By Kevin Hendricks, Route 66 Independent & NM Political Report — District 5 Bernalillo County Commission candidate Thomas Riley says he wears a ring bearing the Confederate flag as an act of “open rebellion” against the federal government, and he wants the county’s Sheriff’s Office to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to written responses Riley provided to Route 66 Independent and New Mexico Political Report.
Riley is challenging Bernalillo County Commissioner Eric Olivas, a Democrat, in November’s election to determine whether Olivas earns a second term. The self-described “America only” Republican Riley launched an exploratory campaign for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District in January before entering the commission race. “National Politics would take me away from New Mexico and my family,” he wrote, calling it “a corrupting influence” he doesn’t want “for myself, my family, or my friends.” He said serving locally lets him work “much more efficiently from within the community instead of from Washington DC.”
On the ring
In response to questions from the paper, Riley confirmed a photo on his podcast’s website shows him wearing a ring bearing the Confederate flag. “I wear the Confederate Flag because I am from the South and I am representing my heritage,” he wrote. Riley was born and raised in northern Georgia until he was 16, before moving to Oklahoma and later Wisconsin, and eventually settling in the East Mountains, according to his campaign biography.
District 5 Bernallillo County Commission candidate Thomas Riley says he wears a ring bearing the Confederate flag as an act of “open rebellion” against the federal government, and he wants the county’s Sheriff’s Office to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to written responses Riley shared with the paper (Screenshot from Riley’s website)
Riley said the ring carries a second, more explicitly political meaning beyond heritage. “I believe our National Government is ultimately against the people they claim to serve, therefore I am in open rebellion of the current regime,” he wrote. Pressed on how D5 voters might read the symbol, Riley didn’t offer a defense so much as an invitation: “I would welcome the opportunity to speak openly with voters about the ring, the flag, the history, why I do Civil War Reenactments, and why I believe those in Washington DC are not representing us or our interests.” He added a sharper claim about federal policy, writing that “the Federal Government is in fact actively working to make our lives more difficult.”
Riley’s reenacting ties to the ring. He’s a member of The Fifth Texas, a Civil War reenactment group formerly known as The Greybeards.
“America Only”
Riley’s campaign site declares, “I am not America First, I am America Only,” a variation on a slogan now associated with a broader national political movement. Asked to explain the distinction, Riley said the difference is one of focus rather than degree. “America First implies there are other nations which demand our attention,” he wrote. “I believe America is the only nation we should be focused on. It is the only nation that warrants our blood and treasure. It is our nation and it is the only one we have. We should focus on preserving and improving it.”
Riley grounded the position in early U.S. foreign policy, invoking President Washington’s 1796 farewell address: “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world.” Riley argued the warning applies with new urgency today, writing that “our ‘foreign policy’ is increasingly becoming entangled with other nations who openly despise us and are ultimately working against us.”
The slogan and the ring are, by Riley’s own account, connected: both are framed as stances against a federal government and foreign-policy establishment he describes as failing ordinary Americans, a theme he returned to when explaining his shift from national to local politics.
Sheriff’s Office and immigration
According to Riley, Bernalillo County is a “sanctuary” jurisdiction and its Sheriff’s Office currently declines to work with ICE. “That needs to change,” he wrote, arguing county commissioners control the Sheriff’s Office budget: “If in politics, money is everything, as county commissioner I would be in charge of the money for the county.” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen has endorsed Olivas.
Reach the campaign:
Email: Thomasrileyforcountycomm@proton.me
Website: thomaswaynerileyforcountycommissionerdistrict5.com
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