Web site lets absentee voters track their ballots

By |

The Doña Ana County Bureau of Elections has added a new feature to its Web site that allows absentee voters to track their ballots. The feature prompts an absentee voter to enter his or her last name, year of birth, street address and ZIP code. The program then searches the elections database to determine whether an absentee ballot has been requested. The absentee ballot tracker can be accessed by clicking here. If a ballot request is outstanding, the system will show the voter’s full name and one or more of the following: the date the absentee ballot application was received, the date the ballot was mailed out and the date the completed ballot was received for processing at the Bureau of Elections, according to a news release from the county. Continue Reading

Pearce unveils new TV ads, slams actor Redford

By |

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce is out with three 15-second television ads that focus on energy and taxes. Here are the ads: Pearce also created Web pages for each ad that include supplemental information. You can find the pages by clicking here. “Tom Udall (Pearce’s Democratic opponent) will no longer be able to hide from his long public record of opposing drilling, building more refineries and investments in new nuclear energy. We are asking directly and publicly for Udall to stand up and defend the votes he made against the interests of New Mexico and the country,” Pearce said in a news release announcing the new ads. Continue Reading

McCain, Obama spar in new TV ads

By |

Republican presidential nominee John McCain is out with a new TV ad trying to build up the maverick image of him and his running mate, while Democratic opponent Barack Obama is out with his own ad claiming McCain and Sarah Palin are “anything but” mavericks. Here’s McCain’s new ad: “The original mavericks. He fights pork barrel spending. She stopped the bridge to nowhere. He took on the drug industry. Continue Reading

New Udall TV ad continues fight over energy policy

By |

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall is out with a new TV ad accusing Republican opponent Steve Pearce of being in the pocket of the oil industry as the two continue to spar about energy policy. Here’s the 30-second ad, which the Udall campaign unveiled today: “What part of ‘Do it all’ doesn’t Steve Pearce understand?” the ad’s narrator asks, in an apparent reference to Udall’s previous TV ad. “Steve Pearce voted to give Big Oil $14 billion while voting nine times against investing in alternative energy. Maybe that’s why Steve Pearce got over $600,000 from Big Oil.” “Tom Udall knows we have to do it all — drill offshore, nuclear power and get serious about alternative energy,” the narrator states. After Udall unveiled the ad last week pushing his proposal to “Do it all” on energy, Pearce fired back in a news release by listing eight Udall votes in the House against increasing domestic drilling. Continue Reading

Another report says Kilmer may run for guv in 2010

By |

There’s a new report that actor Val Kilmer may run for governor of New Mexico in 2010. Talk of a potential Kilmer run is nothing new. World Entertainment News Network reported in January that Kilmer might try to follow Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Hollywood stars into politics by seeking to replace Bill Richardson as the state’s leader in a couple of years. But the Thursday report in The Politico suggests that, after initially floating the idea and seeing the reaction, Kilmer is still serious about the possibility. The January report stated that Kilmer “claims he already has the backing to run for governor… and could do a far better job than other stars who have crossed the divide.” “I did get some lobbyists once saying that I’d make a good governor,” the media outlet quoted Kilmer as saying. Continue Reading

McCain introduces celebrity running mate to NM

By |

Republican presidential nominee John McCain introduced his running mate Sarah Palin — who has become quite a celebrity — to New Mexico this weekend. The two arrived at Saturday’s rally in Albuquerque by driving into the Albuquerque Convention Center through a cloud of smoke while Van Halen’s “Right Now” blared, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The campaign that has spent months decrying Democratic opponent Barack Obama’s celebrity is milking Palin’s for all it’s worth. The two GOP candidates deviated little from their recent convention speeches during the short rally in Albuquerque, which was attended by some 6,000 people. McCain and Palin also made a brief appearance Sunday morning at El Pinto restaurant before leaving the state. Continue Reading

Obama to return to NM on Sept. 18

By |

Barack Obama will make his fifth trip to New Mexico on Sept. 18. The Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign announced the coming visit over the weekend, but provided no details other than saying he will host an event in northern New Mexico. Obama has campaigned previously in Las Cruces, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. His wife has also campaigned in all three cities. Continue Reading

Cheney to attend fundraiser for Tinsley in Hobbs

By |

Vice president Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Ed Tinsley on Sept. 26, The Associated Press is reporting. The fundraiser will be held in Hobbs, the hometown of Tinsley’s Democratic opponent, Harry Teague. “The vice president intends to work hard this cycle to return a Republican majority to Congress and he is looking forward to returning to New Mexico,” Cheney spokesman Jamie Hennigan was quoted by the news service as saying. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say Palin helps McCain in NM

By |

A narrow majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin to be his running mate increases his chances of winning New Mexico. Of 210 voters, 108, or 51 percent, said the pick increases the chances of the Republican presidential nominee, while 102, or 49 percent, said it does not. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s non-scientific poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Dispute over nonprofits’ activities continues

By |

Another nonprofit has been dragged into the dispute with the attorney general and secretary of state over mailers sent out between this year’s legislative session and the June primary. Several nonprofits are already the target of a lawsuit from three legislators who lost primary races in June, but SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) is now the second nonprofit to have to defend its actions on two fronts. The group has until Sept. 15 to respond to the Secretary of State’s Office demand that it comply with the Campaign Reporting Act, according to a letter the office sent the group on Aug. 28. Continue Reading

Mr. ‘Short, Bald and Honest’ runs for county position

By |

Remember Greg Sowards, the Republican who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to spread his catchy slogan — short, bald and honest — when he was running for Congress earlier this year? Though he lost that race, many Las Crucens will get another chance to vote for him in November. Republican Scott Seiler has dropped out of the District 5 Doña Ana County Commission race, the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting. The party has replaced him on the ballot with Sowards. With a clever slogan and easy-to-remember Web address — shortbaldhonest.com — Sowards secured 17 percent of the vote in the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary in June and won Doña Ana County, but he lost that five-way race to Ed Tinsley. Continue Reading

3rd District races loses one candidate, gets another

By |

Independent Ron Simmons has dropped out of the 3rd Congressional District race. Simmons dropped his bid to increase the chance of an independent being elected, The Associated Press reported. Another independent, Carol Miller, remains on the ballot along with Democrat Ben Ray Luján and Republican Dan East. There’s also a write-in candidate, Dave Starr, the news service reported. Continue Reading

No more tickets available for McCain/Palin rally

By |

If you don’t already have tickets to see John McCain and Sarah Palin in Albuquerque on Saturday, you’re probably not going to get into the event. The Republican Party of New Mexico announced late Thursday that there are no more tickets available for the 6 p.m. rally at the Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 2nd Street NW. More than 6,000 tickets were handed out, which the state GOP said in a news release makes this “one of the most exciting campaign stops of this election.” “The level of excitement among voters about Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin visiting New Mexico is fantastic,” Shira Rawlinson, state GOP communications director, said in the release. “We could not keep up with the phone calls and requests for tickets. It was truly amazing. Continue Reading