GOP’s Turner hires staff for potential guv run

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Republican Doug Turner is putting all the pieces in place for a 2010 gubernatorial run, though he isn’t saying at this point that he’s certain he’s running. Turner is “leaning toward getting into the race,” he said Tuesday in an interview, adding that he has “hired a few folks, brought on some external consultants” and done significant polling. He said he has an “initial staff” in place. The CEO of the Albuquerque-based public relations firm DW Turner said he has already spent “considerable” personal money preparing for a run. “We’re making sure we’ve got the right team and the right resources and, when all that’s in place, we’ll announce,” Turner said. Continue Reading

Join the discussion…

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Here’s your mid-week reminder to submit your guest commentary in response to this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you? Commentaries should be 250-750 words. You must be willing to have your name published with your commentary, and include a 1-2 sentence bio at the end that indicates what city and state you’re from and any other information you want to include. Submissions must be received by Friday and should be e-mailed to heath@haussamen.com. I’ll begin publishing them next week. Continue Reading

‘A game changer:’ DA Martinez is running for governor

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Martinez will announce her candidacy at a news conference in Las Cruces on Friday Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, a Republican, will formally announce Friday that she is running for governor next year. Martinez is not taking the intermediate step of forming an exploratory committee, as some others have done. She will announce her decision to run at a news conference at Roberto’s restaurant in Las Cruces at 5:30 p.m. Friday, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Martinez, who turned 50 today, has not publicly confirmed her decision, but she has notified some people close to her. Jose Z. Garcia, a New Mexico State University government professor and political analyst, said Martinez’s entry into the race will be “a game changer,” both in the Republican primary and, if she wins the primary, a general-election matchup with likely 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Diane Denish. Continue Reading

Activist disappointed in Denish’s support for gambling

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“The gaming industry has proven to be an important part of our state’s economy,” Denish staffer says in explaining her 2005 votes The head of the New Mexico Coalition Against Gambling said it’s “disappointing” that, after previously expressing concern about the effects of gambling in New Mexico, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has voted to expand the hours of operations at racinos and accepted tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from the industry. But Guy Clark said whether Denish allows the gambling industry to influence her decisions as much as Gov. Bill Richardson isn’t yet clear. “I would be a little less inclined to say she was pay to play than Gov. Richardson, but she’s not living up to her previous statements that would indicate a more enlightened response to predatory gambling,” Clark said. “But I think we should give her a little more time.” Clark, who is also chairman of the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation’s board, said the influence of the gambling industry on Richardson was obvious in the makeup of the transition team he formed as he prepared to take office in 2003 and in actions he has taken since. The industry has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Richardson. Continue Reading

Here’s why Kokesh’s candidacy is interesting

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Here’s an example of why Adam Kokesh’s bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., next year is so interesting. On Sunday night I posted a poll on this site asking whether Luján or Kokesh would win a potential battle between the two next year. Mid-morning today, about 45 people had voted, with about 67 percent picking Luján. As of the publication of this posting, the poll has 609 votes. Kokesh is winning with 539, or 89 percent of all votes cast in the poll. Continue Reading

State GOP hits Denish in new TV ad

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This article has been updated.Lt. Gov. and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish said recently that she and her office have “not been part of” any corruption scandals plaguing state government. Now the state GOP is trying to link the Democrat to pay to play in a new TV ad that is airing beginning today — about 16 months before the general election. In an ad that uses a slot machine as its prop, the narrator says this: “The Richardson Denish game. Big money donor needs a favor. Gives campaign cash. Continue Reading

Let’s get a discussion going

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This period of change is a good time for reflection, so I’m inviting you all to submit guest commentaries about this question: How do you identify yourself politically (liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, independent, something else or none of the above) and what does that mean to you? Commentaries should be 250-750 words. You must be willing to have your name published with your commentary, and include a 1-2 sentence bio at the end that indicates what city and state you’re from and any other information you want to include. Submissions must be received by Friday and should be e-mailed to heath@haussamen.com. I’ll begin publishing them next week. Continue Reading

Pearce wins non-scientific poll on CD2 race

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The majority of those who voted in the last non-scientific poll on this site said Republican challenger Steve Pearce would beat U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M., in a potential race between the two next year. Of 695 voters, 392, or 56 percent, said Pearce would win such a contest, while 303, or 44 percent, said Teague would win. It’s worth noting that I left this poll up for two weeks. At the end of the first week, Teague had a slight lead. Then, last Monday, Pearce announced that he’s getting into the race for the seat, which he used to hold. Continue Reading

Is the secretary of state’s Web site secure?

