Failed GOP candidate gets 80 years in prison for shootings at the homes of Democratic officials

Failed Republican candidate Solomon Peña was sentenced to 80 years in prison for hiring gunmen to conduct drive-by shootings at the homes of political rivals, Fox News reported. Peña lost his bid for the New Mexico state House and targeted the homes of Democratic officials in retaliation.

Peña was handily defeated in his November 2022 election and blamed the loss on voter fraud. He arranged the attacks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, between December 4, 2022, and January 3, 2023, with one of the attacks carried out using a machine gun.

For his role in hiring the gunmen and planning the attacks, at least one of which he was present for, Peña was convicted of 13 felony charges. They included four counts of using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, four counts of intimidation and interference with federally protected activities, three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and conspiracy.

Two of the gunmen Peña hired to carry out the attacks pleaded guilty to their roles in the crimes last year. Peña tried to contract the suspects’ murders after his arrest so that they wouldn’t be able to testify against him.

Unhinged Actions

The shootings targeted he homes of Democratic officials after Peña believed he was robbed of his seat in the state House of Representatives. Nobody was injured in the shootings, but many were carried out at homes that children and relatives of the targeted politicians occupied.

These unhinged actions were directed at the state’s Speaker of the House, two New Mexico state legislators, and two Bernalillo County commissioners. Believing that the election was “rigged” against him, Peña tried to convince the board members to refuse to certify the election results in favor of his Democratic opponent, Miguel Garcia, who won 73.6% of the vote compared to Peña’s 26.4%.

They refused, and so Peña hired Demetrio Trujillo and Jose Trujillo to carry out his shooting spree in retaliation. “Violence and intimidation have no place in our elections,” a statement Wednesday from U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison said.

It appears Peña saw himself as a warrior for justice who greatly identified with President Donald Trump’s similar assertion about his 2020 electoral loss, which Trump has never conceded. “Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options,” Peña posted to X, which was then known as Twitter, on Nov. 16, 2022.

Trump just announced for 2024. I stand with him. I never conceded my HD 14 race. Now researching my options. pic.twitter.com/sKVHhxG9Vq

— Solomon Pena for NM (@SolomonPena2022) November 16, 2022

False Comparison

The New York Times drew parallels to Trump when reporting on allegations against Peña in January 2023. The Times noted that Peña was at the Jan 6, 2021, riot that erupted at the U.S. Capitol over Trump supporters’ claims that the election was stolen from him.

Although there was no evidence that Peña had gone inside the building or participated in the violence, the insinuation was that he was so enamored with Trump that he thought his actions were similarly warranted. “He had a belief process that he was cheated,” said Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina.

“To me, it’s very concerning what his actions were and the impact they could have on our democracy. He was trying to intimidate some of our elected officials,” Medina added.

However, Peña’s criminal history suggests that this attack was more due to his being prone to such behavior rather than acting out against “democracy.” Prior to entering politics, Peña had a history of crime and had served seven years in prison after being convicted of burglary and larceny.

It is criminal and immoral for any political candidate to target the homes and families of opponents, regardless of the validity of election fraud claims. Peña has been convicted and therefore deserves to serve time in prison for what he’s done, but his actions do not reflect on Trump or any other Republican who has questioned a vote count, as the establishment media has sought to claim.