Poll: Teague would be best new member of Congress

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Harry Teague won last week’s non-scientific poll on this site asking which candidate would make the best new member of the U.S. House. Of 438 voters, 137, or 31 percent, picked the Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate. Democratic 1st District candidate Martin Heinrich came in second with 87 votes, or 20 percent. He was followed by Republican 2nd District candidate Ed Tinsley, who had 71 votes, or 16 percent; Democratic 3rd District candidate Ben Ray Luján, who had 67 votes, or 15 percent; Republican 1st District candidate Darren White, who had 48 votes, or 11 percent; Republican 3rd District candidate Dan East, who had 21 votes, or 5 percent; and independent 3rd District candidate Carol Miller, who had seven votes, or 2 percent. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Biden rallies southern NM voters for Obama

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Following today’s rally featuring Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden in Mesilla, a couple hundred supporters of Barack Obama and John McCain had a verbal standoff. On one side were anti-abortion activists and McCain supporters armed with signs and graphic photographs of aborted fetuses. On the other side were energetic Obama supporters coming off the high of having just watched Biden give a rousing speech. “Save lives, stop the war!” Obama supporters chanted. “Save lives, stop abortion!” McCain supporters countered. Continue Reading

Udall’s ad gaining lots of attention

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall’s new ad featuring a wounded Iraq war veteran is gaining national attention. “Wow,” is the only word accompanying the ad in a posting displayed prominently on the Daily Kos home page. “GAME OVER!!” states one comment on the posting. “I am (virtually) speechless. That was simple, and extraordinarily powerful. Continue Reading

Obama, Udall up big in new, independent polls

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New polls from Rasmussen Reports are good news for Democrats. In the presidential race, Democrat Barack Obama is 13 points ahead of Republican John McCain, 55 percent to 42 percent. That’s a big jump from the group’s Oct. 1 poll, which had Obama leading 49 percent to 44 percent. The new poll, which you can get more detail on by clicking here, was a telephone survey of 700 likely voters conducted on Monday. Continue Reading

Richardson has a busy schedule during Cruces trip

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Gov. Bill Richardson has a full schedule of events in the Las Cruces area today and Saturday. He’ll be at today’s rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hosted by Obama’s vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden, which begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Mesilla Plaza. Richardson will then host a roundtable discussion on clean energy at the Southwest Environmental Center, 275 Main Street, at 4 p.m. This evening, Richardson will attend a fundraiser for 2nd Congressional District Democratic candidate Harry Teague at the Mesilla home of state Rep. Joni Gutierrez, located at 2350 Calle de Parian, beginning at 6 p.m. And on Saturday, Richardson will be joined by House Speaker Ben Lujan in attending a get-out-the-vote rally on Las Cruces’ East Mesa to support state Rep. Nate Cote and state Senate candidate Steve Fischmann. The rally will begin at 11 a.m. at Los Compas Restaurant, 6335 Bataan Memorial West. Continue Reading

Udall’s new TV ad… just watch it

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I’ve been trying to figure out how to describe Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall’s new ad in a way that captures its effectiveness. Three words: Just watch it. Here it is: In 2005, Army specialist Erik Schei was shot in the head by a sniper in Iraq. Doctors put his chance of survival at zero. With the right treatment, Schei was able to not only live, but can now communicate with others. Continue Reading

New Heinrich ad tries to link White to Bush

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Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich’s new ad is his strongest effort yet to link Republican opponent Darren White to President Bush. Here’s the 30-second spot: “Tired of eight years of George Bush? Darren White isn’t,” the ad’s narrator states. “White said George Bush’s policies were making the economy stronger. White supports Bush’s tax breaks for big oil companies and millionaires. Continue Reading

Palin to hold Sunday rally for McCain in Roswell

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Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will make her second campaign trip to New Mexico on Sunday to hold a “Road to Victory” rally in Roswell. The Palin rally will be held at Great Southwest Aviation, 100 Southwest Way in Roswell, beginning at 2:30 p.m., according to the Web site of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Tickets are required for the event. They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis and, according to McCain’s Web site, do not guarantee entry into the event. Click here for a list of McCain and Republican offices in New Mexico where tickets can be obtained. Continue Reading

GOP mailer wrong about Irwin’s vote on death penalty

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A recent mailer from the Republican Party of New Mexico accuses state Rep. Dona Irwin, D-Deming, of opposing the death penalty and urges her constituents to vote against her in the Nov. 4 election. Specifically, the mailer cites Irwin’s vote on House Bill 190 in 2007. “Dona Irwin opposes the death penalty,” the mailer states. “… Serial murders, copkillers and terrorists deserve the death penalty because of their gruesome and horrible acts. Continue Reading

Freedom’s Watch releases new ad attacking Heinrich

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Freedom’s Watch is out with a new ad hitting Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich for failing to obtain a business license several years ago and failing to register as a lobbyist when he worked toward creation of the Ojito Wilderness. Here’s the 30-second spot: “Wanted: public leaders who respect ethics laws. And Martin Heinrich? We already know Heinrich operated a business illegally while on City Council, and he apparently skirted the law, trying to influence government officials without registering as a lobbyist,” the ad’s narrator states. “Heinrich says that law didn’t apply to him, but his former boss says it did and Heinrich’s failure to comply could have jeopardized everything. Continue Reading

Dems draw attention to Tinsley’s past tax issues

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Democrats are trying to draw attention to some tax issues in Republican 2nd Congressional District Ed Tinsley’s past and other issues with his record as a businessman. Tinsley’s campaign says it’s nothing more than a tempest in a teapot designed to divert attention away from Democratic opponent Harry Teague’s record of increasing taxes as a Lea County commissioner and his weak performance in last week’s candidate forum. The Democratic Party of New Mexico is citing several issues in its latest assault on Tinsley. Among them: • Tinsley had to pay the IRS $65,000 in penalties and interest several years ago because of the late filing and payment of payroll taxes owed by a K-BOB’s Steakhouse. Tinsley owns the chain of restaurants. Continue Reading

Udall raises $1.8 million during third quarter

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall raised almost $1.8 million during the third quarter of 2008, his campaign announced today in a news release. That’s actually about $300,000 less than Udall raised during the second quarter of the year. The slight dip in Udall’s fundraising coincides with the race shifting from one analysts thought would be hotly contested to one that isn’t much of a contest. In fact, a newly released poll shows Udall continuing to hold a double-digit lead over Republican Steve Pearce. The SurveyUSA poll has Udall leading by 18 percentage points, 58 to 40 percent. Continue Reading

Congresswomen in southern NM for Obama

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Reps. Grace Napolitano and Lucille Roybal-Allard, both California Democrats, will be in Anthony this evening to attend a debate watching party and will spend Thursday campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama across southern New Mexico. The debate watching party begins at 6:30 p.m. at Obama’s Anthony, N.M., office, located at 880 Anthony Drive, according to a news release from the Obama campaign. On Thursday, the congresswomen will make stops in Anthony, Las Cruces, Silver City, Deming and Chaparral to meet with local women, discuss the economy and promote Obama’s candidacy. The locations for those events were not announced in the release. Continue Reading