Bill Clinton says Hillary is the most qualified to lead

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Bill Clinton said today that his wife Hillary is the best-qualified presidential candidate to hit the ground running and deal with the serious problems the nation faces. “If you want someone with a lifetime of passionate commitment and proven ability to making positive changes in others’ lives… then she’s your candidate, and it’s not a close question,” he said in a speech at the University of New Mexico. “We don’t have a lot of leeway room. Half the world is mad at us. We have got to get this show on the road.” With Lt. Gov. Diane Denish and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez standing side-by-side behind him, Bill Clinton shared his wife’s plans for implementing universal health care, making college more affordable, increasing the use of alternative energy and restoring America’s standing in the world. Continue Reading

Two women join race to replace Heather Wilson

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Two women – former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and Jessica Wolfe, a former cabinet aide to Gov. Bill Richardson – are jumping into the race to replace Heather Wilson in Congress. Both Democrats, the two join former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich and former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan-Grisham in the Democratic Primary. “This is my home,” Wolfe, an Albuquerque native, said in a news release announcing her candidacy. “And the time has come for someone to step up and fight for the people of this district.” Wolfe served as special assistant to cabinet affairs for Richardson and worked on issues including water cooperatives, capital and infrastructure projects in rural New Mexico and domestic violence. She recently returned from Iowa, where she volunteered for the governor’s presidential campaign. Continue Reading

Kennedy: Obama inspires and can bring change

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Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said today during a visit to Albuquerque that Barack Obama is the presidential candidate who can inspire uninvolved people to become active in their government. Kennedy talked about young people and others who haven’t been involved in politics during a stop at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and said Obama gives Americans “the opportunity to have a very unusual candidate” who can change the nation. “There is one person, there is one candidate, there is one individual who has the ability to bring about that enthusiasm, that idealism, that commitment, that kind of spirit, that kind of vision for our country and the world, and his name is Barack Obama,” Kennedy said. “Are you going to be with us for change?” Kennedy said the eyes of the nation will be on states like New Mexico on Tuesday. He said Obama has done just about all he can, and it is now “up to each and every one of you” to campaign for Obama in the coming days. Continue Reading

Ethics reform isn’t picking up momentum

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Ethics reform got a late start in the current legislative session and isn’t gaining much steam, regardless of what Gov. Bill Richardson said at a news conference on Wednesday. Most ethics bills were introduced later than the governor’s other priorities. In addition, I’ve already written about Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez’s campaign contribution limits bill, which appears to have a loophole so big that anyone can avoid the limits, making it a worthless piece of legislation. Here’s the reality: • The only ethics-reform measure moving through the Senate is Sanchez’s apparently worthless contribution-limits bill, Senate Bill 387, which is scheduled to be considered by the Rules Committee on Friday. We can only hope the committee amends it to close the loophole. Continue Reading

Bill Clinton, Kennedy to visit state today

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The Hillary Clinton campaign has again changed the time that doors will open for today’s rally with Bill Clinton in Albuquerque. Doors will now open at 2 p.m. for the event, which will be held at the Johnson Center on the University of New Mexico campus. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP online by clicking here or by calling (877) 447-2408. Meanwhile, the campaign has confirmed that Hillary Clinton will be in New Mexico sometime Saturday, but not released further details. She will be in California in the morning, and also plans a stop in Arizona on Saturday. Continue Reading

Times, locations for Obama events announced

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Barack Obama will hold an economic summit in Albuquerque on Friday morning and a rally Friday evening in Santa Fe. Obama will appear first at the Albuquerque Convention Center’s Kiva Auditorium, located at 401 2nd Street. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are required and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis – there are about 2,300 seats – and can be reserved by clicking here. Obama will appear at an event that begins at 6:45 p.m. at the Witter Fitness Center Gymnasium at Santa Fe Community College, located at 6401 Richards Avenue. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are required and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be reserved by clicking here. Continue Reading

Clinton campaign announces new endorsements

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Hillary Clinton’s campaign announced its first high-profile endorsements from Doña Ana County today, along with endorsements from a number of state lawmakers and others from around New Mexico. State Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Doña Ana; state Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces; DNC Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney; and Second Congressional District candidate Al Kissling all endorsed Clinton today. Mary Jane Garcia and Mary Helen Garcia are the first elected officials from the county to endorse Clinton, while 10 – including four state lawmakers – have endorsed Barack Obama. The two women were among the approximately 150 New Mexicans named today to Clinton’s statewide leadership council. “I’m thrilled to join so many outstanding legislators and community leaders from across the state in announcing our support for Hillary Clinton,” Hillary Clinton’s New Mexico campaign chair, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, said in a news release. Continue Reading

