Bill, Chelsea Clinton to visit El Paso

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Hillary Clinton’s daughter will visit El Paso Friday and her husband will visit Saturday to campaign in advance of Texas’ March 4 primary, the Associated Press is reporting. Details of both visits have not been finalized or announced. Texas is a must-win state for Hillary Clinton, who hasn’t won a primary or caucus since Feb. 5 and has been overtaken in the delegate race by Barack Obama. Hillary Clinton is banking on huge Hispanic support in Texas, which explains her focus on El Paso. Continue Reading

Miller to try independent bid for Udall’s seat

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Carol Miller made the Third Congressional District race much more interesting on Tuesday by announcing that she’s going to run as an independent for the seat, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. The only time the Democratic district was in Republican hands in recent years was after Miller ran as a Green Party candidate in 1997 and split the liberal vote with Democrat Eric Serna. Republican Bill Redmond won the special election to replace Bill Richardson, only to be replaced next year in the regular election by Tom Udall. Miller won 17 percent of the vote in 1997. The next year, she received only 4 percent. Continue Reading

Dunn grabs delegates in home counties of opponents

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There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the campaign of Republican Second Congressional District candidate Aubrey Dunn Jr. after he won all delegates to the party’s state convention in the home counties of opponents Ed Tinsley and Terry Marquardt last weekend. Most surprising was Dunn’s victory in Otero County, where his supporters showed up in force and won all 15 county delegates to the March 15 preprimary nominating convention. Marquardt, who lives in Alamogordo, was a state representative for 12 years. Dunn also won all seven delegates from Lincoln County. Tinsley and his wife own a ranch in Capitan, and his campaign headquarters is located in downtown Ruidoso. Continue Reading

Richardson to visit Las Cruces on Friday

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Gov. Bill Richardson will be in Las Cruces on Friday to sign bills and make an announcement related to New Mexico State University. Richardson will be in the lobby at the Business Complex on campus at 11 a.m., according to a news release from his office. Richardson’s office didn’t say what bills he will sign or provide details about the NMSU announcement. He will appear in Alamogordo and Roswell later on Friday. Continue Reading

Trib’s closure marks a sad day for New Mexico

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Today’s announcement that the Albuquerque Tribune will publish its last edition on Saturday is a reminder of the depressing state of the nation’s newspaper industry that should be concerning to all Americans. It’s also an incredibly sad day for New Mexico. The Tribune has a strong journalistic tradition that includes a Pulitzer Prize. The Trib, for a long time, dedicated more resources than any other paper in the state to hard-hitting, investigative journalism that can have a tangible impact on public policy and people’s lives. As an afternoon newspaper, it was probably doomed long ago. Continue Reading

Wilson comes out firing at first GOP Senate debate

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Heather Wilson came out firing in her first debate with fellow GOP U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pearce on Tuesday, but Southern New Mexico’s congressman held his own against the tenacious congresswoman from Albuquerque. At the debate, which was held in the heart of Pearce’s House district in Alamogordo, Wilson went on the offensive during her opening statement, highlighting Pearce’s votes for the base realignment plan that included closing Cannon Air Force base and against funding to increase the number of Border Patrol agents in New Mexico by 500. “You can’t talk about securing the border if you’re not willing to spend the money to hire the guys to do the job,” Wilson said of Pearce’s Border Patrol vote. Pearce spent much of the night on the defensive, but his explanations for votes Wilson criticized were usually as effective as her attacks. He said he voted for the base realignment plan that included closing Cannon in part because people in Alamogordo asked him to back the plan, which kept Holloman Air Force Base open. Continue Reading

Geise replaces Sanchez at state Democratic Party

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Laura Sanchez has resigned from her job as executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico after a presidential caucus plagued by problems. Replacing Sanchez is Josh Geise, a veteran Democratic political operative, state party Chairman Brian Colón confirmed in a news release naming him the interim executive director. “As we move forward to November, our singular focus is carrying New Mexico for our Democratic presidential nominee, electing Tom Udall to the U.S. Senate and winning all three open congressional seats,” Colón said in the news release. “This is a historic year in New Mexico and I’m excited to have Josh leading our staff at the party as we move forward to November.” Sanchez resigned over the weekend, and Geise said in an interview that he began work today after meeting with Colón on Monday. He said he doesn’t know how long he will serve as interim director. “I think we’ll sort of address that at a later date,” Geise said. Continue Reading

