By Gary Person

he Republican Party of New Mexico used an official statewide communication to mention me by name in a cryptic and personal statement.

The July 9 SCC email, sent from CountySupport@gopnm.org, stated:

“Can someone let Gary Person know he’ll love the person who will be emceeing the event. Stay tuned…😊”

That statement had nothing to do with registration, quorum, proxies, or any other legitimate purpose of the SCC call. It singled me out before the entire State Central Committee without explaining why I would supposedly “love” the person emceeing the event or why my name belonged in the communication at all.

Some may dismiss it as a joke. I do not.

Words must be considered in context. In a previous party-related email, Dewight Bell wrote:

“Gary Person is a lying mole agitator, that should be tossed out of the Republican Party.”

That message was copied to then-RPNM Chair Amy Barela, RPNM Secretary Kathleen Apodaca, Jonathan Gardner, and C. Brown.

With that history, a cryptic public remark telling me to “stay tuned” about someone selected to emcee an RPNM event does not feel harmless. It feels like an attempt to intimidate, provoke, or send a message.

My concern is that, given the history and the unexplained nature of the remark, it was inappropriate and made me feel personally targeted.

The explanation that the remark appeared outside the boxed portion of the “official call” does not solve the problem. The email came from an official RPNM account, carried official party branding, was distributed to SCC members, and was signed by Executive Director Leticia Munoz.

The same communication told recipients:

Attn: SCC member you are receiving this message due to the fact you are an elected SCC member.”

RPNM cannot present an email as an official communication when giving instructions to members and then treat part of that same email as unofficial when challenged about its content.

The Uniform State Rules state that it is the party’s purpose to:

“encourage and allow the broadest possible participation of all Republican voters”

and to assure that the Republican Party is:

Using party resources to single out a person who has raised questions about rules and leadership appears contrary to that purpose.

The questions are simple:

Who wrote the statement?

Who approved it?

Why was I named?

What message was RPNM attempting to send?

Those questions deserve direct answers—not jokes, emojis, or another attempt to dismiss a legitimate concern.

Political disagreement is normal. Asking leadership to follow the rules is not harassment, disloyalty, or factional misconduct. An official party communication should inform members, not target someone personally.

 am asking RPNM to explain why my name was included and to avoid using my name in future official communications unless it is directly relevant to legitimate party business. Persons should be able to raise concerns about rules and leadership without being personally singled out.

If there is an innocent explanation, RPNM should provide it clearly and directly. Silence or mockery will only make the situation appear worse.