Barack Obama will visit New Mexico on Friday, with the time and location for a stop in Santa Fe yet to be announced, and sources tell me to expect Hillary Clinton to visit the state late this week or this weekend.
A posting on Obama’s Web site confirms that he will be in the state capitol on Friday but provides no other details. The Clinton campaign has promised that the senator will visit before next week’s Feb. 5 Democratic caucus, but there’s no official word on the date of a Clinton visit. Neither campaign has responded to requests for more information about the candidates’ visits.
Obama will visit the state on the heels of a huge win in South Carolina on Saturday. He and Clinton are generally considered to be neck-and-neck going into the Feb. 5 contests in more than 20 states.
Meanwhile, both campaigns remain highly active in New Mexico. Clinton announced the endorsement on Friday of state Auditor Hector Balderas – the youngest Hispanic statewide elected official in the nation – and on Saturday of former Gov. Bruce King and his wife Alice.
“Hillary Clinton has a clear vision to jumpstart our economy and get our country back on track,” Balderas said in a news release. “With over 35 years of experience, Hillary will create new jobs, address our housing crisis and put money back into the pockets of the American people.”
King, in a conference call with New Mexico reporters, said he and his wife have known Clinton since the 1970s.
“She’s the type of person that is really a doer and she really wants to lift everyone up,” King said. “So it’s very important that everyone in New Mexico go out and support Hillary on Feb. 5.”
The Clinton campaign plans a news conference later this week to announce the endorsements of state lawmakers and other elected officials. The Obama campaign, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, plans two news conferences on Tuesday – one in Santa Fe and one in Las Cruces – to announce new endorsements, including that of Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.
In addition, thousands of volunteers spread out across New Mexico this weekend, going door-to-door in 17 cities to try to convince New Mexicans to support Obama.
Feuding reaches New Mexico
The campaigns are already continuing some of the feuding that colored this weekend’s South Carolina contest.
Obama’s campaign announced Friday the formation of a “Truth Squad” it said would counter negative and false attacks from the Clinton campaign. Some leading Obama supporters in New Mexico joined reporters on a conference call on Friday to rebut attacks the Clinton campaign has made in other states.
“We are here today because we are tired of hearing negative attacks against Sen. Obama from the Clinton campaign,” former state Rep. Patsy Trujillo said. “We are here today to stop those lies from infiltrating the debate here in New Mexico and we are here to set the record straight.”
She and others talked briefly about Social Security, the economy, the Iraq war and other issues, in some instances sharing Obama’s plans and in others sharing what the Clinton campaign has said about Obama’s plans and calling that information false.
“It’s time for the Clinton campaign to tell the truth,” state Rep. Al Park said. “If you won’t tell the truth during the campaign, how can we be sure that you’ll tell the truth in the White House?”
The Clinton campaign responded by releasing a statement from Matt Farrauto, former executive director of the state Democratic Party, to the Albuquerque Tribune starting that Obama “has trouble taking responsibility for and explaining his record.” He said the Clinton campaign would “respond quickly and effectively” to keep the campaign focused on the issues.”
Even before the Obama campaign’s conference call with reporters, the Clinton campaign invited the Albuquerque Journal to listen in on a national conference call about “Obama campaign attacks” – a conference call the newspaper reported included more attacking of Obama than it did explanations of his alleged attacks.
I’ll share more details about the visits by both candidates as soon as I have them.
Update, 8:45 a.m.
Obama spokesman Trevor Fitzgibbon said Sunland Park Mayor Jesus “Ruben” Segura will also endorse Obama at Tuesday’s news conference in Las Cruces. He said other endorsements were being vetted by the national campaign and can’t yet be released.
But he said the campaign is finding a lot of support among Hispanics in New Mexico, and he expects Miyagishima, Segura and others to focus on Obama’s electability during Tuesday speeches.
Fitzgibbon also said that U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., will visit New Mexico later this week to campaign for Obama. Kennedy endorsed Obama on Sunday.
Fitzgibbon said he had no details about Obama’s Friday visit, and couldn’t even confirm that Obama will visit on that day.
Update, 10:45 a.m.
State Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, endorsed Obama this weekend. You can read about it on her blog by clicking here.
Update, 1:25 p.m.
Also endorsing Obama from Doña Ana County will be state Reps. Nate Cote and Jeff Steinborn, Las Cruces City Councilor Miguel Silva, Doña Ana County Commissioner Dolores Saldaña-Caviness and Doña Ana County Democratic Party Vice Chair Art Terrazas, according to a news release.
Their endorsements will be formally announced at a news conference at Obama’s campaign headquarters in Las Cruces, located at 212 West Hadley, at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
Barack Obama will visit 
Obama will visit the state on the heels of a huge win in South Carolina on Saturday. He and Clinton are generally considered to be neck-and-neck going into the Feb. 5 contests in more than 20 states.