'Cowboys for Trump' founder survives county recall campaign
‘Cowboys for Trump’ founder Couy Griffin has prevailed against efforts to recall him from office as a county commissioner in Southern New Mexico. Recall committee spokesman Scott Fredrick said a petition drive collected 1,229 signatures from registered voters in Griffin’s Otero County district, short of what they needed to trigger a special election. The failed recall petition accused Griffin of failing to attend commission meetings, using his elected position for personal gain in promoting a support group for former President Donald Trump, improper travel vouchers and violating state restrictions on gifts to public officials.
New Mexico requires a number of signatures equal to 33.3 percent of participation in the previous election. The recall petition fell shy, with about 28 percent participation as time ran out Wednesday. “Since we didn’t meet the signature threshold, there is no next step,” said Fredrick, conceding defeat Tuesday night.
Griffin can run for reelection in 2022 but told the Associated Press last week he’s more interested in running for sheriff in his native Catron County or governor of New Mexico someday. Griffin has resumed travel to political speaking engagements — in Texas, Montana and Arizona — while burnishing his image in a new video documentary as a God-fearing “peaceful patriot” who stands in solidarity with about 70 defendants jailed on charges related to the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol.
“I myself wear Jan. 6 as a badge of honor,” Griffin says in the film, infused with orchestral tones. “I’m glad that I went on that day … to stand with my fellow Americans in protest of what will one day be known as the biggest rigged election in American history.”
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/cowboys-for-trump-founder-survives-county-recall-campaign/article_95ce98c0-8424-5000-a48f-672f50f650cc.html
