Democracy for New Mexico

(Updated) Sen. Jeff Bingaman Endorses Obama

UPDATE: As reported in WaPo's The Trail, Obama has now moved ahead of Clinton in terms of support from U.S. Senators, 14-13, due to Sen. Bingaman's endorsement. Obama will also receive the vote of Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), who hasn't officially endorsed him but said he'll support Obama at the convention in deference to his state's voters. Clinton has a similar pledge from Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. The article contains a list of Senators who have endorsed each candidate.
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Fabulous news. Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator from New Mexico and superdelegate, endorsed Barack Obama for president today. Sen. Bingaman joins Gov. Bill Richardson and former Sen. Fred Harris among New Mexico's superdelegates who are backing Obama. Thank you Sen. Bingaman! Here's the statement:

Chicago, IL – Today, United States Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) endorsed Barack Obama for president, citing his ability to rise above the issues that divide us, end the war in Iraq, bring universal health care, and make America energy independent.

Senator Bingaman said, “Today, I am announcing my support for Barack Obama for president and declaring my intention to vote for him at the Democratic convention.

“Our nation faces a daunting number of critical challenges: reasserting America’s leadership in the world, meeting our needs for energy independence, addressing global warming, making healthcare accessible and affordable, positioning our economy to effectively compete globally, and extricating ourselves from the war in Iraq, to name a few.

“To make progress, we must rise above the partisanship and the issues that divide us to find common ground. We must move the country in a dramatically new direction.

“I strongly believe Barack Obama is best positioned to lead the nation in that new direction.”

Senator Obama said, “I’m grateful today to have Senator Bingaman’s support. Senator Bingaman has been speaking out in the United States Senate on some of the most pressing issues of our time – saving our environment, fighting global warming, and making America energy independent. Senator Bingaman has been an important advocate in the energy debate, and has served the people of New Mexico for decades, giving voice to the issues that matter to families across the state.  We are proud to have his support as we fight to bring about real change for families in New Mexico and across the country.”

Senator Jeff Bingaman is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He has served in the United State Senate since 1982, and previously served as New Mexico Attorney General. 

Technorati Tags:Barack Obama, Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico, endorsements, Democrats, superdelegates, Obama

NM-02: AFSCME Endorses McCamley

More good news (and more momentum) for Bill McCamley's campaign. Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) had endorsed his candidacy for US Congress in New Mexico’s Second Congressional District. AFSCME represents over 12,000 city, county, state, and university employees in New Mexico. AFSCME New Mexico’s Political Action Committee voted to endorse McCamley, citing his “great relationship with labor over the years.”

“Bill is going to do great things for Southern New Mexico,” said Committee Member Fred Marquez.  “We are going to work hard to make sure he is our next Representative in Washington.”

“I am thrilled to receive AFSCME’s support,” said McCamley. “I am committed to changing Washington to get results for the people of southern New Mexico, including the hard-working public servants that AFSCME represents.”

McCamley is a Doña Ana County Commissioner and was Executive Director of the New Mexico Rural Development Council.

McCamley recently won the Democratic Party’s Pre-Primary Convention for the Second Congressional District with 49% of the Convention delegates over his remaining opponent’s 36% in a tremendous show of strength.  Internal polling showed McCamley leading his opponent by over 20%.

He has previously been endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 7,000 New Mexico workers. 

Since declaring his candidacy in April, McCamley has put over 50,000 miles on his car – enough to circle the earth twice – traveling to every county in the district to listen to the concerns of constituents.  He has raised $350,000.

McCamley’s campaign website is www.billmccamley.com. No donation is too small to help NM-02's grassroots candidate. Just do it.

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, Las Cruces, New Mexico, NM-02, AFSCME, Democrats, primaries, endorsements

NM-01: More Muddled Monahan Mush

For someone who prides himself on being politically savvy, Monahan doesn't seem to have any idea who supports Martin Heinrich for Congress in NM-01. In his latest silly knock on Heinrich (and Obama) supporters, he gurgles forth the usual canned, cliched mush that often emanates from those who haven't dirtied their fingernails in decades and don't hang out with anyone who does:

ABQ Dem congressional candidate Martin Heinrich, already the love-child of the Chardonnay sippers and the left wing of his party, made a swerve to where the election will be decided when he interviewed for the Sunday Journal's candidate profiles. Said the former city councilor of his Missouri parents:

"(They're) middle class, blue collar. They were the people who took a shower when they came home from work at night, not before they went to work."

Heinrich can capture his party's nomination by consolidating the Obama liberals, but it is working class (read Reagan) Democrats who have kept the GOP in control of the ABQ seat for 40 years.

Come Out Into the Light
Hey Joe, you really ought to venture beyond the haunts of monied lobbyists and leaking lounge lizards to mingle with the people who are supporting Heinrich and other common sense, reform-minded Democratic candidates.

