Sierra County appears poised to OK spaceport tax

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Voters in Sierra County appear on their way to easily approving a 1/4 percent increase in the gross receipts tax to help fund Spaceport America. Not all results are in, but the current count is 1,471 votes, or 68 percent, in favor of enacting the tax, and 643 votes, or 32 percent, opposed to enacting the tax. Those totals come from early and absentee voting and three of Sierra County’s 12 precincts. The votes that have been tallied add up to 2,163, or 29 percent of the 7,389 registered voters in Sierra County. Some 18.5 percent of registered voters cast their ballots early or absentee. Continue Reading

Clinton wins Pennsylvania Democratic primary

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Hillary Clinton has been declared the winner of today’s Pennsylvania Democratic primary, a big win for a candidate who needed it. Barack Obama, meanwhile, appears to have made this a close contest: With 7 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton leads him 53 percent to 47 percent. Pundits will debate for days the meaning of Clinton’s victory, but the likelihood is one that has remained constant for weeks (or longer): This race is probably going to come down to the decisions of superdelegates at the Democratic Party’s convention in August. In New Mexico, several superdelegates, including U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Rep. Tom Udall and state Democratic Party Chair Brian Colón, remain uncommitted to either candidate. As this race drags on, the courting of them by both candidates is only going to increase. Continue Reading

Wilson hits Pearce over Border Patrol vote

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The fighting between the two GOP U.S. Senate candidates is continuing, with Heather Wilson attacking Steve Pearce for saying he supports increasing the number of Border Patrol agents even though he voted in 2007 against such funding as a member of the U.S. House. It’s an issue on which Wilson has gone after Pearce in the past, but comments she made in an e-mail to supporters this weekend and that her campaign manager made in a Tuesday news release stepped up the rhetoric. “Congressman Pearce has given several different explanations for why he voted against funding the Border Patrol,” Wilson wrote in the e-mail. “But like his vote to mothball Cannon Air Force Base and his votes to cripple Department of Energy funding for Sandia and Los Alamos national labs, they don’t make much sense.” Her campaign manager, Chris Collins, echoed those words in the news release. “He’s talking out of both sides of his mouth,” Collins said. Continue Reading

Supreme Court to consider Vigil-Giron’s candidacy

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Three supporters of 1st Congressional District candidate Michelle Lujan-Grisham have appealed to the Supreme Court last week’s rejection of their challenge to the candidacy of Rebecca Vigil-Giron. A district judge in Santa Fe rejected the challenge to the signatures collected by Vigil-Giron, who like Lujan-Grisham is a Democrat. The supporters of Lujan-Grisham alleged that Vigil-Giron submitted more than 600 signatures that weren’t valid, which would have left her 100 short of the 1,214 to qualify for the ballot. Vigil-Giron said in an e-mail that “ego prevailed over logic” in commenting about the appeal to the Supreme Court. She said she doesn’t know whether the court will issue a ruling before early voting begins on May 6, but noted that ballots are already being printed and questioned who would have to pay for the cost of printing new ballots if the high court were to remove her from the ballot. Continue Reading

Tinsley to join Dunn on TV in CD2

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Ed Tinsley will become today the second Republican congressional candidate from Southern New Mexico to air television ads. Tinsley’s ad, a 30-second spot that introduces him to voters, will begin running after 5 p.m. today on the Roswell-based station KBIM, according to campaign spokesman Christopher Maloney. The ad will start a day after Aubrey Dunn became the first Republican Second Congressional District candidate to air television ads. Here’s Tinsley’s ad: The ad begins with Tinsley talking about growing a small business that owned a restaurant he ran with is wife into the K-BOB’S steakhouse chain of restaurants he owns today. Tinsley points out that he has 30 years of experience in small business and the oil and gas industry, and says he’s proud of that. Continue Reading

Sierra Count spaceport tax vote is today

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Voters in Sierra County head to the polls today to decide whether to raise the gross receipts tax 1/4 of a percent to help fund Spaceport America. As I reported on Monday, the vote is critical to the future of the planned spaceport and the state’s hopes for economic development in Southern New Mexico. If you live in Sierra County and haven’t yet voted, please do so today. It’s your right and responsibility. Polls are open until 7 p.m. I’ll have coverage of the results this evening. Continue Reading

GOP radio ad attacks Obama over ‘bitter’ remark

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The state Republican Party is currently running radio ads in several rural New Mexico communities attacking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for comments he made at a recent fundraiser in San Francisco. Obama said many rural Pennsylvanians respond to their economic plight by becoming “bitter” and clinging to guns, religion, hostility toward people who are different from them and anti-immigrant and anti-trade sentiment. It’s a comment that has led to attacks from Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain, who say Obama’s comments are offensive to rural voters throughout the nation. The GOP ad began running late last week in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Hobbs, Las Vegas, Portales, Raton and Roswell. It will run through this week. Continue Reading

Guv says special session in May isn’t likely

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Gov. Bill Richardson now says he won’t likely call a special session until late in the summer after he had productive meetings with two Senate leaders last week. Richardson met with Senate President Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, and Senate Finance Chair John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, in separate meetings last week. “The governor is leaning toward a special session later in the summer following productive meetings last week with Sen. Jennings and Sen. Smith,” Richardson spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said today. “The governor came away from those meetings with the belief that there is a desire to move forward with negotiations that will result in universal health coverage.” During this year’s legislative session, the House approved Richardson’s universal health-care plan after rewriting it, but the Senate was unwilling to consider the proposal. Richardson said immediately following the session that he would call a special session to address universal health care. Continue Reading

