Greer airs six radio ads across the 2nd District

Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate C. Earl Greer is running six different radio ads to try to get the attention of voters in a crowded GOP primary. The most interesting, called “Café,” takes shots at all the other Republican candidates. “I’m really confused about this congressional race,” says one of two women in a mock scenario at a café. “… We have one guy who raises taxes but says he doesn’t. We have two guys who changed political parties just to run for Congress, and one of them gave money to Bill Richardson. Continue Reading

Gonzales invokes Domenici’s legacy in radio ad

Republican 3rd Congressional District candidate Marco Gonzales is up with a new radio ad that draws on the legacy of a certain retiring U.S. senator in asking for support. Gonzales, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, is “up to the task” of continuing Domenici’s legacy in Congress, the ad’s narrator states. Domenici has endorsed Gonzales in the GOP primary race. You can listen to the 60-second spot by clicking here. “With the tremendous loss of experience in New Mexico’s congressional delegation, our district can ill-afford to send someone to represent us who is not prepared on day one,” Gonzales said in a news release announcing the ad. Continue Reading

Back-and-forth between Luján and Wiviott continues

Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidates Ben R. Luján and Don Wiviott are sparring again, this time over who’s going to release information about his past to the public, and who’s going to do it first. The spat began when Wiviott sent out a news release calling on Luján to release his college transcript and diploma “to ensure he graduated from New Mexico Highlands University.” In a previous article in the Albuquerque Journal, Luján’s campaign had refused the request, calling it “irrelevant and a distraction.” “If Ben Ray Luján has nothing to hide about his college degree, then he should release his transcripts and diploma and come clean with the voters of the 3rd Congressional District,” Wiviott campaign Spokesman Webster Cash said. Luján’s campaign spokesman Mark Nicastre fired back that Luján would be happy to “send Don Wiviott an autographed photo, suitable for framing, of Commissioner Luján holding his college diploma” – but only after Wiviott released his tax returns, as the Luján campaign said he previously promised. “In the meantime, Don Wiviott or any other interested parties can contact New Mexico Highlands University, who will confirm that Commissioner Luján earned his degree,” Nicastre said. Nicastre didn’t respond when I asked whether Luján would also release his transcript. Continue Reading

Dunn loans campaign another $45,000

Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Aubrey Dunn has put another $45,000 into his campaign days before Tuesday’s primary. Dunn, according to Federal Election Commission records, filed notice this morning of the new loan to his campaign. He has now loaned a total of $582,435.17 to his campaign. The spending in the 2nd District continues to grow. Will any candidate – or any other special-interest group – put more money into the race before Tuesday? Continue Reading

Newman, McCamley unveil new TV ads

Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Monty Newman is out with a new TV ad highlighting his pledge to run a positive campaign and claiming he’s the candidate of conservative values. Meanwhile, Democratic 2nd District candidate Bill McCamley is out with a new ad comparing his opponent to President Bush. Here’s Newman’s 30-second ad: The ad’s narrator says Newman will keep taxes low, support American soldiers and be tough on securing the border. “Today Monty runs a positive campaign, not attacking other Republicans,” the narrator states in an apparent reference to the negative attacks from other candidates. “Just honest, conservative leadership.” The ad is running across the district. Continue Reading

‘Toughest sheriff in America’ endorses Dunn

Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has endorsed Republican Aubrey Dunn in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District race. The sheriff, according to a news release from the Dunn campaign, has earned a reputation as “the toughest sheriff in America.” “Of all the candidates in this race, Aubrey Dunn is the strongest on the issue of protecting our border,” Arpaio said in the release. “Aubrey Dunn strongly opposes amnesty for illegals, and he’ll fight in Congress to keep our nation safe.” Dunn said he is honored to have the endorsement. “As our next congressman, I’ll take the sheriff’s same no-nonsense approach with me to Washington as we fight to protect our border and crack down on illegal immigration,” he said. Continue Reading

Teague loans campaign another $80,000

Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Harry Teague has loaned his campaign another $80,000 a week before voters will choose between him and Bill McCamley in the primary. Teague, according to Federal Election Commission records, made the new loan to his campaign on Wednesday, and has now put a total of $766,872.92 into his primary race against McCamley. He’s spent much of that money by flooding the airwaves across the district with television ads. Continue Reading

Opinion is mixed on who won GOP Senate debate

Opinion appears to be mixed about who won Tuesday’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate debate between Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson. A poll on KOAT’s Web site asking who won has 105 votes each for Pearce and Wilson. And an Albuquerque Journal reporter wrote on the paper’s blog that opinion is mixed in the newsroom about who won. KOAT reaches every county in the state except Doña Ana, and I couldn’t get the station’s video feed on its Web site to work on Tuesday evening, so I wasn’t able to watch the debate and have no opinion on who won. You can watch excerpts from the debate by clicking here. Continue Reading

