Pearce polling has him gaining in Wilson’s district

By |

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has already made significant gains among GOP voters in the Albuquerque area in his bid to replace Pete Domenici in the Senate, at least according to his campaign’s internal polling. Before he traveled the state earlier this month to formally announce that he’s running for Senate, Pearce’s polling indicated that he had the support of less than 20 percent of GOP voters in the First Congressional District. After the tour, which included an official announcement in Albuquerque that was covered by local television stations, Pearce’s support among Republicans in that district jumped in internal polling to just under 40 percent, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Pearce was able to make such a quick gain in part because he had a chance to sell himself to GOP voters in a district where he’s largely unknown. That’s good news for Pearce’s bid, but it doesn’t mean he’s the favorite to win the GOP nomination. Continue Reading

NMSU professor to run for Cervantes’ House seat

By |

A New Mexico State University professor with a history of involvement in the Democratic Party has decided to run for the District 52 seat in the state House of Representatives being vacated by Joseph Cervantes, who is running for Congress. Jose Z. Garcia, 62, confirmed today that he’s running. “I’ve been telling my friends and potential supporters that I am tossing my hat in the ring,” he said. He is the first to announce his candidacy for the open House seat. Garcia, who teaches government at NMSU, was appointed by the governor to the New Mexico Border Authority in 2002 and served for four years. Continue Reading

At least four Las Crucens considering District 6 race

By |

I reported last week that Las Crucen Lawrence Joy was seriously considering running for the District 6 seat on the Las Cruces City Council that is being vacated by Ken Miyagishima, who was elected mayor last week. The Las Cruces Sun-News has added four more names to the list of potential candidates. They are: • Pat Curran, a former county magistrate judge. • Sherry Thomas, head of the Quality Growth Alliance. • Edward Fernandez, a former Las Cruces Public Schools administrator. Continue Reading

Chávez reaches out online as criticism continues

By |

Progressive Democrats sure aren’t making the road ahead in the U.S. Senate race easy for Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez. But that isn’t stopping him from trying to use their favored method of communication – the Internet – to reach voters. A couple of weeks after he held a conference call with progressive bloggers in New Mexico to try to begin a dialogue, the mayor isn’t getting any love – and that’s an understatement. U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, who just jumped into the race, is getting just about all the support of progressive Democrats. Barbara Wold, who was on the conference call with Chávez and runs the site Democracy for New Mexico, wrote today that Chávez has been beaten up in the blogosphere since entering the race, and she links to some of the postings. Continue Reading

Cervantes says he will stand on principle in Congress

By |

State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, told a crowd of some 200 people on Monday evening that he’s running for Congress because Washington needs more leaders who – like him – are willing to act on principle and with conviction. Such leaders, he said, will help restore America’s position as a beacon. “I believe the most important task today in Washington, D.C. is to recapture that role of the United States in the world,” Cervantes said. “… I want to represent you in Congress because there are not enough people in Washington, D.C. today who are willing to risk the political consequences by standing on principal and political convictions, but I think we need at least one more.” The kickoff of Cervantes’ bid to replace U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who is vacating the seat to run for Senate, was held at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces and attended by about 20 elected officials, a number of family members and other supporters. The enthusiastic crowd cheered frequently as Cervantes and others spoke. Continue Reading

Making a list of candidates and potential candidates

By |

There are a lot of New Mexico politicos running for or considering running for three open seats in the U.S. House and one in the U.S. Senate. I’ve been asked to put all their names in one place so people can keep things straight. So I’m putting together a list of all declared candidates and people who are seriously considering running for the open federal seats. I’m going to publish it on Wednesday. This is a call for anyone who wants to be included on the list to e-mail me at heath@haussamen.com. Continue Reading

Commissioner Evans to run for Steinborn’s House seat

By |

Doña Ana County Commissioner Kent Evans announced today that he will challenge state Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, for the District 37 seat in the state House of Representatives next year. Evans is serving his second and final term on the county commission and will leave that office at the end of 2008 regardless of whether he is successful in his House bid. Evans said in a news release that he plans to use his experience in the private sector and government to “better represent” the district’s residents. “I want to represent all of the folks in the district and not just a select few with myopic agendas,” Evans said. “I offer a lifetime of community involvement.” Steinborn is an energetic, well-funded incumbent, but the district is fairly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Continue Reading

