NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/author/heath-haussamen/page/576/)
Though the results were a bit closer than I expected and other, scientific polls have predicted, most voters in last week’s unscientific poll on this site believe U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., is on his way to re-election. Of 122 votes, 67, or 55 percent, went to Pearce. 55, or 45 percent, went to his Democratic challenger, Al Kissling. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading
A judge is arrested for drunken driving and cocaine possession. Another is indicted for rape and bribery. A third resigns after being found incompetent to stand trial on charges stemming from a motorcycle crash. A series of egregious incidents involving New Mexico judges in 2004 led to a dramatic increase in funding for and, as a result, activity of the Judicial Standards Commission, the state body charged with holding judges accountable to the Code of Judicial Conduct. Thirty-four percent of petitions for discipline or temporary suspension of judges filed by the 38-year-old commission have come since Jan. Continue Reading
The New Mexico Democratic Party on Saturday picked Hector Balderas to run for state auditor. The first-term legislator from Wagon Mound would replace Jeff Armijo. Armijo is fighting in court to keep his name on the ballot. Balderas defeated Albuquerque lawyer Daniel Ivey-Soto, Albuquerque consultant Vince Baca and Armijo during Saturday’s meeting of the state central committee, according to the Associated Press. Armijo didn’t attend the meeting and was in the running because a supporter nominated him, the news service reported. Continue Reading
The Republican Party has selected Senior Deputy District Attorney Janetta Hicks to run for district judge in November. Local members of the party’s state central committee voted at a meeting Saturday morning to place Hicks, 42, on the ballot. The position is vacant because of the death last week of District Judge Silvia Cano-Garcia. Longtime Las Cruces attorney Jim Reeves was the only other candidate nominated for the position at Saturday’s meeting. He stressed to the group that its members should select “somebody who has the credentials and will be strong enough to win against what I know will be a strong (Democratic) candidate.” “The question is, who can win?” he said. Continue Reading
The Democratic Party of New Mexico and Jeff Armijo have both filed lawsuits asking district judges to back their positions in the dispute over whether Armijo should be the party’s candidate for state auditor. The Democratic Party filed its complaint Friday afternoon in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. You can read the complaint by clicking here. Armijo’s attorney, Paul M. Kienzle of Albuquerque, filed his complaint Friday in the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque. You can read the complaint by clicking here. Continue Reading
District Attorney Susana Martinez was among many who wept as they read Bible passages or gave eulogies Friday during a service for District Judge Silvia Cano-Garcia, who died Monday after a long battle with cancer. “So many of us look back on our lives and wonder, ‘have I made a difference?’ We wonder if we are dedicating our energies and the talents God gave each of us to what really matters. For Silvia, there is no doubt,” Martinez said. “She did make a difference. She was devoted as a daughter, wife, mother, sister and friend. Continue Reading
This is a guest column written by a close friend of Judge Silvia Cano-Garcia, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. By Susana Chaparro “Mi guapa” was my nickname for her. In Spanish it means elegant, beautiful. I’ve known mi querida amiga since junior high. There are so many wonderful memories I have of my dear and beloved friend, Silvia Cano-Garcia. Continue Reading
Gov. Bill Richardson successfully secured the release today of Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Paul Salopek and two colleagues following a meeting with Sudanese President Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir. “I am pleased to report that our negotiations were successful, and Paul Salopek will return home to New Mexico with me,” Richardson said in a news release. “I want to thank the Sudanese President Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, who was receptive to my request to release Paul Salopek and his colleagues based on humanitarian grounds.” “The successful end to this unfortunate episode is a victory for journalism and a free press,” Richardson said. “Most important, these three men will return home safely to be with their families, friends and colleagues who were relentless in their appeals to have them freed.” Richardson traveled with Calvin Humphrey, his foreign policy advisor, to Khartoum, Sudan on Friday, where he met with the Sudanese President Lt. General Umar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir. He also took with him Salopek’s wife and the editor of the Chicago Tribune. Continue Reading
