Meet this site’s first reporting intern

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Meet Vicki Nisbett, the first reporting intern to work for Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics. A senior majoring in journalism at New Mexico State University, she will also have a minor in professional communications when she graduates in December. Nisbett has been working on articles related to the Las Cruces municipal election since September. A series profiling the candidates that was done by both of us ran the week of Oct. 22-26. Continue Reading

Dems unleash criticism after SCHIP veto override fails

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After an attempt to override a presidential veto of a children’s health insurance bill fell 13 votes short in the U.S. House of Representatives today, Democrats released a barrage of criticism against Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who refused to change their votes. Democrats and a number of Republicans had spent almost two weeks pressuring Pearce and others to vote for the proposal, which would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion to cover another 4 million children, and fund it through an increase in the federal cigarette tax. Supporters of the bill had enough votes to override the veto in the Senate, but, without the same support in the House, it didn’t matter. Pearce and others opposed the bill on the grounds that it was a step toward socialized medicine and expanded coverage to undocumented immigrants, an assertion I examined in a recent article. Democratic Senate candidate Don Wiviott put out a news release calling fellow Senate candidate Pearce “a reliable rubberstamp for this White House.” “No matter what excuses the congressman tries to make for his vote, he can’t change the facts. Continue Reading

Domenici’s retirement affecting down-ticket races

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I’ve been writing a lot lately about the effect U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s retirement will have on the top-of-the-ticket races in 2008, but there will also be quite an effect on down-ticket races. We’ve already seen the effects in one Santa Fe situation. State Rep. Peter Wirth, realizing U.S. Rep. Tom Udall’s seat isn’t coming open, has opted to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by John Grubesic. He had been eyeing the congressional seat for years, but a number of other potential candidates are also waiting for the day Udall leaves it. The effects are starting to show in Las Cruces and Albuquerque as well. Continue Reading

Friday-night outing lands Mesilla mayor in trouble

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A Friday-night outing to the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in an unmarked police vehicle has landed Mesilla Mayor Michael Cadena in the hot seat, and some members of the town’s Board of Trustees plan to try to force him from office. Mesilla Mayor Pro Tem Jesus Caro and Trustee Nora Barraza will meet with District Attorney Susana Martinez this afternoon to determine their options. The two trustees have told Cadena they plan to seek his ouster if he doesn’t resign, and Cadena said publicly at Wednesday’s meeting of the trustees that he won’t do that. According to the Sunland Park Police Department incident report, the trouble began Friday night when Cadena and a woman identified as his wife drove into the valet parking area at the casino in the unmarked police vehicle owned by the Town of Mesilla. The vehicle’s siren blared before the vehicle cut to the front of the valet line. Continue Reading

Report: Probe of Domenici’s call to Iglesias will end

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It appears as though the ethics inquiry into Sen. Pete Domenici’s involvement in the U.S. attorney scandal will end now that the senator has announced his coming retirement. The Web site Truthout.org is reporting that the inquiry into Domenici’s October 2006 phone call to former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias won’t become the topic of a formal investigation. The reason? According to the Web site, a source who works closely with the Senate Ethics Committee said it’s Domenici’s “mental state.” Domenici is retiring at the end of 2008 because he is suffering from frontotemporal lobar degeneration, which can lead to frontotemporal dementia. Though Domenici’s disease is in its early stages and only showed a slight progression for the first time at a September checkup, the disease can cause dysfunction of the parts of the brain that are important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior. Continue Reading

Vassilopoulos decides against running for Senate

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Because of the entrance of U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., into the Senate race, another GOP oilman has decided against running. Spiro G. Vassilopoulos, a political newcomer, informed state Republican Party Chair Allen Weh of his decision in an e-mail late Wednesday. “Congressman Pearce entering the N.M. Senate race effectively is an end to what was (for me) an interesting peek into New Mexico politics,” he wrote. “He has my vote and I wish the good man well.” “Thank you to one and all for the time that you devoted in hearing me out,” he wrote. Vassilopoulos had considered for months the possibility of challenging Sen. Pete Domenici in a primary before news of the senator’s coming retirement broke earlier this month. Continue Reading

Potential candidates consider congressional race

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Four state legislators and a county Republican Party chair confirmed they are considering running for Congress now that U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has decided to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. State Sens. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, and John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, Reps. Joseph Cervantes and Jeff Steinborn, both Las Cruces Democrats, and Sierra County Republican Party Chair C. Earl Greer are all considering the Second Congressional District race. Cervantes, Greer and Rawson appear to be more serious in their consideration than Smith and Steinborn. Continue Reading

