Fundraising quarter ends today for federal candidates

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Today marks the end of the first fundraising quarter of the year in federal races, and there are a lot of interesting questions that will be answered by finance reports that are released in the next two weeks. In the U.S. Senate race, for example, Democrat Tom Udall raised more than Republicans Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson combined in the fourth quarter of 2007. Can he do it again, or will one or both of them keep up with Udall? In addition, Wilson began the first quarter of 2008 with more money in the bank than Pearce. Can he catch her? Continue Reading

Articles give insight into lobbying and the Legislature

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Over the last couple of months, the Albuquerque Journal has focused on the top lobbyist for the University of New Mexico, who is also the son of a powerful state lawmaker. That has produced a couple of interesting articles that give some insight into the way things work in Santa Fe. A Feb. 10 article focused on Marc Saavedra’s $45,000 salary boost from March 2007 to February 2008. That was a 50 percent increase, from $90,000 to almost $135,000. Continue Reading

Wiviott gains on Luján in new CD3 poll

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A new poll of likely Democratic voters in the Third Congressional District has Don Wiviott gaining ground on Ben R. Luján. The poll, conducted for Wiviott’s campaign by Lake Research Partners, has Luján up seven points, 23 percent to 16 percent. It places Jon Adams, Harry Montoya and Benny Shendo Jr. each at 4 percent, and Rudy Martin at 2 percent. Some 48 percent said they are undecided. That’s much different than the results of a poll conducted at the end of January by the Luján campaign. Continue Reading

New Mexicans are the first to see new McCain TV ad

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John McCain began running today what his campaign is calling the first television ad of the general-election season, and he picked New Mexicans to be the first voters to see it. The decision to air the ad first in New Mexico further highlights the importance of the swing-state to the 2008 election and indicates that New Mexico is set to gain a lot more national attention in the coming months. The ad is coinciding with the GOP presidential nominee’s “Service to America” tour, in which he will travel the nation next week to give a series of speeches that are designed to help the American public get to know him. McCain’s schedule includes stops in Mississippi, Virginia, Maryland, Florida and Arizona. Though McCain isn’t scheduled to visit New Mexico next week, as I reported on Thursday, his campaign manager, Rick Davis, will speak a week from today at the Republican National Committee’s 2008 state chairmen’s meeting at the Santa Ana Pueblo near Bernalillo. Continue Reading

Talk of a possible Obama/Richardson ticket increases

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Chatter about the possibility of Bill Richardson becoming the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee is increasing now that he has endorsed Barack Obama’s candidacy. For example, the Washington Post’s blog The Fix listed Richardson today as one of its five bets on a potential running mate for Obama. “Richardson’s decision to weigh in for Obama even as the controversy over Rev. Jeremiah Wright bubbled threw the Illinois senator a lifeline when he badly needed one,” Chris Cillizza wrote in a posting earlier today on The Fix. “The New Mexico governor has an extremely deep résumé that would nicely complement Obama’s strengths. A Richardson pick could also serve as a symbolic olive branch to the Hispanic community, which has gone heavily against Obama in the primaries, and add to the historic nature of the ticket.” Rightpundits.com calls Richardson “the leading candidate” to be Obama’s running mate, pointing out that Richardson helps Obama out West and in an important swing state, in the areas of foreign-policy and executive experience, and among Hispanics. Continue Reading

Wilson says Pearce trying to rewrite Cannon history

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Republican Senate candidate Heather Wilson accused primary opponent Steve Pearce today of attempting to rewrite history while defending his vote to OK the mothballing of Cannon Air Force Base. Wilson has often pointed out Pearce’s vote to support placing Cannon in “enclave” status. He was the only member of the New Mexico delegation to support the base realignment and closure plan that originally would have done that. But Pearce said today in an interview with 770-KKOB AM radio in Albuquerque that, shortly after Cannon appeared on the closure list, “all five of us, including Heather, signed a letter saying, ‘please let us mothball it.’” “And then she’s saying Steve voted to mothball. That’s misrepresenting your position. Continue Reading

Ellins’ disclosure is an example others should follow

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Transparency is always the best policy. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday to get a call from Lynn Ellins, Doña Ana County’s elections supervisor, to tell me about his November 2006 drunken-driving arrest and ask me to write about it. He’s running for county clerk and said he wants his candidacy to be transparent. Way to get ahead of the situation so it doesn’t become a scandal. It’s similar to what New York’s new governor, David Patterson, has done in the last several days by disclosing past adultery and drug use. Continue Reading