Restaurant group spending $200K to promote Tinsley

The National Restaurant Association Political Action Committee is spending $200,000 in the final week before the June 3 primary on TV and radio ads promoting the candidacy of 2nd Congressional District Republican candidate Ed Tinsley. The independent expenditure further ups the ante in a GOP primary race that has already seen the National Association of Realtors’ PAC spend almost $1 million to promote the candidacy of Tinsley opponent Monty Newman and every candidate help self-finance his own campaign. The restaurant group’s expenditure, according to the FEC’s Web site, went entirely to a Washington group, Wilson Research Strategies. Though I’ve not seen or heard the ads, sources say the group is running radio and television ads throughout the district. Tinsley was chairman of the board of the restaurant association from May 2006 to May 2007. Continue Reading

Martin is already facing controversy at LSU

The controversy that seems to accompany New Mexico State University President Michael Martin wherever he goes appears to already be plaguing him in Louisiana, where he hasn’t even officially been offered the job of chancellor of the main campus at Louisiana State University. While I’ve written extensively about the controversies Martin has faced at NMSU, the respected Chronicle of Higher Education published an article late last week that included surprisingly negative comments from NMSU faculty members about the tenure of a man who is still their boss. “We have had concerns about lack of communication,” Jamie L. Bronstein, an associate professor of history, told the Chronicle. “There has been a decline in morale over the past few years. I think there is more of a feeling that faculty members feel troubled about the way things are going.” Martin has been named sole finalist for the chancellor job at LSU’s main campus. Continue Reading

Richardson endorses Luján in CD3 race

Gov. Bill Richardson today endorsed Ben R. Luján in the 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, calling him “the most qualified candidate” and “best prepared to represent the diverse communities that stretch across northern and eastern New Mexico.” “I am also proud to endorse a candidate who has taken the high road against negative and unnecessary political attacks from some of his opponents,” Richardson said in a news release from Luján campaign. In the news release, Richardson called Luján “the candidate who will stand up for New Mexico.” “He has worked hard on the Public Regulation Commission to serve the people of New Mexico,” the governor said. “No other candidate can match his record of fighting for consumers, increasing renewable energy production and creating regional solutions to climate change.” Luján said he is “proud” to have Richardson’s endorsement. “In Congress, I will carry on the tradition that Governor Richardson and Congressman Udall set of standing up for the people of New Mexico,” he said. Update, 2:20 p.m. Webster Cash, spokesman for Luján primary opponent Don Wiviott, had this to say about the governor’s endorsement: “While Wiviott has nothing but respect for the governor, this endorsement comes as no surprise. Continue Reading

Richardson endorses Teague in CD2 race

Gov. Bill Richardson announced today that he is endorsing Harry Teague in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary, calling him “a successful businessman and community leader with moderate views who should be able to win the general election.” “I worked with Harry Teague to reinvigorate and diversify the economy in Lea County. I know Harry will use that experience to create jobs and represent the mostly rural communities of southern New Mexico in Congress,” Richardson said today in a news release from the Teague campaign. Teague said he is “deeply honored” to have Richardson’s endorsement. “I will fight everyday to continue in his tradition of getting real results for New Mexico,” Teague said. “Whether it be his service as a congressman, cabinet secretary, ambassador or governor, Bill Richardson has a strong record of accomplishment that all Americans should be proud of. Continue Reading

Obama’s Las Cruces remark creates controversy

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is taking fire from Republicans after erroneously saying during his town-hall meeting with veterans in Las Cruces that his uncle was among the American soldiers who liberated Auschwitz during World War II. Auschwitz was liberated by the Russians, not the Americans. But Obama said on Monday, while talking about the need for improved health care for veterans, that he had an uncle “who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn’t leave the house for six months. Now, obviously something had really affected him, but at that time there just weren’t the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain.” According to the Associated Press, the Obama campaign said on Tuesday that the Illinois senator’s story was correct except that the camp his great uncle helped liberate was Buchenwald. Continue Reading

Newman has to share hometown paper’s endorsement

Citing concerns about the $1 million the National Association of Realtors has spent to promote Monty Newman’s candidacy, the Hobbs News-Sun has decided to give a dual endorsement in the Republican 2nd Congressional District race to Newman and Lincoln County’s Ed Tinsley. The decision is a blow to the campaign of Newman, a former Hobbs mayor. “We are concerned about the nearly $1 million being spent by the National Association of Realtors on Newman’s behalf, a significant amount by one special interest group for a single candidate,” the newspaper’s Friday editorial states. The newspaper did praise Newman for brokering and overseeing the move of City Hall to a new building and for beautification efforts on Hobbs’ main street. And it pointed out that he’s the only GOP candidate who has held elective office. Continue Reading

Activists host candidate forum, urge early voting

A group of activists from throughout Doña Ana County are making a bipartisan effort to encourage early voting on Saturday by hosting a forum for local candidates and offering rides to polling places in a limousine. The forum will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the Dream Center, 1400 6th Street in Las Cruces. From there, anyone who wants will be given rides to early voting sites in a limo. No single group is sponsoring the event, said Arturo Uribe, a south-county activist who is helping organize the event. He said individuals and groups from throughout the county are coming together to donate money and time to make the event a success. Continue Reading