NMPolitics.net (https://nmpolitics.net/index/page/466/)
I spoke with Evan Woodward of KRWG-FM radio in Las Cruces today about the state of the presidential race in New Mexico and the new Albuquerque Journal poll that shows Barack Obama leading John McCain here by 5 percentage points. You can listen to my analysis of the race, as well as that of Journal politics reporter Jeff Jones, by clicking here. Continue Reading
Let me get this straight: Jerome Block Jr., the Democratic candidate for the seat on the Public Regulation Commission being vacated by Ben R. Luján, has been less than honest about his criminal history and education and lied about his abuse of the state’s public financing system and taxpayer dollars, and now he wants voters to believe he’s under attack because the media is out to get him with “not only wrong information, but outright lies?” Outrageous. But, according to The Santa Fe New Mexican, that’s exactly the stunt he’s trying to pull in advertisements designed to combat the negative press he has earned. The facts: Candidate Block said on an Albuquerque Journal questionnaire that he had been charged with but found not guilty of drunken driving when, in fact, the case was never adjudicated and charges were dropped, which is very different. He told The New Mexican that he didn’t recall being charged with disorderly conduct 10 years ago, and that’s why he didn’t disclose it during an interview with the paper in 2007. (He repeated to The New Mexican during that interview the incorrect information about the result of his DWI case.) He also claimed on the Journal questionnaire that he earned an associate’s degree from the “UNM Anderson School of Banking,” which, as fate would have it, doesn’t even exist. Continue Reading
State Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, says there was no conflict of interest or impropriety in his decision in 2003 to use taxpayer money to pave a road that doesn’t serve his constituents but instead improves access to a business he owns. He’s wrong. I’m not sure whether he can’t see that or simply refuses to admit it, but either is concerning. The Albuquerque Journal was the first to report on the fact that the Senate minority whip, who has been in the Legislature since 1987, secured $111,000 in capital outlay funds in 2003 to pave 14th Street, which is located in Las Cruces but outside Rawson’s district. The road provides primary access to a commercial development Rawson’s late father built that Rawson now largely owns. Continue Reading
Here’s video from John McCain’s visit to Albuquerque, courtesy of KNME-TV. Live Videos by Ustream Continue Reading
By Corey Vas Like millions of Americans I eagerly anticipated and watched last week’s vice presidential debate between Sen. Joseph Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin. I watched with great enthusiasm as Gov. Palin seemed to hold her own against the much more experienced Sen. Biden. She appeared more prepared and eloquent than I thought she would, and Sen. Biden appeared more human and approachable than I thought he would. I don’t really know if that debate will change much in the November election but I noticed an odd sensation once the debate was over that I could neither escape nor ignore. When the debate ended, I flipped through the channels listening to various pundits, talking heads and spin doctors offer their opinions on what had just transpired. Continue Reading
Here are some new political TV ads airing in New Mexico. Two new ads from Republican presidential candidate John McCain and the Republican National Committee: And this ad from Freedom’s Watch attacking Democratic 1st Congressional District candidate Martin Heinrich: Continue Reading
Rain didn’t stop hundreds of people from coming out to see actors Eva Longoria and Adam Rodriguez urge voter registration and voting for Barack Obama on Sunday in Las Cruces, but it did appear to cut short the stars’ rally. “I feel like I’m going to get electrocuted,” Longoria told Rodriguez as she handed him the microphone while raindrops fell on the rally at New Mexico State University. She spoke for two or three minutes before giving up the microphone. A couple of minutes later, Longoria, who stars in “Desperate Housewives,” was back in the vehicle that transported the stars to the event. That’s about how it went. Continue Reading
Republican presidential candidate John McCain will be in Albuquerque today for a rally at the University of New Mexico as a new poll shows him trailing Democratic opponent Barack Obama by 5 percentage points in New Mexico. The rally will be held at the student union building on campus and is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Tickets can be picked up at the McCain/Victory 2008 Headquarters, 5643 Jefferson St., Suites B and C, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors for the event open at 11:30 a.m. It will be McCain’s fifth visit to New Mexico as a 2008 presidential candidate. Obama has also made five trips here. Democrats plan to counter the McCain rally with an event of their own at UNM’s Mesa Vista Plaza at 11 a.m. According to a news release, the event will be led by students and is designed “to show the McCain campaign that New Mexicans reject McCain’s health-care plan.” Meanwhile, a new poll conducted by Research and Polling Inc. for the Albuquerque Journal and released Sunday found Obama leading in New Mexico 45 percent to 40 percent, with 14 percent undecided. Continue Reading
The vast majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Democrat Tom Udall is the U.S. Senate candidate who is most capable of handling the nation’s economic crisis. Of 318 voters, 217, or 68 percent, said Udall is the most capable candidate, while 101, or 32 percent, picked Republican Steve Pearce. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading
