Luján getting help from legislators, lobbyists and dad

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Third Congressional District candidate Ben R. Luján has been benefiting this week from fundraisers hosted by a who’s who of New Mexico legislators and lobbyists, with his father, House Speaker Ben Lujan, headlining the events. It’s no surprise that Ben R. Luján is leaning heavily on his father’s influence to help him raise money. The speaker, the most powerful state legislator, has a great deal of influence over House Democrats and lobbyists. The younger Luján, as a member of the Public Regulation Commission, also has some influence over lobbyists. Luján’s campaign has been accusing Don Wiviott, one of his opponents in the Democratic primary, of trying to buy the election because he put almost $600,000 of his own money in the race. Continue Reading

CD2 candidate Greg Sowards loans campaign $325K

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Republican Greg Sowards is further complicating a crowded GOP primary in the Second Congressional District race by loaning his campaign $325,000 and forcing the other candidates to take him seriously. He’s the third Republican candidate to announce a loan of several hundred thousand dollars to his campaign. Sowards originally said earlier today that he would loan his campaign $400,000, but after he learned that loans of greater than $350,000 trigger the Millionaires’ Amendment and triple contribution limits to $6,900, he instead decided to loan his campaign $325,000. Sowards said today’s was a family decision. He went to the bank this afternoon to finalize a $200,000 loan, and said he will loan his campaign another $125,000 within the next week. Continue Reading

Senate minority leader endorses Wilson

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Heather Wilson picked up a key endorsement from the top-ranking Republican in the state Senate today. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales and the Senate minority leader, called Wilson “a steady, commonsense leader who continues to fight for lower taxes, private industry, a strong national defense and our families” in an e-mail the Wilson campaign sent to supporters today. “Heather Wilson is the kind of person who leads by digging in on important issues and getting things done,” he said. Ingle referenced Wilson’s work to save Cannon Air Force base, even though it isn’t located in the First Congressional District she represents. “Whether it’s our bases or labs, our children or small businesses, Heather Wilson stands up and fights for the contribution New Mexico makes to our nation,” Ingle said. Continue Reading

U.S. House creates independent ethics office

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The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Tuesday the creation of an independent office that has the authority to initiate investigations into allegations of ethics violations by House members and is required to disclose its findings publicly. It’s a strong move that’s being characterized by the Washington Post as “one of the most significant changes to (House) ethics rules in decades.” U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., voted to approve the creation of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. New Mexico’s GOP representatives, Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson, voted against it. The measure was ultimately approved by a vote of 229-182, with 159 Republicans and 23 Democrats opposing it. “New Mexicans and people across the nation have called on Congress to end the culture of corruption in Washington, and the House has responded,” Udall said in a news release. Continue Reading

Nader’s presidential campaign is coming to N.M.

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Supporters of Ralph Nader’s longshot independent presidential bid are on their way to New Mexico to try to get him on the ballot. New Mexico has one of the more restrictive ballot-access laws for independents, so Nader supporters will have to gather 7,000 signatures in two weeks. The campaign sent out an e-mail Monday morning in an attempt to raise $10,000 in New Mexico to send supporters here to gather signatures. It announced Wednesday evening that 149 people had given a total of $12,607.27 – an average of $84 per donation. “That’s exactly what we needed when we needed it,” the campaign wrote in an e-mail to supporters announcing that Nader’s “road-trippers” are on their way to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Continue Reading

Sen. Feldman announces re-election bid

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State Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, has announced that she is running for re-election in District 13, which includes parts of the North Valley, mid-Heights and West Side of the city. Feldman currently serves as chair of the Senate Public Affairs Committee and the legislature’s interim Health and Human Services Committee. Feldman is the sponsor of two of the only health care reforms to pass in this year’s session – reforms that will to prevent insurance companies from turning down people with pre-existing conditions and attack chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, according to a news release announcing her candidacy. For years, she has spearheaded the effort to promote alternative energy, successfully sponsoring both the solar and the green-building tax credits. A steadfast supporter of ethics and campaign-finance reform, she has pushed for public financing of elections, campaign contribution limits and open legislative committee meetings. Continue Reading

Republican CD2 race gets ugly

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The interaction between the most well-funded GOP candidates in the race to replace Steve Pearce in Congress – Aubrey Dunn and Ed Tinsley – has become increasingly contentious in recent weeks, and both men are blaming the other. The harshest attacks have come from the Dunn campaign, which is accusing Tinsley of being a liberal who supports amnesty and spends much of his time living in Santa Fe. The Tinsley campaign has been quick to point out Dunn’s party registration changes and accused him of negative campaigning that is “right out of the Democrat’s campaign playbook.” The hostilities come as candidates are battling for delegates in advance of Saturday’s preprimary nominating convention. Tinsley is regarded by many as the frontrunner in the primary race, but strong organization has many expecting that Dunn will win the convention and get a momentum boost. Dunn’s campaign cites a Feb. Continue Reading