Cervantes to announce congressional run this evening

By |

Tonight’s announcement by state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, that he’s running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by Steve Pearce will be made at about 5 p.m. at the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., but a program that will include a series of speakers and Cervantes making his announcement begins at 5 p.m. Cervantes will join Al Kissling of Las Cruces, Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley, Roswell businessman Frank McKinnon and former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side, only GOP restaurant-chain owner and rancher Ed Tinsley has formally entered the race, but former Bernalillo County GOP Executive Director Bob Cornelius has formed an exploratory committee “with the intent to run.” Sierra County Republican Party Chair C. Earl Greer and Aubrey L. Dunn Jr. are expected to make final decisions soon, and others are also considering the race. Continue Reading

Voters in poll pick Pearce to win primary

By |

The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce will win the GOP primary in the U.S. Senate race. Out of 260 voters, 154, or 59 percent, said Pearce will win, while 106, or 41 percent, said U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson 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

Udall confirms Senate run; Wiviott to seek House seat

By |

The chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., confirmed today that the congressman will run for the Senate seat being vacated next year by Pete Domenici. Meanwhile, Democrats Don Wiviott and Jim Hannan will drop out of the Senate race as a result of Udall’s decision. Wiviott plans to run for the House seat Udall will be vacating. The confirmation of Udall’s candidacy comes a day after I reported that Udall had told a number of Democratic insiders he’s running for Senate. “He’s definitely running,” Tom Nagle, Udall’s chief of staff, told the Associated Press today. Continue Reading

Richardson bets everything on Iowa, New Hampshire

By |

With 54 days until the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 3, Gov. Bill Richardson is putting everything he has into Iowa and New Hampshire as he makes a final push in his underdog bid for the presidency. Earlier this week, Richardson moved 10 staffers from Nevada to Iowa, weakening his organization in a state he once called critical. Richardson also moved some staffers from New Hampshire to Iowa, but replaced them with staffers from the campaign headquarters in Santa Fe. Overall, that increased the number of staffers in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Continue Reading

Miyagishima, other winners are sworn in

By |

Ken Miyagishima officially holds the title of Las Cruces mayor after he and the other candidates who won Tuesday’s municipal election were sworn in today. However, Miyagishima and the others won’t officially take office until Nov. 19, when a ceremonial swearing-in is planned. Today’s ceremony was not previously announced to the public. The city’s municipal code requires that candidates be sworn in within 14 days of the results becoming official, which happened on Thursday, but state law requires that they be sworn in within six days. Continue Reading

Teague raises at least $175K at fundraiser

By |

Former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague raised at least $175,000 on Thursday evening for his campaign to replace U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. Teague made the formal announcement of his candidacy on Thursday in Hobbs, and the event doubled as the fundraiser. His campaign released the fundraising total this afternoon, but it expects more money to come in as a result of the fundraiser. Teague said, in a statement released by his campaign, that he is “humbled and overwhelmed by the incredible support I have received at my first fundraiser. Clearly, there is a desire for change in (Congressional District) 2, and I am the candidate who can bring that change to Washington.” Teague is in a crowded Democratic primary that also includes state Rep. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces, Al Kissling of Las Cruces, Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley and Roswell businessman Frank McKinnon. On the Republican side, only GOP restaurant-chain owner and rancher Ed Tinsley has formally entered the race, but former Bernalillo County GOP Executive Director Bob Cornelius has formed an exploratory committee “with the intent to run.” Sierra County Republican Party Chair C. Earl Greer and Aubrey L. Dunn Jr. are expected to make final decisions soon, and others are also considering the race. Continue Reading

Udall has decided to run for Senate

By |

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has decided that he will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici next year. Udall has called a number of Democratic Party insiders this week, including at least some county party chairs, to inform them of his decision, reliable sources confirmed. A Udall spokesperson could not be reached for comment. The sources didn’t know when Udall plans to publicly announce his candidacy. Udall said at Saturday’s meeting of the Democratic Party’s state central committee that he would announce his decision within two weeks. Continue Reading

Mesilla mayor won’t be charged in casino incident

By |

No charges will be filed against Mesilla Mayor Michael Cadena as a result of a Friday-evening outing to the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in an unmarked police vehicle in October. The vehicle Cadena drove to the casino is a seized vehicle that federal regulations state can’t be used for any purpose that’s not law-enforcement related. The vehicle’s siren blared when he pulled up to the casino before he drove around other vehicles to the front of the valet-parking line. And when police found Cadena in the facility 45 minutes after he arrived, he failed field sobriety tests and they refused to let him drive the vehicle home. District Attorney Susana Martinez said on Thursday, at the completion of her office’s investigation, that no charges will be filed. Continue Reading