White hits Heinrich in new TV ad

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Republican 1st Congressional District candidate Darren White is out with a new, hard-hitting TV ad accusing Democratic opponent Martin Heinrich of wanting to raise a number of taxes. Here’s the 30-second ad: Heinrich has been running an ad attacking White for days, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been attacking White for weeks. White made sure to point that out at the beginning of a news release announcing his first negative TV ad, calling the ad a “contrast issue ad.” But there’s no contrasting in the spot, which doesn’t say a thing about White. Here’s the script: “An economy slowed, jobs lost, families struggling,” the narrator states. “Martin Heinrich’s record? Continue Reading

Slow-moving housing authority probe frustrates some

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The office of Attorney General Gary King still has nothing new to report about the more than two-year-old investigation of the scandal that toppled most of the state’s affordable housing system in 2006, and that has some frustrated. “We are still reviewing info,” King’s spokesman, Phil Sisneros, said late last week. When he took office almost 21 months ago, King pledged to make the investigation a top priority. But Chris Herbert, executive director of the Region VI housing authority, which survived the collapse of most of the state system, said he’s “frustrated by the lack of any action.” “Those of us involved in the low-income housing industry would like to see some justice actually done,” he said. “Those who perpetrated the wrongdoing continue to go unpunished, while their legitimate counterparts in other parts of the state are saddled with a black eye.” There has been some response to the scandal. Continue Reading

Another poll has Obama and Udall moving ahead

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Another poll suggests growing leads in New Mexico for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall. Obama leads Republican opponent John McCain by 11 percentage points — 53 percent to 42 percent — and Udall leads Republican opponent Steve Pearce by 20 points — 57 percent to 37 percent — among likely voters in New Mexico in the Public Policy Polling survey released today. The survey of 1,037 likely voters was conducted Wednesday through Friday and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. One highlight of the poll was McCain’s 2-point lead — 49 percent to 47 percent — among white voters, compared to Obama’s 14-point lead — 59 percent to 35 percent — among Hispanics. “New Mexico is probably the state Bush took in 2004 that Barack Obama will have the easiest time winning this time around,” Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, said in a news release. Continue Reading

Fundraising brings high-profile politicos to NM

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A number of high-profile, out-of-state politicians will be in New Mexico on Sept. 30 to raise money for political candidates. Gov. Bill Richardson will be joined by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius at a fundraiser in Las Cruces for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. And former Massachusetts Gov. and presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be in Albuquerque for a fundraiser for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce. The Obama fundraiser begins at 5:30 p.m. for those who contribute at least $2,500 and at 6:30 p.m. for those who contribute $500 or more, according to the invitation. Continue Reading

BBC News blogger stands by his story (updated)

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A BBC News blogger says he quoted Bernalillo County Republican Party Chairman Fernando C. de Baca accurately and in the proper context in a recent posting that has stirred controversy. Jon Kelly wrote in an e-mail that he is “100 percent confident” in his quoting of C. de Baca, who he cited in a Friday blog posting as saying that, “The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors. African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. They won’t vote for a black president.” That set off a firestorm of criticism of C. de Baca from the campaigns of GOP presidential candidate John McCain and 1st Congressional District candidate Darren White and others. Continue Reading

Guv: NM in better financial position than most states

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Gov. Bill Richardson says New Mexico is in a better position than most states to weather the current economic crisis, and he’s hopeful that the federal government will “quickly follow through with its promises to intervene and restore confidence in the financial markets.” The Bush administration has proposed a $700 billion bailout plan to buy mortgage-related assets that have been a drain on the economy. Congressional Democrats are negotiating with the administration over the details. The historic move comes during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Following a Thursday-evening meeting of Washington leaders, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. and chairman of the Senate banking committee, said those leaders were told “that we’re literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system.” Richardson said in a news release that he met with top financial experts, including state Treasurer James B. Lewis, on Friday to discuss the situation. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say Obama has been more honorable

