Voters in poll say Senate race is most interesting

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If the result of last week’s non-scientific poll on this site is any indication, the most interesting race to watch in the November election will be the U.S. Senate race. Of 303 voters in the poll, 133, or 44 percent, said the Senate race will be the most interesting race, while 99, or 33 percent, picked the 2nd Congressional District race; 48, or 16 percent, picked the 1st Congressional District race; and 23, or 8 percent, picked the 3rd Congressional District race. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Our focus should be the North American neighborhood

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By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek “As man draws nearer to the stars, why should he not also draw nearer to his neighbor?” – Lyndon B. Johnson $4,681 out of your family’s bank account. That’s what the Iraq war has cost you so far. That’s your piece of the $524 billion cost to date, as I write this column. For the current cost, go to nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home. That same Web site shows you that if we had spent that money on affordable housing, we could have built 1,070,377 more units for families. Continue Reading

Progressive victories create hope for ethics reform

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In 2007, the New Mexico Senate voted down a proposal to open legislative conference committees to the public. It was the third time in two years the proposal died. This time, it failed by one vote. The proposal had already passed the House and was supported by the governor. One more vote in the Senate and legislative conference committees would now be open to the public. Continue Reading

Obama’s heroes

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By Jim Scarantino Outside Sharpsburg, Md., a stretch of soft grass rolls across a ditch to where corn sways in the wind. The ditch is barely wide enough to allow a truck or a horse-drawn wagon along its bottom. This is Bloody Lane at the Antietam National Battlefield. On October 17, 1862, Union forces under General George B. McClellan attacked Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army across miles of these pastures and cornfields. Lee was on his first invasion of the North. Continue Reading

McCain launches Spanish-language radio ad in N.M.

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Republican presidential candidate John McCain began running Spanish-language radio ads in New Mexico and Nevada today in an attempt to reach Hispanic voters. You can listen to the New Mexico ad by clicking here. In the ad, McCain talks about Hispanics as people who, when they buy groceries and fill up their gas tanks, “are not Republicans, Democrats or independents. We are Hispanics, and we all are hurting together in this uncertain economic time.” The ad goes on to promote McCain as the presidential candidate with “a realistic plan, not a political one, and it will help jumpstart the local and national economies.” Continue Reading

McCamley’s future uncertain after CD2 loss

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Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley’s future is uncertain after he lost the Democratic 2nd Congressional District primary on Tuesday to Harry Teague. McCamley leaves the commission at the end of the year because he chose to run for Congress instead of seeking re-election. “After taking my first vacation in well over a year, I will continue to work hard on the county commission for those things that I have been working hard on since I started — improving our local health-care system, creating jobs and protecting our environment,” McCamley said today in a statement released by his campaign. “Beyond that, I am not sure. I do know that I will always seek ways to fight for what I believe in, perhaps in some other profession or perhaps again in elective politics. Continue Reading

On to the general: Republicans rally around Pearce

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Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici moved quickly today to endorse Steve Pearce in the U.S. Senate race following his victory in Tuesday’s primary as special-interest groups on the left and right set their sights on Pearce and Democratic candidate Tom Udall. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Pearce is ahead of Wilson by about 3,000 votes, 51 percent to 49 percent, and Wilson cannot come back to win. Pearce’s victory sets the stage for an epic battle with Udall that will likely include millions of dollars in advertising by independent groups in what analysts call one of the hottest Senate races in the nation. “I want to thank Heather Wilson for running a spirited race,” Pearce said in a statement released today by his campaign. “As we said in the debates, we will now move forward with the help of Heather Wilson, Pete Domenici and a unified New Mexico Republican Party to win the U.S. Senate seat for people of New Mexico.” Udall said in an interview that the poor economic situation in America will help him win in November. Continue Reading