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Herrera says it is, but an IT employee who’s on leave and under investigation says people’s usernames and passwords are at risk Secretary of State Mary Herrera claimed in a guest column published today in the Albuquerque Journal that her agency’s computer systems “are now secure,” no data was lost and development of a new campaign finance reporting system is “back on track.” But Brad Allen, an information technologies employee who has been on leave ever since the secretary of state’s Web site and computer systems went offline two weeks ago, said one key vulnerability remains: There is no encryption on the log-in page for Uniform Commercial Code filings. That means when people log into the system to file required business reports, their usernames and passwords could be visible to hackers, Allen said. “Password data should always be encrypted, no matter what,” he said. “Everybody does it. It’s not that hard to do.” http vs. Continue Reading

Teague vs. Pearce battle is a clash of the titans

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The race, which either Hobbs oilman can win, will be one of the most hotly contested and high-profile battles in the nation next year Southern New Mexico, get ready for a deluge of political advertisements and national media attention that will last through November 2010. This week’s announcement that Republican Steve Pearce will try to retake his old U.S. House seat from Democrat Harry Teague sets up what is certain to be one of the most hotly contested and high-profile House races in the nation next year. This is a seat Republicans think they shouldn’t have lost in 2008 after holding it for 28 years. It’s a district John McCain won. So Republicans will pump a great deal of money into trying to take it back. Continue Reading

Secretary of state’s Web site back online

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It appears that searchable databases and other parts of the Secretary of State’s Web site are now back online. The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) searchable database is back online, as is the system for UCC filings. And the searchable databases of campaign contributors and candidates and political committees receiving contributions are also back online. The systems went down earlier today. A.J. Salazar, the secretary of state’s elections director, said at the time that the office was in the process of upgrading the systems and they would be back up shortly. Continue Reading

After GOP’s attack, Denish unveils ethics proposals

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Ethics commission, ‘sunshine portal’ and tougher reporting requirements are all on the lieutenant governor’s agenda Days after the state GOP chairman hammered her for standing by the scandal-plagued Gov. Bill Richardson, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish unveiled today ethics initiatives she plans to push during the 2010 legislative session. Denish, the only declared Democratic candidate for governor in next year’s election, announced her support for proposals to create an independent state ethics commission and strengthen lobbyist and campaign reporting requirements. She also proposed the creation of a new “sunshine portal” — a one-stop shop on the Internet for access to government spending data and other information. “The people of New Mexico deserve a state government that is as open and honest as the people of this state,” Denish said in a news release announcing the proposals. “I am committed to making the changes necessary to ensure that New Mexico’s government and elected officials enjoy the trust of New Mexico’s people.” Denish released a four-page memo that lays out the details of the proposals, which would need Richardson’s approval in order to be considered by lawmakers during the 30-day session. Continue Reading

For N.M. GOP, all eyes are on Heather Wilson

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With Steve Pearce running for Congress, the biggest question for Republicans right now is whether Heather Wilson is going to run for governor Is Heather Wilson going to run for governor or not? That’s the biggest question for New Mexico Republicans, now that former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., has decided to try to regain his old seat in Congress instead of running for governor. Wilson has been saying she’s seriously considering running for governor, but whether she is going to enter the race is a question she isn’t answering right now. She’s currently doing political and elections training for government officials in Sudan and Kenya and writing about her experiences on her Facebook page. Reached via Facebook on Wednesday, Wilson had this to say when asked about the gubernatorial race: “Very far from home right now. Continue Reading

Parts of secretary of state’s Web site down again

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This article has been updated.Days after coming back online, most computer systems that enable database searches and Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings via the Secretary of State’s Web site appear to be down again today. As of the publication of this posting, the UCC system is offline, as are the databases for campaign contributors and candidates and political committees receiving contributions. There is no note on the home page of the Web site notifying visitors that the systems are down. Secretary of State Mary Herrera and other officials in her office did not immediately respond to an e-mail requesting an update on the status of work on the systems. Officials have been working to restore the Web site and systems in the office for about two weeks, since unspecified problems knocked out a new campaign finance and disclosure system that has been under development. Officials haven’t specified how the problems with the new site relate to the office’s problems with its other computer systems and Web site.Update, 11:10 a.m. “Upgrades are currently being made and the application will be up again momentarily,” said A.J. Salazar, the secretary of state’s elections director.Update, 4:30 p.m. The site that allows UCC online filing is back up, but the systems that allow searches of the UCC and campaign finance databases are still down. Continue Reading

AG warns nonprofit following ‘wiggle room’ remark

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The attorney general’s office is already involved in a lawsuit with two progressive nonprofits it wants to force to register as political action committees. Now the AG is issuing a strong warning to a conservative nonprofit that has sprung up in response to its progressive counterparts. “There is talk of at least one emerging nonprofit group that apparently believes it will have more ‘wiggle room’ to get involved in political activity,” Attorney General Gary King said today in a news release.“The truth is they can wiggle as much as they want as long as they comply with campaign finance laws,” he said. “We will continue to advise the Secretary of State’s Office that nonprofits engaging in targeted election-related activities are required to disclose their donors’ contributions and expenditures just like every other political action committee.” The “wiggle room” quote comes from a weekend article in the Albuquerque Journal about the Southwest Citizens Coalition, a nonprofit whose stated aim is to stop progressives from “building a permanent ultra-liberal majority in New Mexico.” Coalition President Allen McCulloch was quoted by the Journal as saying his group is set up as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit under federal tax law. He said that gives it more “wiggle room” to participate in political activity than the progressive nonprofits, which are 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Continue Reading