Judge dismisses defeated legislators’ lawsuit

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A lawsuit alleging an illegal conspiracy to defeat three incumbent lawmakers in the June primary was tossed out by a district judge on Thursday because the lawmakers failed to state a proper claim and have no basis to sue many of the defendants named in the suit. The Center for Civic Policy (CCP), one of the groups named in the lawsuit, hailed the dismissal as vindication of its claim that the lawsuit was frivolous. “We are pleased with today’s news and we certainly feel vindicated,” Matt Brix, policy director for the group, said in a statement released Thursday evening. “This lawsuit was nothing more than an attempt to muzzle nonprofit organizations from educating the public about how their legislators vote. We look forward to continuing our work, including educating the public about how elected officials vote and from whom they receive contributions.” In dismissing the lawsuit filed by outgoing Sens. Continue Reading

Doña Ana County to investigate absentee problems

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Doña Ana County commissioners asked today for an investigation into what caused the absentee ballot snafu that means an unknown number of people who requested ballots weren’t able to vote in Tuesday’s election. Lynn Ellins, the county’s election supervisor and clerk-elect, promised to investigate what caused the situation and come up with solutions. “I have all kinds of ideas for improvement,” Ellins said at today’s meeting of the commission. But first comes the canvass of the county’s election results, which will begin Friday and should be wrapped up by Sunday. Some 2,100 provisional ballots must be considered. Continue Reading

A Rawson loss appears increasingly likely

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The probable defeat of the Senate minority whip could shift the balance of power in Santa Fe With all votes counted except whatever provisional ballots are deemed valid, it appears increasingly likely that state Senate Minority Whip Leonard Lee Rawson is going to lose, and that could mean a shift in the balance of power in the Senate — and in Santa Fe. Democratic challenger Steve Fischmann currently has a 505-vote lead over Rawson, R-Las Cruces. Fischmann has 12,853 votes, or 51 percent, to Rawson’s 12,348 votes, or 49 percent. That led Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, to call Fischmann a senator-elect in a news release, and for Gov. Bill Richardson to call him a newly elected legislator in a statement released by his office. But Fischmann said he’s not ready to declare victory. Continue Reading

The day after: Here’s where things stand

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There’s a lot to sort through from yesterday’s election, so I thought I would make it easier to navigate what’s on this site by hitting the highlights in one posting. Click on a headline to go directly to that article. There’s a lot more on this site than these few articles. If you want more depth, scroll down the page instead of clicking on these headlines. • Rawson/Fischmann race is too close to call • Voters saw Teague as ‘one of their own’ • Obama says change is coming to America • In conceding, McCain says it’s time for unity • Guv says Hispanics deserve credit for Obama win • Udall calls for unity, has kind words for Republicans • Otero County defeats spaceport tax I’m planning to have an update on the Rawson/Fischmann race and analysis of what all this means later today, so check back. Continue Reading

Rawson/Fischmann race is too close to call

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The hottest race yet to be decided is the state Senate District 37 contest between Republican Leonard Lee Rawson and Democrat Steve Fischmann — and it may not be over any time soon. With all votes in Sierra County in and all but absentee ballots counted in Doña Ana County, challenger Fischmann leads the Senate minority whip by 136 votes. Fischmann currently has 11,330 votes, or 50.3 percent, to Rawson’s 11,194 votes, or 49.7 percent. In addition to the unknown number of absentee ballots that haven’t yet been tallied in Doña Ana County, both counties have yet to consider any provisional ballots that were cast to determine whether they should be counted. And then there’s the situation with those who requested absentee ballots but ended up not being able to vote because they didn’t receive them in time and didn’t or couldn’t take advantage of any alternative method of voting. Continue Reading

Most voters in poll accurately predicted a Dem sweep

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The majority of voters in the last non-scientific poll on this site accurately predicted that no Republican federal candidate would win in New Mexico. Of 499 voters, 275, or 55 percent, said none would win, while 73, or 15 percent, said 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley would win; 62, or 12 percent, said 1st District candidate Darren White would win; 54, or 11 percent, said presidential candidate John McCain would win; 28, or 6 percent, said U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce would win; and seven, or 1 percent, said 3rd District candidate Dan East would win. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Voters saw Teague as ‘one of their own’

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish said Harry Teague’s victory in the 2nd Congressional District race tonight boils down to a simple fact: “I think it is old-fashioned hard work. He has lived here for 50 years. They saw him as one of their own,” she said. Teague, a Democrat, presented himself during the campaign as someone who could relate to voters in the district because he is one of them. And he attempted to portray his opponent, Republican Ed Tinsley, as someone who spent most of his time living in Santa Fe and lobbying in Washington. Continue Reading

Obama says change is coming to America

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Barack Obama said his victory tonight makes him more hopeful than ever that change is coming. “If there’s anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where anything is possible… tonight is your answer,” Obama said in declaring victory. “… It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change is coming to America.” Obama had kind words for John McCain and Sarah Palin, calling his opponent “a brave and selfless leader” whose service means America is better off. He said he looks forward to working with both in the months ahead. Obama said he will never forget that his victory belongs to the American people. Continue Reading

Tinsley calls Teague to concede race

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Ed Tinsley has called Harry Teague to concede the 2nd Congressional District race, Tinsley’s campaign just confirmed. The historic victory by Teague, the Democratic candidate, represents the first time in 28 years that the Republican Party hasn’t controlled southern New Mexico’s conservative seat in the U.S. House. With 76 percent of precincts reporting, Teague leads by about 7,000 votes, 53 percent to 47 percent. More to come. Continue Reading

Guv says Hispanics deserve credit for Obama win

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Gov. Bill Richardson said tonight that Hispanics deserve some credit for Barack Obama’s big win. Speaking about the fact that Obama won New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida, which all have significant Hispanic populations, Richardson told NBC News moments ago that he’s proud as a Hispanic American to be part of electing Obama. “I’m ecstatic. I’m even humbled by what’s happened,” Richardson said. “… I hope my community gets a little credit, too.” The strategy of Richardson’s failed presidential race was based on winning Hispanic-rich states, and while he didn’t see that vision through to victory in his own campaign, he worked hard after he dropped out of the race to convince Hispanics to support Obama. Continue Reading

Otero County defeats spaceport tax

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One little-noticed but important vote tonight was the defeating by Otero County residents of a tax increase to help fund Spaceport America. With all votes counted, the proposed 1/8 percent tax increase was defeated with 8,179 votes, or 47.7 percent, for the tax, and 8,954 votes, or 52.3 percent, against it. What does it mean? It’s not immediately clear. The tax wasn’t critical to the spaceport project. Continue Reading

Udall calls for unity, has kind words for Republicans

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U.S. Sen.-elect Tom Udall thanked Republican opponent Steve Pearce and retiring Sen. Pete Domenici for their service in a victory speech tonight in which he called for unity. “Tonight is about change and tonight is about the future,” Udall said at the Democrats’ party in Albuquerque. “… The challenges we face are big, but we can resolve these together. There’s no doubt about it.” Udall thanked his volunteers and staffers, saying he “had an incredible grassroots effort in this campaign. And he had kind words for Pearce, who will leave the House of Representatives at the end of the year, saying the two “were friends when this started.” “We’re going to be friends when this finishes, and I enjoyed serving with him in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Udall said. Continue Reading

In conceding, McCain says it’s time for unity

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John McCain said it’s time for Americans to unite during the speech he gave conceding the race to Barack Obama moments ago. “Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. Please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that,” McCain said. “It’s natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought as hard as we could.” McCain said he doesn’t know what more he could have done to win the race and he wishes the outcome had been different. Continue Reading