The enacting today of a bill that mandates mental health parity in the insurance industry will be the final chapter in the legacy left by the retiring Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Following the House’s approval of the bailout bill earlier today that included the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, Domenici and three other members of the Senate who pushed the parity legislation for years sent a joint news release expressing their joy at its approval. Sens. Domenici; Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.; Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.; and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.; made approving the legislation several years ago a priority. Domenici has a daughter who suffers from schizophrenia. In the release, Domenici said the approval of the bill, which was signed by the president following today’s House vote, ushers in “a new era of health care for those with mental illnesses.” “No longer will we allow mental health to be treated as a stepchild in the health care system. Continue Reading
Several new, independent polls have Democrats leading in New Mexico’s presidential, U.S. Senate and 2nd Congressional District races. In the presidential race, two new polls show Democrat Barack Obama maintaining a lead over Republican John McCain. A Survey USA poll released Wednesday had Obama leading McCain by eight percentage points, 52 percent to 44 percent. That’s similar to the results of other recent polls. The survey of 689 likely voters was conducted Monday and Tuesday and has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points. Continue Reading
This article has been updated. Though the U.S. House reversed courses today and voted to approve the economic bailout bill, New Mexico’s two U.S. Senate candidates refused to switch sides and voted with the minority against it. The final vote was 263-171 in favor of passing the legislation, a huge shift from the 228-205 defeat of a prior version of the bill in the House on Monday. In the interim, hundreds of pages were added to the bill, including a number of tax breaks and Sen. Pete Domenici’s mental health parity legislation. Since it’s already been approved on a 74-25 vote by the Senate, the bill now heads to the president, who is expected to sign it. Continue Reading
New Mexico First is sponsoring congressional forums in each of the state’s three districts later this month, and is seeking people who are interested in participating in town-hall meetings to discuss issues they want the candidates to address and then question the candidates during the forums. The half-day, town-hall meetings will precede the live, televised forums at which those who participate in the forums will become the studio audiences and get the opportunity to question the candidates. To participate, people must be registered voters. To get more information and sign up, click here. Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Dinner will be provided to the participants between the meetings and candidate forums. The 2nd Congressional District forum will be held from 7-8 p.m. on Thursday at the KRWG-TV studio on the New Mexico State University campus in Las Cruces and broadcast live on all three public television stations in the state and several public radio stations. Continue Reading
Sitting in a restaurant in Las Cruces, Frank Gamboa became visibly upset when he watched Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden say during Thursday’s debate that he hasn’t heard of any differences between the policies of President Bush and those of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. “You haven’t been listening, you jerk,” Gamboa said aloud while he raised a fist in the air. Gamboa was among a handful of surrogates and others involved in McCain’s campaign who watched Thursday’s vice presidential debate at Uno Chicago Bar and Grill. The group was clearly pleased with Sarah Palin’s performance, and at many points some of them became upset with statements made by Biden. Gamboa, who was McCain’s roommate at the Naval Academy, said after the debate that he believed Palin was “clear and to the point” during the debate, while Biden’s responses to questions were meandering and angry. Continue Reading
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce doesn’t support the version of the economic bailout bill the House is scheduled to vote on later today. The Senate has already approved the reworked version of the measure the House rejected on Monday. Pearce voted against the previous version of the bill, and said in a news release sent late Thursday that he doesn’t see anything in the new version to change his vote.Pearce said there are some provisions in the new bill that are “praiseworthy,” but “the majority are unrelated to the financial crisis and add billions in wasteful pork projects and payoffs to special interests.” “Even though I understand influential groups have urged support for the bill, the American people have this one exactly right. Constituents calling my office have overwhelmingly opposed the bill,” Pearce said. “Unless I can find a reason that is not currently included in the present version of the bill, I will vote to protect average Americans by opposing this outrageous big-government intrusion into the market system.” Congressional leaders are struggling to change the votes of at least 12 members of the House who voted against the bailout on Monday. Continue Reading