With primary over, Udall says he’ll back Obama

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Now that Barack Obama has won the Democratic presidential primary, New Mexico’s only superdelegate who didn’t pick a side in the hotly contested race before it was over says he’ll back the party’s nominee. “I want to congratulate (Obama) on securing the nomination,” U.S. Rep. Tom Udall said today in an interview. “I think he has been an extraordinary campaigner. He’s brought many new people into the process and he’ll be a strong nominee for us.” While New Mexico’s 11 other superdelegates all pledged their support for Obama or Hillary Clinton before the primary race was over, Udall repeatedly refused to comment on the race beyond saying he was uncommitted. In today’s interview, he had kind words for Clinton, calling her “somebody who really connects with working-class families.” “We’ve seen that play out here in New Mexico,” Udall said, referring to Clinton’s narrow win in the state’s Feb. Continue Reading

Big-name endorsements fall flat in some races

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Endorsements by New Mexico’s top politicians fell flat in several races in Tuesday’s primary. Gov. Bill Richardson backed three state legislators who were easily defeated by Democratic challengers – Sens. Shannon Robinson and James Taylor and Rep. Dan Silva, all of Albuquerque. U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici stepped into two races. In the Republican 3rd Congressional District race he backed Marco Gonzales, who lost by six points. Continue Reading

AP declares Pearce winner of GOP Senate primary

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The Associated Press is declaring Steve Pearce the winner of the Republican U.S. Senate primary. With 99 percent of precincts statewide reporting, Pearce has about 51 percent of the vote to Heather Wilson’s 49 percent, the news service is reporting. Pearce is leading by about 2,900 votes — 56,738 to 53,827. Neither campaign could immediately be reached for comment. The AP announcement came at about 2 a.m. Wilson didn’t concede the race and Pearce didn’t declare victory during speeches they gave late Tuesday. Continue Reading

Some Doña Ana County races are too close to call

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With 116 of 117 precincts reporting but 0.9 percent of the vote yet to be counted and provisional ballots yet to be considered, several races in Doña Ana County remain too close to call. In the Democratic county treasurer primary, Jill Johnson is leading David Gutierrez by 51 votes, 4,125 to 4,074. In the Democratic county clerk primary, Lynn Ellins is leading Rita Torres by 212 votes, 2,927 to 2,715, with two other candidates trailing behind them. And in the Republican county commission District 4 race, Doyle Pruitt is leading Anna Mae Evans by 43 votes, 936 to 893. Meanwhile, several other races are over. Continue Reading

Heinrich, White to face off in CD1 general election

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No surprise here: Democrat Martin Heinrich will face Republican Darren White in the 1st Congressional District race in November. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, White had 82 percent of the vote against his only opponent in the Republican primary, Joe Carraro. Meanwhile, Heinrich had 43 percent of the vote compared to 24 percent for Rebecca Vigil-Giron, 23 percent for Michelle Lujan Grisham and 8 percent for Robert Pidcock. Continue Reading

Luján, East to face off in November in CD3

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Ben R. Luján won the Democratic 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary tonight, and Daniel East won the Republican primary. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Luján had 42 percent of the vote to 26 percent for Don Wiviott. Four other Democrats were far behind. East won what the Albuquerque Journal called “a pretty surprising” victory with 53 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Marco Gonzales. “My campaign is about the people of New Mexico,” Luján said in a statement released by his campaign. Continue Reading

Teague wins Democratic 2nd District primary

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Harry Teague has won the Democratic 2nd Congressional District primary and will face Republican Ed Tinsley in the general election in November. Bill McCamley confirmed that he called shortly after midnight and conceded the race to Teague. He had no other comment. Officially, the newest Associated Press tally has Teague winning by 1,641 votes with several Doña Ana County precincts among those yet to be tallied. But those results do not include final numbers from Cibola County that increased Teague’s lead and apparently made the McCamley campaign believe Teague had an insurmountable lead. Continue Reading

Tinsley wins Republican 2nd District primary

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Ed Tinsley has won the Republican 2nd Congressional District primary. With 89 percent of precincts reporting, Tinsley had 31 percent of the vote to 20 percent each for Aubrey Dunn Jr. and Monty Newman, 17 percent for Greg Sowards and 10 percent for C. Earl Greer. “We’re excited, and it was obviously a close race,” Tinsley said in an interview. “There were a lot of great candidates, and I’m honored.” Tinsley was speaking from the K-BOB’s restaurant he owns in Ruidoso moments after telling supporters at the restaurant that he won the race. Meanwhile, the Democratic 2nd District race remains too close to call. Continue Reading