Hint, hint: it's people who work hard for a living, it's people who don't have lavish expense accounts, it's people who don't have health insurance, it's people who are nearing retirement without hundreds of thousands of dollars in 401Ks, it's people trying to save money from their stagnant paychecks for their children's education. I'm one of these people and I'm among these people most of the time. I don't see much Chardonnay sipping, but I do see a lot of fretful and worried faces because ordinary folks know they've been getting the shaft from Republicans, and Democrats who vote like Republicans, for a long, long time now. And unless we work to elect candidates who know what it's like to be at the mercy of the fat cats, nothing will change.

Martin Heinrich and the Chardonnay sippers?

Who's Really Supporting Heinrich & Other Dems?
In Democratic grassroots political circles, I see people struggling and juggling to make ends meet. I see people who still make a decent living, but who are bothered in their souls because so many no longer can. I see people who care about the community, the common good, the future of the American middle class and the planet itself. When the price of groceries rise and their paychecks don't, they suffer, immediately and personally. They're not out gossiping at expensive watering holes with those who've been profiting from the misery of others; they're walking door to door to try and bring economic fairness and opportunity for all back to the halls of Congress and our Legislature.

Mr. Monahan, I suggest you venture out into the real world and see for yourself. Visit Heinrich's campaign office and see who's volunteering. Visit a local Dem Party meeting and see who's attending. Stop in at a grassroots political Meetup or candidate forum and see who's devoting time out of their busy, work-filled lives to help rebuild a level playing field for ordinary Americans. Check out who's registering voters and making small donations and licking envelopes. You'll see lots of people who teach our kids, deliver our mail, answer the phones, pound the nails and visit our senior centers. Who you won't see much of are the wealthiest bank presidents, CEOs, real estate speculators and VP-types -- who sip the expensive stuff -- because they're backing the GOP candidates and the GOP cause. Everyone knows that. They like things just the way they are.

Working Class LABOR
You say that Repubs have retained control of CD1 because of support from the working class. You know that's not true. For instance, has Heather Wilson EVER had the support of the unions that represent working class people? Heinrich does. Here's a list of unions that are supporting his campaign so far:

• American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
• Albuquerque Federation of Teachers Local 1420
• Carpenters Local 1319
• Communications Workers of America (CWA)
• International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) Local 823
• Iron Workers Local 495
• Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 251
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 49
• United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1564
• United Transportation Union (UTU)

Are you saying that painters, carpenters, janitors, grocery store workers, iron workers, fire fighters, teachers and the other hard-working members of these unions are elitist "Chardonnay sippers" without a care in the world? I guess they all drive Volvos and down lattes too (not that there's anything wrong with that). Come on down to any grassroots Dem political gathering and check out the cars in the parking lot, Joe. They'll look a lot more beat up than the ones you're used to seeing at your Alligator-GOP-filled soirées where all the liberal bashing goes on. And you'll see a lot more bikes. And people who take the bus. I guarantee it.

Who's Really Working for Workers?
Real working people know that Heinrich and other Dems are working on their behalf because they've witnessed it in the real world. It wasn't Heather Wilson or the lobbying class or the monied GOP investor class or the Darren Whites of New Mexico who've been struggling against those who have the most to get the have-nots a raise in the minimum wage. It's been Democrats like Martin Heinrich and Eric Griego and Jerry Ortiz y Pino and Tom Udall and Dede Feldman and Mimi Stewart and Debbie O'Malley and Rey Garduno and many others who've been fighting the good fights for better wages, health care for all, improving education and creating blue and green collar jobs for the future. In case you haven't noticed.

Cut the Mush
So before you write another shallow analysis of who's backing whom, remember that the key positions of genuine Dems and our candidates are those of mainstream Americans, as shown in poll after poll after poll about values. It's your pals who lean in the hallways of the Roundhouse and hang out with you in the dark corners of expensive bistros who are the real elitists. Clearly, their mockery and yours is meant to keep the working and middle classes right where they are -- under the thumb of America's most selfish elements. Cut the mush.

And check out the facts about how working people have fared of late. You'll see who's really been sipping the expensive Chardonnay thanks to the Bush agenda -- a set of regressive and greed-based policies that have been backed enthusiastically by Heather Wilson, Steve Pearce, Darren White and just about every other candidate running on the right side of the aisle. Not us.

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NM-Sen: Wilson & Pearce Debate in Los Alamos

Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce faced off on Friday in Los Alamos as the two current members of Congress from New Mexico continued their often nasty battle to be the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate here. KRQE News 13 live-streamed the debate on its website and you can now view an archived video of the entire event here.

In her opening statement, Heather calls herself a "common sense conservative," citing the usual no taxes and for-the-family lines. She then rushes right into how she believes the family is the "fibre" of our nation. Well, except for GLBT families. She stresses in one of her first sentences how she's for marriage being reserved for "one man and one woman." You know the routine. How that's more "common sense" than Pearce's approach, I have no idea.

