts to better the community. Immediately after the untrue allegations were launched several democrats came to her defense on numerous media sites.

GǣRebecca Dow has provided public service for her entire life Because of her, many, many kids are getting a real education in moral values, positive social skills, responsibility, and that there are consequences for their choices, both good and bad. For many of these kids, the only meal they get is the one at Apple Tree, which even supplies a meal for them on Saturday and Sunday even though there is no school on those days.

GǣI have personal knowledge that the slanderous campaign (is) against her campaign for the N.M. House of Representatives by local Attorney Mark Filosa's cowardly, scandalous, and detestable attempts to extort settlement money from the school's insurance company,Gǥ he wrote.

GǣI support Ms. Dow because she has done so much more for the children, for working single parents who need affordable day care after school for their kids, and for kids who have no other real role model than addiction, than anyone else in this community and in the entire state, for that matter. The Democratic candidate is in fact qualified for the position, but in this person's humble opinion, Rebecca Dow is so much more qualified than anyone else that I am supporting her and will in fact vote for her.GǥGǼ