Legislators stood up to leaders on important proposals

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There were a couple of examples from the 2008 legislative session of lawmakers standing up to their leaders in the name of improving government transparency and increasing scrutiny. House Resolution 1 allows all representatives to pre-file legislation between Dec. 15 and the Friday before the start of the session. The Senate already does this, and it’s a great way to get a jump on the ticking clock of the session. It increases scrutiny and transparency because it lets the discussion begin earlier on important bills. Continue Reading

McCamley announces new endorsements

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Second Congressional District candidate Bill McCamley announced several new endorsements today. McCamley received the endorsements of Socorro County Commission Chairman Jay Santillanes, Sierra County Commissioner Walter Armijo, former state Rep. J. Paul Taylor of Mesilla and former Capitan Mayor Benny Coker. “I’m very grateful for the support of these respected public officials,” McCamley said in a news release. “As their endorsements show, our campaign is continuing to pick up speed and strength.” McCamley had previously been endorsed by eight other current elected officials from the Second Congressional District. He’s also been endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Trades Council, which represents more than 7,000 workers in the state. Continue Reading

Auditor shares ethics ideas with Czech delegation

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State Auditor Hector Balderas was the only New Mexico elected official to meet on Friday with a delegation from the Czech Republic that is in America to exchange ideas about transparency and ethics in democracy. The U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program is what brought the delegation of high-level prosecutors, law enforcement officers and directors of non-governmental organizations to New Mexico and other states. “It is an honor to meet representatives from the Czech Republic to exchange knowledge and ideas about ethics in government,” Balderas said in a news release after meeting with the group in Santa Fe. “As a burgeoning democracy, the Czech Republic is undergoing numerous challenges in developing systems for accountability and transparency. I hope our dialogue continues for months and years to come, and that I can be a resource in assisting them with government reform.” The State Department’s goal for the program is to allow others to explore how governments in the United States combat corruption, learn about the role watchdog agencies and other non-governmental organizations play in ensuring transparency, gather ideas for judicial and ethics reform and learn about whistleblower protections. Continue Reading

Tinsley touts his experience and fundraising ability

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This is the fifth in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties’ preprimary nominating conventions on March 15. When Ed Tinsley ran for Congress in 2002, he didn’t have the experience to understand the inner workings of Washington. One of the focuses of Tinsley’s 2008 campaign is the fact that he now has that experience. After Tinsley, the owner of the K-Bob’s chain of restaurants, lost the 2002 Republican primary to Steve Pearce, he became heavily involved in the National Restaurant Association, serving as chairman of its board in 2006. Continue Reading

Voters in poll say Gutierrez will win primary

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said state Rep. Joni Gutierrez, D-Mesilla, will hold off a June primary challenge from Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus M. Caro. Of 177 voters, 102, or 58 percent, said Gutierrez will win, while 75, or 42 percent, said Caro will win. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Udall to make brief stop in Las Cruces on Saturday

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall will make a brief public appearance in Las Cruces on Saturday. Udall will be at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Doña Ana County, located at 414 North Downtown Mall, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. His visit will precede a 2 p.m. visit by the state party’s chair, Brian Colón, who will be in Las Cruces as part of a statewide listening tour to discuss with Democrats in Doña Ana County their concerns and questions about the party. For more information, call 523-0470. Continue Reading

Greer says refusing to quit puts him in good company

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This is the fourth in an occasional series of articles based on conversations with the Second Congressional District candidates. Articles on each candidate who agrees to an interview will run before the parties’ preprimary nominating conventions on March 15. Some dismiss C. Earl Greer’s candidacy for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated by Steve Pearce because he lost the GOP primary for the seat in 2002, a Public Regulation Commission race in 2006 and the state party chair race in 2007. Greer is quick to point out that he won the PRC primary in 2006, beating two other candidates, including a popular Doña Ana County commissioner. More important, he said, he’s not a quitter, and that puts him in the same category as Joe Skeen, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. Continue Reading

Caucus tally complete; Clinton wins New Mexico

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Hillary Clinton has won the Democratic caucus in New Mexico, according to official, final totals released today by the Democratic Party of New Mexico. The final results had Clinton with 73,105 votes, or 48.8 percent, to Barack Obama’s 71,396 votes, or 47.6 percent. “I am so proud to have earned the support of New Mexicans from across the state,” Clinton said in a statement released by her campaign. “From strengthening the economy to providing health care for every American to jumpstarting a clean-energy future, New Mexicans want real solutions to our nation’s challenges. As president, I will continue to stand up for New Mexico and will hit the ground running on day one to bring about real change.” The victory means Clinton won 14 delegates from New Mexico out of 26 that were up for grabs. Continue Reading