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Well-known fundraiser to manage White’s campaign

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Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White has hired a well-known fundraiser to manage his 2008 congressional campaign. Sara Lister was U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s head fundraiser for many years and was the deputy director of President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign in New Mexico. She has agreed to manage White’s campaign, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. The move is critical for White’s bid. With the scramble resulting from Domenici’s retirement, and the number of primary races that are developing, the talent is being snatched up quickly and the money is certain dry up fast. Continue Reading

Heinrich raises $137,000 in third quarter

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Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich announced today that he raised $137,000 in the third quarter of 2007 for his congressional run. Heinrich raised $318,127 between April and September. He had $217,000 on hand at the end of September, according to the news release from his campaign. “The willingness of so many individuals to invest in this campaign is a sign of just how many people are anxious for change,” Heinrich said in the release. “The groundswell of support I have received over the past six months is further evidence of just how tired people are of the failed policies of this Republican administration, and they know that I am the candidate who will go to Washington and focus on the right priorities.” Heinrich is facing some serious competition as he battles to become Central New Mexico’s next congressman. Continue Reading

Grisham formally enters congressional race

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Former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham formally announced today her run for the First Congressional District seat being vacated next year by Rep. Heather Wilson. Grisham had already confirmed she was running. She’ll have to face Martin Heinrich and Jon Adams in a Democratic primary, and Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White is running on the GOP side. Other Democrats and Republicans are also considering entering the race. “You need someone who will fight for you in Congress, and I’m that person,” Grisham said in an interview with the Associated Press. Continue Reading

Four legislators sign letter to AG on NMSU Foundation

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Four state lawmakers have made good on their pledge to ask the attorney general for an opinion on whether the New Mexico State University Foundation can legally keep information about its donors secret. Reps. Nate Cote, Mary Helen Garcia and Jeff Steinborn and Sen. Mary Kay Papen, all from Las Cruces, signed the letter seeking a legal opinion, which was sent to the attorney general several days ago. You can read the entire letter by clicking here. The lawmakers don’t take a stand in the letter on whether the records should be public, but point out that there has been some concern about the foundation’s refusal to release such records and that the question has been raised in a number of states, with some courts determining that such records are public and others determining that they are not. Continue Reading

Pearce beats Wilson in third-quarter fundraising

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., raised $251,000 in the third quarter of 2007 – more than U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and most likely more than either of the Democratic opponents running for his congressional seat. The strong effort brings Pearce’s on-hand cash at the end of the third quarter to more than $582,000 and indicates that he might be able to keep up with Wilson in a potential Senate primary. Though Wilson has put together some strong support in recent days for her run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici next year, the case for Pearce is bolstered by a recent SurveyUSA poll that found that he is stronger statewide against potential Democratic opponents than Wilson. Pearce’s is the first third-quarter fundraising report for any New Mexico candidate to be filed publicly. Candidates must file them by Monday. Continue Reading

VP to hold fundraiser for Wilson’s Senate campaign

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Vice President Dick Cheney has agreed to take part in a fundraiser next month for U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson’s Senate campaign, another move that makes the road more difficult for U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, should he decide to challenge her in a GOP primary. Cheney will be the special guest at a fundraiser for the congresswoman’s Senate bid in Washington in mid-November, a knowledgeable source confirmed. Details are forthcoming. Cheney is the second high-profile conservative Republican to agree to hold a fundraiser for Wilson. U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has also agreed to hold an event for Wilson later this year. Continue Reading

McCamley gets endorsements from Cervantes’ peers

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Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced Wednesday evening four high-profile endorsements in his bid for the Second Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M. Most striking is the fact that three of the endorsements come from Democratic colleagues of state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, all of them from Doña Ana County. Cervantes is expected to get in the race if Pearce decides to run for Senate next year instead of seeking re-election. In endorsing McCamley, a Democrat, Reps. Nate Cote and Antonio Lujan of Las Cruces and Andy Nuñez of Hatch, along with Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones of Sierra County, stated in a news release that McCamley “is exactly the kind of representative we need in Washington, and we will work to help him get there.” “We’ve seen the results he has achieved for his constituents as a Doña Ana County commissioner, and we’re looking forward to seeing him do even better in Washington, D.C.,” the officials stated in the release from McCamley’s campaign. “This election is all about bringing fresh ideas, new energy and a focus on results to Congress, and that’s just what we expect from Commissioner McCamley.” The legislative endorsements come from half of Cervantes’ colleagues in the House from his own county, and those lawmakers know as well as anyone paying attention to politics in Southern New Mexico that Cervantes is watching closely to see whether Pearce leaves his House seat to run for Senate. Continue Reading