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has run a more honorable campaign than Republican opponent John McCain. Of 347 voters, 206, or 59 percent, said Obama has run the more honorable campaign, while 116, or 33 percent, said McCain has done that. Some 25 voters, or 7 percent, said neither has run an honorable campaign. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

GOP leader’s racially tinged comments are wrong

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The chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party is facing heavy criticism from within his own party and elsewhere for saying that Hispanics won’t vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama because they consider themselves above blacks. Fernando C. de Baca was quoted as making the comments to a BBC News reporter in a blog posting published on Friday. “The truth is that Hispanics came here as conquerors,” C. de Baca was quoted as saying. “African-Americans came here as slaves. Hispanics consider themselves above blacks. Continue Reading

Group hits Obama on abortion in new ad

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Abortion is the topic of a new television advertising battle between an independent group and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. New Mexico and Ohio are the two states where the battle is being fought. Here’s the ad that started the fight, a 30-second spot being aired by the group BornAliveTruth.org. It features 31-year-old abortion survivor Gianna Jessen: “Can you imagine not giving babies their basic human rights, no matter how they entered our world? My name is Gianna Jessen, born 31 years ago after a failed abortion,” Jessen says in the ad. Continue Reading

Pearce gets hammered in new TV ads

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is getting hammered by two new TV ads that were unveiled today. The first, from Pearce’s Democratic opponent, Tom Udall, uses a parrot named “Polly Big Oil” to make fun of Pearce and accuse him of being a mouthpiece for the oil industry. Here’s the 30-second ad: It begins with the parrot saying, “Tax breaks for big oil. Tax breaks for big oil.” “Every wonder why Steve Pearce repeats everything the big oil companies say?” the ad’s narrator asks as a television displays Pearce’s new ad attacking Udall on energy and other issues. “Gas prices. Continue Reading

Tinsley wants another debate to focus on economy

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Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley is challenging Democratic opponent Harry Teague to an additional debate to focus specifically on the economy. Tinsley made the challenge in a Thursday news release. “The nation and southern New Mexico are facing the most challenging economic crisis since the Great Depression. Reforming our nation’s financial regulators will dominate the political and policy agenda when a new president and Congress are sworn in just five months from now,” he said. “Our voters deserve to make an informed choice on who they want in Washington representing them during these difficult times. Continue Reading

Denish to lead rally for Obama at NMSU today

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will lead a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama today in Las Cruces. At the Women for Obama rally, Denish and state Rep. Joni Gutierrez, D-Las Cruces, will discuss “Obama’s commitment to equal pay, in addition to his plan to strengthen the economy and lift up New Mexico’s working families,” according to a news release from the Obama campaign. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium on the second floor of New Mexico State University’s Corbett Center. Continue Reading

New Pearce ad calls Udall ‘breathtakingly liberal’

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is out with a new TV ad hitting his Democratic opponent, Tom Udall, as being “breathtakingly liberal.” Here’s the 30-second spot, which Pearce unveiled today: “Tom Udall. He voted to raise taxes on families and businesses and just about anything that moves,” the ad’s narrator states. “He voted against offshore drilling and nuclear-power development. Udall voted against body armor for our troops in combat. He even voted against banning partial-birth abortions.” “Tom Udall. Continue Reading

With new ad, Obama stoops to same level as McCain

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I wrote last week that Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign was making statement after statement that wasn’t true. Now his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has stooped to the same level with a misleading and erroneous ad. Here’s the Spanish ad the campaign is airing in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Florida in an attempt to win over Hispanic voters: For those who don’t speak Spanish, the ad opens with the narrator saying, “They want us to forget the insults we’ve put up with, the intolerance. They made us feel marginalized in this country we love so much.” Meanwhile, the ad shows conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh and gives these quotes from him: “stupid and unskilled Mexicans” and “You shut your mouth or you get out!” Then the narrator says, “John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces — one that says lies just to get our vote, and another, even worse, that continues the policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families. John McCain, more of the same old Republican tricks.” There are big problems with this ad. Continue Reading