Pearce has lots of money; Kissling in the red

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The campaign of Al Kissling, the Democrat trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is in the red. The Pearce campaign reported a cash balance of $119,283 at the end of September, while Kissling had a deficit of $2,006, according to the Associated Press. Pearce raised $344,000 from July to September, and has raised $1.3 million overall. He has spent $955,000 overall. Kissling raised $52,330 from July to September and has raised a total of $99,600, but he has spent $136,000 overall. Continue Reading

Senate candidate survives fiery car accident

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Allen McCulloch, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, survived a head-on crash Sunday night, then helped pull four passengers from the car he hit, which was on fire, according to the Albuquerque Tribune. McCulloch was unharmed and back on the campaign trail today. McCulloch campaign spokesman Mario Sanchez told the newspaper the candidate was driving home to Farmington about 6:30 p.m. when he hit a patch of water and collided with a vehicle carrying six people. After the accident, the vehicle McCulloch hit caught fire, and one of the women McCulloch pulled from it was also on fire, the Tribune reported. McCulloch is a doctor. Continue Reading

Links for campaign finance reports, profiles

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I’ve now written about the campaign finance reports in most of the local races. To learn about those I haven’t reported on, check out the Las Cruces Sun-News’ article by clicking here. In addition, there are several profiles of races that ran this weekend that you should check out: Check out the Santa Fe New Mexican’s profile of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson by clicking here. Check out the newspaper’s profile of Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl by clicking here. You can read the Albuquerque Journal’s profile of the gubernatorial race by clicking here. Continue Reading

Democrats’ signs cut up, knocked over

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Several Democratic candidates for office had signs along Roadrunner Parkway cut into pieces and knocked over this weekend, but the vandals left signs belonging to Republican candidates standing. The stretch of the road north of Veteran’s Park is largely undeveloped land. It’s very dark at night, and dozens of sign line both sides of the road. Several large signs belonging to Democratic state representative candidate Jeff Steinborn were cut in half during the weekend. By Monday afternoon, Steinborn had repaired the signs, which he said cost $50-60 apiece. Continue Reading

GOP, oil and gas, target Hatch House member

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Republican Isaac Chavez is raising a lot of money in his bid to unseat Rep. Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch. House District 36 stretches all the way from northwestern Las Cruces up to Hatch. Nuñez, a retired educator, was first elected in 2000, and has become a target of the oil and gas industry because of a bill he has twice sponsored. Chavez, who lives in Las Cruces, started the last reporting period with $1,637 in the bank, but raised $44,069 in cash and $1,770 in in-kind gifts, bringing in more than any other House candidate in the area. He spent $24,173, leaving him with $21,533 in the bank. Continue Reading

King releases analysis of voting record

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Democratic attorney general Gary King’s campaign has provided its own analysis to counter a claim by his opponent that he missed almost 1,300 votes as a legislator. According to King’s campaign, in his 12 years he missed 1,120 votes – and 465 of those were excused, including 166 votes King missed during the 1994 legislative session because he was hospitalized after a serious car accident. Perhaps more importantly, King’s communications director, Phil Sisneros, rightly pointed out that Republican candidate Jim Bibb’s analysis is misleading because it implies that excused absences are bad. Often, legislators have to miss floor votes because they have to take part in a committee meeting, or they have to present a bill to the other chamber or take part in other legislative business. Bibb’s campaign claims its analysis does not include the 1990 and 1994 sessions. Continue Reading

Voters shouldn’t tolerate debate ducking

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Many people in the Santa Fe/Albuquerque area don’t realize that Doña Ana County has historically been disconnected from state government and politics. State government has historically ignored this place. And the county is not in the Albuquerque television market, so we get little news from the north. Many Democrats from up north e-mailed or called me in the last two weeks to complain that I was running columns by Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl. Most said they believe everyone knows where Dendahl stands, so running his columns wasn’t doing anyone a service. Continue Reading

Poll: Democrat in danger of losing House seat

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Most who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Republican challenger Isaac Chavez will beat Democratic incumbent Andy Nuñez in the House District 36 race. Of 240 votes, 146, or 61 percent, went to Chavez. Some 94, or 39 percent, went to Nuñez. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located near the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Lyons, Baca square off in Las Cruces

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This is video of Lyons’ introductory remarks during Friday’s debate.This is video of Baca’s introductory remarks during Friday’s debate. Pat Lyons fired the first shot during a debate in Las Cruces between the two state land commissioner candidates Friday night, but after that, things remained fairly cordial. Republican incumbent Lyons, during his opening remarks, said he received a grade of “A+” from the National Rifle Association, then pointed out that Democratic challenger Baca was the only statewide candidate to receive a grade of “F” from the organization. Baca took time during an answer to a question to respond by listing the nine guns he owns. “One of those is loaded right next to my bed,” Baca said, adding that the NRA gave him a low grade because of his opposition to concealed weapons. Continue Reading

Garza insists he doesn’t use illegal drugs, but commission found that evidence proves otherwise

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Though Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza says he does not use illegal drugs and the evidence does not prove it, the Judicial Standards Commission found otherwise. The commission, according to the petition filed today with the New Mexico Supreme Court, found that Garza “willfully and knowingly” used cocaine. The commission’s filing states that, though Garza cut the hair on his head “to a very short length” before submitting to the drug test, the test found cocaine, and there was no medical explanation. You can read the petition for Garza’s removal by clicking here. You can also read the supplementary findings of fact and conclusions of law, which contains more detail, by clicking here. Continue Reading

Commission accuses Garza of illegal drug use

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Suspended Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza faces several judicial charges, including illegal possession and use of drugs. The petition filed with the high court today charges that Garza: • illegally used and possessed drugs. • failed to comply with a Judicial Standards Commission order that he submit to testing for illegal drugs. • evaded service of the commission’s order. • inappropriately used his judicial position in February 2006. Continue Reading

BREAKING NEWS: Court asked to remove Garza

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The Judicial Standards Commission filed today a petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court seeking the permanent removal from office of Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Carlos Garza. The petition, filed Friday morning, comes after a secret trial before the commission held earlier this week. Garza was accused of illegal drug use and a host of other improprieties. I’m still trying to get a copy of the petition and will have more on this later today. The high court has already placed Garza on suspension without pay though Oct. Continue Reading

Racism allegations fly in treasurer’s race

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We had to know that, in such a dirty election season in New Mexico, skin color would become an issue at some point. Republican state treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla sent out a mailer this week that includes a caricature of her opponent, Democrat James B. Lewis, who is Black, smiling and dangling from puppet strings being pulled by Gov. Bill Richardson. The ad includes a quote from Lewis, published in the Albuquerque Tribune in 2005, stating that he thinks the treasurer should probably be appointed by the governor. The governor’s ethics task force has proposed making the position appointed, rather than elected. Lewis told the Albuquerque Journal this about the flier: “It’s borderline … (it) almost seemed racist. Continue Reading

Dendahl on abortion and federalism

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Gov. Bill Richardson has still not agreed to a debate with Republican challenger John Dendahl, so here’s a column Dendahl wrote on abortion as part of a larger debate on federalism, taken from his Web site. It was published in the Albuquerque Journal on Nov. 14, 2003. Abortion Debate Embodies Larger Federal DebateBy John Dendahl “A loud din has arisen from opponents of the national ban on partial-birth abortion signed into law by President Bush on November 5. I might actually agree with them but, if I did, our policy reasons would be light years apart. Continue Reading