Homans replaces Goodwin at Tax and Revenue

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Former Economic Development Secretary and Spaceport Authority Director Rick Homans returned to state government today when Gov. Bill Richardson appointed him to lead the Taxation and Revenue Department. The move comes a day after Jan Goodwin, the previous secretary of the department, was named executive director of the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board. “I want to welcome Rick Homans back to state government, where I will count on his expertise at the Taxation and Revenue Department,” Richardson said in a news release. “Jan Goodwin did a great job of making the Taxation and Revenue Department more efficient and responsive to taxpayers, and I look forward to continuing that progress under Rick Homans’ leadership.” Homans was economic development secretary from 2003 to 2007. His primary focus became Spaceport America, and he left the secretary position in May to run the spaceport. Continue Reading

RNC to hold chairmen’s meeting in N.M. next week

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The Republican National Committee will hold its 2008 state chairmen’s meeting next week in New Mexico, and speakers will include John McCain’s presidential campaign manager. The meeting will be held Tuesday through Friday at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort at the Santa Ana Pueblo near Bernalillo. “New Mexico will be an important state for Republicans to carry this year, and one in which John McCain’s message of smaller and less intrusive government, lower taxes and a strong national defense has obvious appeal,” RNC spokeswoman Liz Mair said in explaining why the RNC picked New Mexico for its meeting. A 1 p.m. session on Thursday will include speakers Robert M. “Mike” Duncan, the RNC chairman, and Carly Fiorina, the RNC Victory chairwoman. On Friday at noon, the speaker during the chairmen’s luncheon will be Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager. Continue Reading

This site recognized by Washington Post blogger

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The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, one of the top politics bloggers around, has named Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics as one of the best state-based politics blogs. Cillizza is in the process of compiling a reader-generated list of the best state politics blogs on his own blog, The Fix. In his post soliciting the names of the best blogs, he listed three of his favorites – this site, Burnt Orange Report in Texas and GreenMountainPolitics1 in New Hampshire. You can read Cillizza’s post by clicking here. Continue Reading

Another independent candidate jumps into CD3 race

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A second independent candidate is making a bid to replace Tom Udall in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ron Simmons, 62, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that he’s in the race. And he has set up a campaign Web site. “I know I’m unknown, but I’m serious,” he told the newspaper. Simmons, of Santa Fe, said he was a lifelong Democrat until he left the party earlier this year because he was upset with the superdelegate system in the presidential race. Continue Reading

Nader says N.M. will be first state with him on ballot

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Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader expects New Mexico to be the first state where he qualifies for the ballot. Nader said this week in an interview with 770 KKOB’s political reporter Peter St. Cyr that he expects that to happen, and the campaign is also focused on making Arizona the second state where it qualifies for the ballot. Nader raised more than $12,000 in a couple of days earlier this month to send campaign workers to New Mexico to gather signatures and get him on the ballot. Nader needs some 7,000 signatures from registered voters in New Mexico to appear on the ballot in November. Continue Reading

High court suspends embattled Sunland Park judge

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The New Mexico Supreme Court finally acted today in the case of newly elected Sunland Park Municipal Judge Horacio Favela by suspending him without pay pending the outcome of his voter-fraud case. The action wasn’t designed to be punitive. Judicial Standards Commission Director Jim Noel told the Las Cruces Sun-News that the action is simply designed to protect the integrity of the judiciary. After all, can you imagine this judge actually ruling in cases while he’s facing a charge of voter fraud? The Sunland Park judge hears some 3,000 cases per year. Continue Reading

Sowards explains decision to stay in CD2 race

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Though he secured the votes of only two delegates, or about 1 percent, at the Republican Party’s March 15 preprimary nominating convention, Greg Sowards said he’s staying in the Second Congressional District race because he’s different than the other candidates. “I’m running on a platform of conservative core principles and not party politics,” Sowards said in a news release. Sowards filed on Tuesday additional signatures in an attempt to stay in the race. The Secretary of State’s Office has until next Tuesday to certify his candidacy. The release states that the “fiercely independent” Sowards is in a race that is “crowded with party regulars” and is running on “the strength of fellow citizens who share his vision for the future.” “In the past, we have sent decent people to Washington only to be disappointed when they trade their allegiance to their constituents for that of other members of Congress,” Sowards said. Continue Reading