Preprimary nominating conventions are this weekend

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Democrats and Republicans from around the state will gather on Saturday at separate locations in the Albuquerque area for preprimary nominating conventions that are the first real test for candidates for federal offices and statewide judicial races. Democrats will gather at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. Republicans will gather at the Marriott Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque. Both events are open to the public, but only elected delegates from county conventions and their alternates may participate. The delegates will vote on the order that candidates will appear on the ballot in June and, in some instances, may even reduce the number of candidates running. Continue Reading

Torres running again, says health isn’t a concern

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Despite lingering concerns about her health, Doña Ana County Clerk Rita Torres plans to run for re-election this year. “I am going to run,” the democrat confirmed in a recent interview. A number of politicos and other sources have expressed concerns about that to me, but none have been willing to speak for the record. Concerns include whether Torres is fit to serve another four-year term and whether her health will become the focus of a brutal campaign this year. Torres said, when asked about health problems, that “there are none.” She also said no one has shared concerns about her health with her. Continue Reading

DA drops charges against former auditor candidate

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The Bernalillo County district attorney dropped in December criminal charges against Jeff Armijo, who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for state auditor in 2006 until he was pressured to quit the race because of allegations that eventually led to the charges. In dismissing a felony charge of false imprisonment and three misdemeanor battery charges, the district attorney’s office said there was insufficient evidence to proceed, according to the New Mexico courts Web site. I’m reporting on this now because I just discovered it. To my knowledge, it has not been reported elsewhere. Armijo was indicted almost a year ago and faced a maximum of three years in prison if convicted. Continue Reading

Sowards has a grand vision for changing America

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This is the tenth and final article in a series based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Links to the other profiles can be found at the end of this article. Greg Sowards has an ambitious plan for reforming government in America. It begins with limiting the role of the federal government. Instead of doing business with the federal government, citizens should interact with their local communities and their state government, the Republican Second Congressional District candidate said in an interview. Continue Reading

Supreme Court has yet to act in case of Sunland judge

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The New Mexico Supreme Court hasn’t yet acted on the Judicial Standards Commission’s request for action in the case of Sunland Park’s new municipal judge, who is facing a felony charge of voter fraud. Horacio Favela was sworn in Friday evening despite the outstanding felony charge and other questions about his Tuesday election. The commission sent two petitions to the high court late Friday. The first seeks the invalidation of Favela’s election. The second was sealed by the court, so its contents aren’t known publicly, but the court regularly seals petitions for temporary suspension pending the outcome of commission investigations, so this could have been such a petition. Continue Reading

DA Martinez announces re-election bid

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Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez has announced that she’s seeking re-election this year. Martinez was first elected district attorney in 1996. During her tenure, according to a news release announcing her re-election bid, she has implemented a successful victim assistance program in the state. She has also been recognized as a strong advocate for the elderly in implementing the Communities Against Senior Exploitation program, which attempts to protect the elderly from predators and scam artists. She’s also been recognized as a strong advocate in animal-abuse cases. Continue Reading

Rep. Cote announces re-election bid

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State Rep. Nathan “Nate” Cote, D-Las Cruces, has announced that he will seek re-election this year. The District 53 representative cited his success as a freshman legislator and the opportunity to serve the people of his district as the prime factors in his decision to seek re-election. “I have worked very hard here in the district and in Santa Fe to get things done,” Cote said in a news release. “It’s gratifying to see the results in people’s daily lives.” In his first session in 2007, Cote successfully sponsored legislation that eliminated the requirement that active-duty military members pay state income tax, in addition to legislation that provided a tax exemption for locomotive diesel fuel as an incentive for Union Pacific to move its railway depot from El Paso to Santa Teresa. The second will result in 300 new jobs in southern New Mexico and long-term industrial investment in the state, Cote said. Continue Reading

Wiviott survives petition challenge from Adams

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Don Wiviott has survived a legal challenge to the signatures he gathered to run for Congress. A district court judge on Friday tossed out a challenge filed by fellow Third Congressional District Democratic candidate Jon Adams. Adams challenged more than half of Wiviott’s signatures, and his allegations would have put Wiviott below the 959 signatures needed to run, but a judge found that Adams failed to specify specific reasons for challenging the signatures. “I’m not surprised by today’s outcome,” Wiviott said in a Friday news release. “I have been a champion of ballot access for candidates so that voters have a choice at the polls.” Adams could appeal the ruling. Continue Reading