I’ve never told you about Isaac Chavez’s Web site. He’s the Republican candidate attempting to unseat Rep. Andy Nuñez, D-Hatch. His Web site can be found at http://www.isaacechavez.com. If you know of any other Web sites for Democratic or Republican candidates that I haven’t posted, let me know. You can e-mail me at heath@haussamen.com. Continue Reading
The Democratic Party leaders fighting Jeff Armijo’s attempt to remain on the ballot are gambling with their political futures. Those four are Gov. Bill Richardson, Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, Attorney General Patricia Madrid and Democratic Party Chair John Wertheim. They’re all on board with the decision to take Democrat Armijo’s name off the ballot in the state auditor race, which has resulted in one of the biggest political messes we’ve seen around here in a long time. Though they have a legal argument to back up Vigil-Giron’s decision, there’s no certainty it will hold up in court when Armijo files a lawsuit, which will likely happen today. Many sources in the Democratic and Republican parties have told me they believe Armijo will prevail in court. Continue Reading
A Saturday rally on the Mesilla Plaza for Jim Bibb, the Republican Party’s candidate for attorney general, has been cancelled. Bibb and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., were scheduled to attend. Bibb’s campaign manager, Alexis Valdez, gave no reason for the cancellation, but said in an e-mail that McCain will be holding other events for Bibb in New Mexico that will be “closed to the public.” McCain will also hold two events in Albuquerque tomorrow for U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who is in a tough battle for re-election. There will be a public, free event at 1:30 p.m. at VFW Post 401 in Albuquerque, in addition to an expensive, private fundraiser. Continue Reading
Jeff Armijo will sue in an attempt to remain the Democrat’s nominee for state auditor. Armijo’s attorney, Paul Kienzle, sent out a news release late Thursday announcing that he will attempt to “pursue in state court his right to appear on the general election ballot.” Depending on how that goes, Kienzle said, several registered voters are prepared to file suit in federal court “to contest the loss of their vote and disenfranchisement.” Allegations that Armijo made unwanted sexual advances toward a campaign volunteer, which are being reviewed by prosecutors in Albuquerque, were first made public in late August. On Aug. 29, following a closed-door meeting with the governor, Armijo announced in a news release that he would “leave the race for state auditor” for the good of the party. The Democrats set a meeting for this Saturday to select a candidate to replace Armijo on the ballot. Continue Reading
I try to avoid quoting unabashedly liberal or conservative bloggers, but sometimes there are exceptions. Conservative blogger Mario Burgos made a great point in a posting on his blog today. Recall the text from this commercial Gov. Bill Richardson’s re-election campaign aired on radio stations across the state in June: “A secret meeting… The order is delivered… And the political candidate quietly goes away… Is this the Third World? The Middle East? Eastern Europe? Continue Reading
I made a mistake in a blog posting earlier this week that has gotten way out of control. In the article I wrote Monday about the death of District Judge Silvia Cano-Garcia, I mistakenly reported that she had been appointed to the position in 2003 by former Gov. Gary Johnson. The truth is that she was elected to the district judge position, narrowly beating Doug Driggers for the seat in November 2002. She had been appointed by Johnson in 2001 to a magistrate judge position. The mistake was amplified when the Las Cruces Sun-News repeated it. Continue Reading
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will take part in a rally for Jim Bibb, the party’s candidate for New Mexico attorney general, Saturday in Mesilla. At the rally, Bibb will discuss “serious problems that need to be addressed” and his plan “to ensure consumer protection and fight meth, public corruption” and drunken driving, according to the Republican Party’s Web site. The rally comes a week after an Albuquerque Journal poll showed Bibb with 27 percent of the vote, compared to 47 percent for his opponent, Democrat Gary King. Twenty-six percent were undecided. McCain is considered by many to be the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential nomination. Continue Reading