Wirth to run for Senate seat Grubesic is vacating

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State Rep. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, has announced that he will seek the state Senate seat being vacated next year by Democrat John Grubesic. Wirth, 45, made the announcement in a news release. His House seat is also up for grabs next year, and Wirth’s decision makes it an open seat. “My service in the Legislature to date is an honor and privilege, and I thank my constituents for all their support,” he said. “Moving to the Senate with a slightly larger district will provide an even better position from which to serve my current constituents and the greater Santa Fe community. Continue Reading

White makes run official; Grisham says she’s running

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Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White made official today his run for the First Congressional District seat being vacated next year by Rep. Heather Wilson, and former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham said she’ll formally announce on Thursday that she’s also running. White is the only Republican who has entered the race, but Grisham will have to face Martin Heinrich and Jon Adams in a Democratic primary. Other Democrats and Republicans are also considering entering the race. In announcing his candidacy at a news conference today in Albuquerque, White said many elected officials – Democrat and Republican – have broken the public’s trust. “We deserve better, and I will continue to call things the way I see them and criticize mistakes no matter which party makes them,” White said. Continue Reading

Wilson shoring up support as Pearce considers race

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As U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce considers whether to run for Senate, Rep. Heather Wilson, who has already entered the race, is building support that will make the road more difficult for Pearce if he decides to challenge her in a GOP primary. A source with the Wilson campaign confirmed this evening that U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has agreed to hold a fundraiser for Wilson sometime this year. In addition, two consultants that have worked for the congressional campaigns of Wilson and Pearce have informed both that they will work for Wilson’s senatorial campaign. If Pearce decides to get into the Senate race, the two firms will not work for him, the source said. Pearce is the more conservative of the two members of Congress, and the source said the Hastert fundraiser is significant “because Speaker Hastert is one of the most prominent conservative Republican elected officials in the United States.” In addition, the two firms that work on fundraising, direct mail and telemarketing are well-known and influential, and their loss has to be a blow to a potential Pearce senatorial campaign. Continue Reading

Municipal election candidates square off at forum

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There was some sparring and a lot of discussion of serious issues at Tuesday’s forum involving 13 candidates running for City of Las Cruces offices in the upcoming Nov. 6 election. The forum got off to an interesting start during opening remarks when Melissa Miller-Byrnes, the presiding judge of the Las Cruces Municipal Court, questioned whether her challenger could be impartial because he was a police officer for 20 years. She also pointed out that he has been an attorney for only two years. “Will he be fair? Continue Reading

Park decides against running for Congress

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State Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, has decided against running for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson next year. Park said in an interview today that the decision is the same as the one he made six months ago, when he considered and decided against challenging Wilson. He and his wife just celebrated their two-year anniversary and want to have children. “I’ve always promised family would come first,” Park said. He said he has received lots of positive and encouraging feedback since announcing several days ago that he was considering the race. Continue Reading

Guv shifts focus of Iraq plan, accused of flip-flop

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Is Gov. Bill Richardson flip-flopping on Iraq? As his presidential campaign continues to stagnate and may actually be losing ground in polls, Richardson is being accused by another Democratic presidential hopeful of doing just that. In comments published Tuesday in the Concord Monitor, Richardson campaign spokesman Tom Reynolds de-emphasized the assertion Richardson has made the focus of his campaign in recent weeks that a complete American troop withdrawal from Iraq would take somewhere between six and eight months. “The timeline is less important than the end goal and the end result of withdrawing all troops from Iraq and leaving no forces behind,” Reynolds told the newspaper. “You cannot truly end the war and leave residual troops behind.” The comments come days after the Richardson campaign’s co-chair in South Carolina quit because, he said, Richardson’s timeline is not achievable. Continue Reading

County delays collection of spaceport tax

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The Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners voted today to delay collection of the spaceport tax until at least July because no other government has joined the county in creating a regional spaceport district that is required before the money can be spent. The decision was unanimous to delay collection of the tax, which was originally scheduled to begin on Jan. 1. Commissioners in Sierra and Otero counties have said they plan to schedule elections on possible gross receipts tax increases to help fund Spaceport America, but neither has done it. Approval of the tax in either county would mean the district is created and money that’s collected in all counties where the tax has been approved can be spent. Continue Reading