Richardson in double digits in Iowa and N.H., but dispute with soldier’s mother may threaten climb

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Gov. Bill Richardson, who reached 10 percent in a New Hampshire poll last week, is now at 10 percent in Iowa, but his campaign is also facing what could become its first major controversy. Richardson has often told, on the campaign trail, a story about meeting the mother of a New Mexico soldier killed in Iraq. The mother says Richardson’s version of their encounter is a lie, but the governor’s campaign isn’t backing down. The newest poll, released Sunday by the Des Moines Register, has Richardson becoming a player in Iowa at 10 percent. John Edwards leads the Democratic candidates there with 29 percent, while Barack Obama is in second with 23 percent and Hillary Clinton is in third with 21 percent. Continue Reading

Las Cruces City Council to vote tonight on East Mesa development; meeting will be long, could get testy

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The Las Cruces City Council is set to vote tonight on The Vistas at Presidio, a 6,000-acre development on the East Mesa that could double or triple the city’s population and has been the subject of controversy for weeks. It’s going to be a marathon meeting. The meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall, will be televised on Comcast Cable channel 20. Check out the meeting agenda by clicking here. It could go into the early hours of Wednesday. Continue Reading

Bingaman gets high marks in non-scientific poll

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A majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site approve of the job Jeff Bingaman is doing as a U.S. senator. Of 177 voters, 121, or 68 percent, said they approve, while 48, or 27 percent, disapprove, and eight, or 5 percent, aren’t sure. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Will Richardson let the public see his tax returns?

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Of the six frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican party nominations for president, only Barack Obama is agreeing to release his tax returns to the public, ABC News is reporting. Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and Republicans Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney aren’t releasing them, at least yet, the news station reported. “It’s very unusual,” Mary Boyle of the good government group Common Cause told ABC News. “For the past almost 35 years, it has been tradition most certainly in the White House as well as almost every presidential candidate to disclose their tax returns – and for some reason we’re not seeing it this year.” Obama said it was important to release his tax returns. “I think it’s critical that people know who their candidates are, what our sources of income are, whether we have any potential conflicts,” Obama told ABC News on Monday. Continue Reading

Rutherford helped firm get Doña Ana County contract

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Former state Senator and Bernalillo County Commissioner Tom Rutherford helped Design Collaborative Southwest secure its 2003 contract to design the new, $20-million Doña Ana County Government Center. The commission sought proposals for the project in February of that year, and DCSW was one of four firms to bid. A county committee ranked DCSW the lowest of the firms, and recommended that the other three be considered by the commission. What happened in the month between the committee’s meeting and the commission’s vote on May 13, 2003 to hire DCSW isn’t clear, but what’s certain is that Rutherford was involved. The state auditor has said the commission’s selection of DCSW was a violation of the procurement code that may have been intentional. Continue Reading

Officials recover UP Aerospace rocket payload

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Some 20 days after an UP Aerospace rocket successfully reached space from Spaceport America, officials recovered its payload earlier today. “The payload has been found safe and sound,” Eric Knight, co-founder of the company, told the Associated Press. An announcement on the company’s Web site says the payload is in good condition. The rocket landed in the rocky, steep San Andres Mountains on White Sands Missile Range, an area not accessible even with four-wheel-drive vehicles, and its exact location was unknown, so it took some time to pinpoint. The rocket carried the ashes of 202 people in to space last month. Continue Reading

Article examines Richardson’s L.A. announcement

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Kate Nash of the Albuquerque Tribune takes a look today at why analysts think Los Angeles is the perfect place for Gov. Bill Richardson to formally announce his presidential run. The governor is going to do that Monday as he moves from the exploratory committee phase to an official campaign. I’ll give you a clue: It has to do with the money and name recognition that California can bring and New Mexico can’t. Check out the article by clicking here. Continue Reading

Former U.S. Attorney Kelly might take on Domenici

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I’ve written a lot lately about the Democratic Party’s inability to find a well-known candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici next year. The Albuquerque Tribune has the goods on one candidate who might jump into the race. John Kelly, who was the state’s U.S. attorney under former President Clinton, said he’s considering the race. “I do feel obligated to consider it and I am going to look seriously at it,” he told the Tribune. That could make things interesting. Continue Reading

In moving from re-election bid to presidential run, Richardson may have skirted campaign finance law