Guv appoints defense attorney to Supreme Court

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Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Albuquerque criminal defense attorney Charles W. Daniels today to the New Mexico Supreme Court. In doing so, Richardson rejected arguments that the court needed a justice from the south – such as Robert E. Robles, chief judge of the Third Judicial District Court in Doña Ana County – or a woman to replace Justice Pamela B. Minzner, who died in August. Richardson said Daniels was the best candidate. “Charles Daniels exemplifies the qualities necessary to serve on New Mexico’s highest court,” Richardson said in a news release. “I am confident that Charles Daniels’ leadership, work ethic and impeccable integrity will be a tremendous asset to the state Supreme Court.” Daniels has been a senior partner in the Friedman, Boyd, Daniels, Hollander, Goldberg and Ives law firm in Albuquerque for more than 30 years. Continue Reading

Pearce announces Senate campaign in e-mail

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As expected, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., sent an e-mail to friends and supporters today announcing his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. “After talking with family, friends and supporters, Cynthia and I have decided to run for the United States Senate.,” Pearce wrote in the e-mail. “Although I won’t make a formal declaration for some time, we want you to know that we plan to enter the race.” “I came to my decision after careful consideration and it was not one that I took lightly. There is still much work to do, but I want you to know that I will make an announcement soon, once all the pieces are in place to begin the campaign,” he wrote. “You know me: I will run hard and I will run to win. Continue Reading

Lyons decides against running for Senate

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State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons has decided against seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, but he hasn’t ruled out a 2010 gubernatorial run. “We’ve decided it would be best if I just keep doing to the job I’m doing,” Lyons said today. “People elected me for four years to do this job, and I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing.” He said the fact that he would have faced U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson in a Republican primary was a factor, but so was the fact that his daughter is still in grade school. “We feel like we need to stay in New Mexico a little longer,” he said of his daughter’s schooling. Continue Reading

Frietze controversy erupts as election looms

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Three weeks before voters in District 1 decide whether to give him another term, Las Cruces City Councilor Jose Frietze finds himself embroiled in a controversy of his own making over an alleged conflict of interest. For almost two years, Frietze has been in negotiations with Las Cruces developer Philip Philippou on donation of land for a non-profit Frietze founded and runs. Land has actually changed hands between the two four times since 2005. Frietze has never disclosed the situation publicly at council meetings when Philippou items were up for votes. That includes the vote in May to approve a massive, controversial annexation and master plan for a Philippou development that could add 30,000 homes to Las Cruces. Continue Reading

In 2nd District, all eyes are on Cervantes, Republicans

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Though none have yet stepped forward, it’s likely that a number of Republicans will join the three Democrats already running for the Second Congressional District seat being vacated next year by GOP Rep. Steve Pearce, who has decided to run for Senate. But perhaps the biggest question is whether state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, will enter the race. He has considered but declined for years to run against Pearce, but many – some after having conversations with Cervantes – have said in recent days that they expected Cervantes to enter the House race if Pearce ran for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. And political analyst Jose Garcia, who has served as the treasurer for Cervantes’ state House campaigns, wrote in a guest column published on this site on Oct. 6 that Cervantes “would almost certainly waste no time getting into the (House) race” if Pearce ran for Senate. Continue Reading

White’s polling says he’s easily the frontrunner

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Polling done by the congressional campaign of Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has him well ahead of other Republicans considering the race and also beating two Democrats he could face in next year’s general election. The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, found that 51 percent of likely voters in the First Congressional District have a favorable opinion of White, while an impressively low 15 percent have an unfavorable opinion. Some 74 percent know his name, and even 48 percent of Democrats surveyed view him favorably. You can read the company’s polling memo to White’s campaign by clicking here. The poll put him in a potential primary race against state Sens. Continue Reading

Madrid won’t seek Senate, may consider House run

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Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid has decided against running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, but there may be a chance she will run for the First Congressional District House seat she unsuccessfully sought last year. Madrid said in an interview that she decided a contested Senate primary “will not be good for the Democratic ticket, particularly if I’m running against Mayor (Martin) Chávez.” “He and I have much the same support statewide, and even if the race were friendly and amicable, it still would be competitive, and I would not want to compromise the Democrats’ chances of winning the seat,” Madrid said. Her decision follows a weekend trip to Las Cruces to discuss the situation with her family. Chávez is the only top-tier Democrat in the race, but Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is considering it, and political newcomers Don Wiviott, Jim Hannan and Leland Lehrman are also running. On the Republican side, U.S. Reps. Continue Reading