Dunn becomes first GOP CD2 candidate on TV

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Aubrey Dunn became today the first Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate to air television ads, and he’s starting with a 30-second spot that introduces him to voters. Here’s the ad: It’s currently running on two network television stations based in Roswell and on cable television throughout the district. The ad begins with Dunn talking about how he’s a workaholic and a rancher. He talks about “hard work and character and honesty” as values his father taught him, and says America needs to work on ways to strengthen families. Democratic 2nd District candidate Harry Teague has been on the air for almost two weeks, but Dunn is the first GOP candidate on the air. Continue Reading

Former Gov. Carruthers endorses Tinsley in CD2

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Former Gov. Garrey Carruthers has endorsed Ed Tinsley’s candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Steve Pearce. Carruthers, now the dean of the Business College and vice president for economic development at New Mexico State University, cited Tinsley’s business experience as a reason for his endorsement. Carruthers and Tinsley are both Republicans. “Ed’s wide-ranging business experience, consistent conservative values and extensive knowledge of the issues facing New Mexico make him the only candidate in the race that will effectively represent the voters of New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District from day one,” Carruthers said in a Saturday news release from the Tinsley campaign. Carruthers said, in “what are very uncertain economic times,” the district needs “a congressman who doesn’t require on-the-job training and isn’t a career politician.” He cited Tinsley’s 30 years as a rancher as “the kind of real-world experience” the district needs, and said it demonstrates Tinsley’s dedication to the land and people of the 2nd District. Continue Reading

Critical vote on spaceport looms in Sierra County

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Tuesday’s tax vote in Sierra County may not quite be a do-or-die moment for Spaceport America, but supporters of the tax say if it isn’t approved the task of constructing the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport will become much more difficult. “This is very pivotal and, really, Sierra County holds this key to the future,” said Steve Landeene, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. He said rejection of the tax on Tuesday would be “a major setback” for the spaceport. Approval of the proposed 1/4-percent increase in the gross-receipts tax would generate about $2.3 million for the spaceport, but the Sierra County tax is important for several other reasons. Among them: • Doña Ana County approved a similar tax increase last April that would generate an estimated $49 million for the spaceport, but under state law that money can’t be collected and spent unless another local government approves a tax increase and joins the county in forming a regional spaceport district. • The state is also hoping to get $6.6 million from Otero County, but the commission there says it won’t ask voters to consider a tax hike unless Sierra County approves the tax. Continue Reading

White wins non-scientific Republican CD1 poll

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Darren White will win the First Congressional District Republican primary. Of 318 voters, 237, or 75 percent, picked White to win, while 81, or 25 percent, said Joe Carraro will win. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Despite advantages, Udall can’t celebrate yet

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While Democrat Tom Udall is vastly outraising the two Republicans in the U.S. Senate race and leading in the polls, one of New Mexico’s top political analysts says it’s too early for him to celebrate. “November is a long way off,” said Brian Sanderoff, whose company Research and Polling Inc. is the top polling firm in the state. “If the election were held today, Udall would beat Wilson or Pearce comfortably… Come November, the circumstances will be different.” Udall began April with almost $2.6 million in the bank, while GOP candidate Heather Wilson had $1.2 million on hand and GOP candidate Steve Pearce had a little more than $854,000. During the fourth quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008, Udall bested the combined fundraising efforts of both GOP candidates. He’s saving most of that cash because he doesn’t have a primary opponent, while Pearce and Wilson are spending money in what has become an increasingly contentious primary battle. Continue Reading

N.M. among Bush states that could go to Dems in ’08

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A Washington Post blogger is ranking New Mexico this week as the third most likely state to switch from Republican to Democrat or vice versa in the presidential race this year. The Fix’s Chris Cillizza writes in a post today that, though President Bush won New Mexico in 2004, either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will be favored over John McCain in November. That comes despite a SurveyUSA poll released Thursday that has McCain leading both Democratic presidential candidates in potential head-to-head match-ups in New Mexico. Cillizza refers to New Mexico’s open Senate seat and three open House seats, saying “no state has more competitive contests at the federal level than the Land of Enchantment.” That “level of fluidity” means millions of dollars will pour into the state. “McCain (an Arizona senator) gives Republicans a fighting chance in the state due to his neighbor appeal, but the state has been trending Democratic of late and either Clinton or Obama will be favored in the fall,” Cillizza wrote. Continue Reading

Judge says magistrate candidate can stay on ballot

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A candidate for Doña Ana County magistrate judge whose petition signatures were challenged in court did gather enough valid signatures to qualify and will appear on the ballot for the June primary, a district judge has ruled. Judge Jerald A. Valentine ruled Wednesday that Frank Rivera submitted 135 valid signatures. He needed 128 to qualify for the ballot. Rivera could not immediately be reached for comment. In validating Rivera’s candidacy, Valentine found that 46 of the 181 signatures Rivera collected were invalid, but he still had enough to stay on the ballot. Continue Reading