The Republican Party of New Mexico is making a play for one of the bluest counties in the state.

The state GOP has reestablished a dormant chapter in Rio Arriba County, long considered a Democrat stronghold, as part of a bigger effort to flip New Mexico red.

The new chairwoman, Patricia Salazar, is a former Democrat who aims to increase the number of registered Republicans in the county and recruit more Republican candidates.

"Everybody wants equality, but how can it be fair if everybody's a Democrat [on the ballot] and we don't have the ability to choose?" she said during an interview on The New Mexican 's Around the Roundhouse podcast, which will be available Thursday afternoon.

"Right now, there's a lot of people who are embarrassed to admit that they're a Republican in Rio Arri

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