Solomon Pena 'really had possibilities' and I'm 'very sad' he wrecked them by orchestrating shootings: GOP donor

A Republican donor in New Mexico has told the New York Times that he regrets backing failed GOP candidate Solomon Pena, who earlier this week was arrested for allegedly orchestrating shootings at the homes of multiple state Democratic officials.

In an interview with the Times, former New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Harvey Yates said that he felt "very bad, very sad" about what had happened with Pena, whom he said "really had possibilities."

Yates, who gave $5,000 to Pena's campaign last year, also told the Times that Pena "came across to me as a very respectful, thoughtful young man" when he met him.

However, the Times notes that Pena had a long history of making incendiary and conspiratorial posts on social media, including calls to throw 2020 election officials into Guantanamo Bay and rants against "the demonic theories of the Globalist Elites."

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Michael Candelaria, another prominent New Mexico Republican, said that the party had made a mistake by throwing its support behind Pena, although he defended its efforts to appeal to people whom he describes as "extremists."

“You don’t take a group of people whose support you want and tell them, ‘You’re a bunch of crazies,’” Mr. Candelaria said. “You’re going to have some extremists that you have to figure out how to keep their support.”

Police allege that Pena hired four other men to fire bullets at the homes of multiple Democratic officials in New Mexico because he refused to accept defeat in an election he lost by more than 45 points last year.