Dem nomination process degrades into immaturity

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I’ve been disappointed and stunned during the last couple of weeks to see the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating process degrade into a disgraceful display of immaturity. After all, we’re talking about electing a commander-in-chief, not a middle-school student-body president. Cheap shots and negative attacks have come to define the Democratic Party’s nominating process – a contest that had been previously characterized by the fact that the talent pool was so deep that even experienced candidates like Bill Richardson and Joe Biden couldn’t compete. A few examples: • During a nasty exchange between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at last week’s debate, Obama said he was working as a community organizer and watching American jobs go oversees while Clinton was “a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal Mart,” implying he has worked to help Americans who were losing their jobs while Clinton was involved in moving jobs to other countries. • Clinton shot back during the same exchange, saying she was fighting against Republicans while Obama was a lawyer representing a campaign contributor’s “slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago,” implying that Obama has helped the rich take advantage of the poor while she fought against that. Continue Reading

Kennedy to visit state for Obama on Thursday

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Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., will be in Albuquerque and Santa Fe on Thursday to campaign for Barack Obama. The visits will come the same day that Bill Clinton will be in the state to campaign for his wife Hillary’s campaign. Kennedy will hold a public event in Albuquerque on Thursday morning at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Salon Ortega. The building is located at 1701 4th Street. Doors open at 10 a.m., and those who plan to attend should RSVP to tedwards@barackobama.com. Continue Reading

Committee OKs bill that would ease ballot access

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The House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee has given a big boost to a bill that would provide an alternate method for major-party candidates to get on the ballot in New Mexico. It also gave what is likely a death blow to a competing and controversial bill. Rep. Al Park’s proposal, House Bill 190, received a unanimous “do pass” vote on Tuesday from the committee, of which he is a member. It now moves to the Voters and Elections Committee, chaired by Rep. Jose Campos, whose competing bill was tabled on a 5-2 vote on Tuesday. Campos told the Santa Fe New Mexican that he doesn’t like Park’s bill, but will probably vote for it after his House Bill 203 was tabled. Continue Reading

Guv ‘might… might not’ endorse before Tuesday

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The endorsement of Gov. Bill Richardson is a prize being sought by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Richardson says he may or may not endorse before Tuesday’s caucus in New Mexico. Is he does issue an endorsement, he’ll do it by the end of the week, he told the Washington Post. “I might. I might not. How’s that for an answer?” the newspaper quoted Richardson as saying on Monday. Continue Reading

Obama, Wiviott, Heinrich win straw poll

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Straw-poll victories are signs of organizational strength, so the campaigns of Barack Obama, Don Wiviott and Martin Heinrich have to be pleased with their success in a straw poll taken Tuesday evening in Sandoval County. In the presidential race, Obama topped Hillary Clinton with 50 votes to her 41 after Javier Gonzales, chairman of the New Mexico Highlands Board of Regents, spoke for Obama. John Edwards, who is dropping out of the race today (click here to read about that), received 28 votes. In the Third Congressional District race, Wiviott received 50 votes. Ben R. Luján came in second with 33 votes. Continue Reading

Obama, Clinton unveil new N.M. endorsements

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A number of elected officials from Doña Ana County and around New Mexico endorsed Barack Obama today, while the mayors of several New Mexico cities and two other officials announced their backing of Hillary Clinton in the Feb. 5 Democratic Caucus. In the battle for city leaders, the Obama campaign announced today the endorsements of Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima and Sunland Park Mayor Jesus “Ruben” Segura at a news conference in Las Cruces. Meanwhile, mayors David Coss of Santa Fe, Joe Maestas of Española, Henry Sanchez of Las Vegas, Bobby Duran of Taos, Orlando Ortega of Portales and Ravi Bhasker of Socorro endorsed Clinton during a conference call with reporters today. Though Clinton arguably has more high-profile New Mexico endorsements, Obama has a greater number of endorsements from public officials, including the backing of 10 elected officials from Doña Ana County, the second-most-populous county in the state. Continue Reading

Bill Clinton to campaign at UNM on Thursday

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Former President Bill Clinton’s public rally for his wife’s presidential campaign will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Johnson Center on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque. His “Solutions for America” rally will kick off a series of public events in advance of New Mexico’s Democratic Caucus, which is being held a week from today. The public is invited to attend the event at UNM, and doors open at 3 p.m. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP online by clicking here or by calling (877) 447-2408. Clinton plans to host a private fundraiser in Santa Fe before the public event in Albuquerque. Clinton’s Thursday visit will be followed by a Friday visit from Barack Obama, who will hold public events in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Continue Reading

Public financing bill introduced in House

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It looks like the House will consider expanding the state’s voluntary public financing system during the current session after all. On Monday, state Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, introduced House Bill 564, which would expand the system to include statewide offices. The bill has been assigned to the Voters and Elections Committee and must also pass the Appropriations and Finance Committee before it can head to the House floor for a vote. Progressives and ethics-reform proponents are lobbying hard for this bill, which was not originally included on the list of ethics-reform proposals legislative leaders would allow consideration on during the current session. Gov. Bill Richardson has approved the consideration of the expansion of the public financing system during the 30-day session that’s underway. Continue Reading