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The Politico has an interesting article today calling into question Gov. Bill Richardson’s use of money he raised for his gubernatorial re-election campaign as he prepared and began his run for president. In an analysis of Richardson’s state finance report filed this week, the publication reported that even after Richardson won re-election, he “continued using his gubernatorial campaign committee to fund what became the infrastructure of his next campaign.” From Dec. 2 of last year to May 7, the gubernatorial campaign paid nearly $360,000 to staffers and consultants now working on his presidential campaign. The Politico reported that the move appears to be legal and is becoming common in presidential races, but that, in Richardson’s case, it may also skirt the intent of campaign finance law. That’s because of two facts: It’s illegal for Richardson to transfer the funds left over from his state run to his federal campaign. Continue Reading

Senators, Bush reach deal on immigration proposal

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The Bush Administration and a bipartisan group of senators including Pete Domenici, R-N.M., announced today a compromise on immigration reform they’ll try to sell to skeptical lawmakers next week. The new plan includes the building of the border fence approved last year, and requires that a number of security measures be in place before reform of the system begins. It’s sure to be controversial and a tough sell, but Domenici, in a news release, said its’ the “best chance” to fix a broken system. “The status quo is unacceptable and part of the reason this issue has divided the country. We cannot tolerate the situation as it stands,” Domenici said. Continue Reading

Richardson surges to 10 percent in New Hampshire

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Gov. Bill Richardson’s support in New Hampshire has surged to 10 percent in the newest poll, up from 2 percent six weeks ago. “Of greatest significance (in the poll) is the move of Bill Richardson into double-digits from merely a blip on the screen,” said pollster John Zogby, whose company released the newest poll today. “He is now a player in all this.” The Zogby International poll follows weeks of slow climbs by Richardson in surveys in several other states. Recent polls have placed Richardson at 6 percent in Nevada and 5 percent in Iowa. Richardson was the first Democratic presidential candidate to run television ads. Continue Reading

Jeff Armijo indicted on charges stemming from allegations that ended his 2006 run for state auditor

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Jeff Armijo, who was the Democratic Party’s nominee for state auditor until he was pressured to quit the race last year because of allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a campaign volunteer, has been indicted on charges stemming from the Aug. 3 incident. Armijo was indicted by a grand jury on March 15 on three counts of battery and one count of false imprisonment, according to the New Mexico courts Web site. The false imprisonment charge is a fourth-degree felony that carries a maximum of 18 months in prison. The battery charges are petty misdemeanors that each carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison. Continue Reading

18 months out, Hannan runs ads attacking Domenici

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Jim Hannan, one of two lesser-known Democrats attempting to unseat U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici next year, has begun running newspaper advertisements. It’s a little unusual to be running ads 18 months before the November 2008 election, especially since Hannan didn’t file a report with the Federal Election Commission for the first quarter of 2007 because he hadn’t yet reached the $5,000 fundraising threshold. “I think it’s a good time to start telling the Pete Domenici story, particularly covering his votes this year,” Hannan said. The current ad is running in the Santa Fe Reporter and the Alibi in Albuquerque, two weeklies that are cheaper than larger dailies. Hannan said he’s also talking with the Las Cruces Sun-News. Continue Reading

Sun-News wraps up series on development

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The Las Cruces Sun-News wrapped up its five-day series on growth and development today with an overview of what’s been happening in the last few years and a look at how rapid growth only spurs more rapid growth. The retail growth was the most staggering point in the Sun-News’ main article in today’s package: Since 2000, Las Cruces has gone from having one Wal-Mart Supercenter to having two and a Sam’s Club, and it’s gone from having no Starbucks to having four (the Sun-New erroneously said three) with another two already under construction. In addition, here’s what the Sun-News didn’t report: Wal-Mart is looking land for a third Las Cruces store on U.S. Highway 70, and Target is currently working a deal to build its second Las Cruces store on Highway 70. Kohl’s is already building on the city’s north side, and Circuit City is also looking for land. The growth really is staggering. Continue Reading

Cervantes meets with Democratic officials in D.C.

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State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, who is considering running for Congress next year, met Wednesday with officials from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, D.C. The Las Cruces Democrat has considered for several years a possible run against U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. He has said recently that he’s considering running next year but hasn’t made a decision. The DCCC is the official campaign organization of House Democrats. Pearce has already drawn two Democratic challengers – Al Kissling, who ran unsuccessfully against him last year, and Bill McCamley, a Doña Ana County commissioner. I was unable to reach Cervantes for comment. Update, 10:25 a.m. Though he met with the DCCC, I’m told Cervantes didn’t meet with anyone from the office of Rep. Tom Udall, the state’s only Democrat in the House. Continue Reading