The two GOP candidates appear to be clones on most major issues. During the debate a major point of contention was who would be better at eternally increasing the nuclear weapons budget for Los Alamos National Labs while, at the same time, being against every other state's so-called "pork."

Wilson also deemed herself a "tough boot" for winning her past races in NM-01, perhaps to try and compensate for her strangely shaky voice during the debate, compared with Pearce's soft-talking but steadfast he-man routine.

On health care they both offered the weak, business as usual "market-based" prescriptions, although Pearce threw in the nugget that he believes health care savings accounts can cut the use of health care if you pile up some money in your account. Then, you'll be more likely to want to save it by taking an aspirin and nixing a trip to the emergency room. I'm not kidding.

I could go on, but why not view the video yourself (if you like to watch paint dry) or, better yet, read the Los Alamos blog The Bomb Town News Observer for an engaging first-hand account.

Technorati Tags:Steve Pearce, Heather Wilson, Republicans, Los Alamos, U.S. Senate, primaries, NM-Sen, nuclear weapons, LANL, debates

NM Dems Elect Final Unpledged Delegate and More; Clinton Camp Protests

DPNM Chair Brian Colon calls meeting to order

Click to see our complete photo album on this event at Flickr.

The State Central Committee of the Democratic Party of New Mexico met in Albuquerque yesterday at the Barcelona Suites to elect its add-on unpledged delegate to the DNC Convention, as well as its DNC Committeewoman and Committeeman who will represent NM Dems within the Democratic National Committee structure next year. Mary Gail Gwaltney easily beat Mary Helen Garcia to retain her Councilwoman position and incumbent Raymond Sanchez also kept his seat on the DNC, emerging victorious over challenger Bruce Barnaby. The SCC also unanimously approved the State Party's 2008 Platform.

Crowd stands for Pledge of Allegiance

Afterwards, the SCC members in attendance (no proxies allowed) split into separate caucuses for Obama and Clinton and selected a number of other pledged delegates to complete the New Mexico delegation. A total of 42 Dems, including four alternates, four Pledged Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) delegates, 11 unpledged or superdelegates and one unpledged add-on delegate, will be heading to Denver for the Party's Convention on August 25-28, 2008. I'll have a complete list of the delegates elected yesterday as soon as the DPNM releases the official list.

DPNM Executive Director Josh Geise

The Party had previously elected its Congressional District pledged delegates at its April 19 CD Conventions, an official listing of which you can see here.

Dominique Aragon, Benny Aragon, House Speaker Ben Lujan and wife

Clinton Camp Protests
Controversy erupted over the process used to elect the unpledged add-on delegate. The process is governed by the State Party's Delegate Selection Plan (DSP). The State Plan must conform to a number of requirements stipulated by the DNC and its Rules and Bylaws Committee, and be approved formally by both the SCC the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. New Mexico's DSP had been duly passed by the SCC, reviewed by the DNC, made to conform to all necessary DNC requirements and released publicly in its final form.

Sidebar discussion over add-on delegate voting rules

Regardless, several top-level Clinton supporters, including former State Party Chair John Wertheim and former Arizona State Party Chair and CD1 Clinton delegate Mark Fleisher, tried and failed to change the add-on delegate selection process midstream during yesterday's meeting.

The rules for electing the pledged add-on were clearly set out in the NM Delegate Selection Plan, and were summarized this way on the DPNM website:

This delegate will be nominated by the State Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee. The State Chair must nominate at least two names. The entire SCC will elect the unpledged add-on delegate.

No allowance for floor nomination of add-on delegate candidates is contained in the New Mexico DSP.

Clinton and Obama camp reps discuss add-on delegate election

Rumors had spread throughout the crowd early on that the Clinton camp might be mounting a challenge. Sure enough, Wertheim and Fleisher stepped to the microphone when the agenda item was announced to assert that additional nominations for the add-on delegate slot should be allowed from the floor. Despite being ruled out of order, they persisted in verbally protesting the way the process was structured. Much murmuring had been heard among Clinton supporters that the two nominees chosen by DPNM Chair Brian Colon might not really be undecided, and instead just might have been nominated because they were Obama supporters.

Some heated exchanges followed, including a contentious mini-caucus to the side of the podium between representatives of the Clinton and Obama camps. A call was also reportedly made to the DNC to double check the rules that applied to the process. Obama campaign reps in the discussion included State Rep. Al Park and Santa Fe attorney John Pound, both co-chairs of the Obama campaign here, and CD-3 Obama delegate Patsy Trujillo.

DPNM Chair Brian Colon

Laurie Weahkee Elected as Add-On Delegate
Ultimately, the challenge was ruled out of order and SCC members voted to elect Laurie Weahkee over Charlotte Little by a margin of 71 to 59. The two Native American women had been nominated by Colon to help fulfill the Party's goal of having a diverse delegation representatives of all segments of the Dem population in the state. Weahkee is a member of the Cochiti and Zuni Pueblos, and is also half Navajo; Little is a member of Taos and San Felipe Pueblos.

Meeting room as SCC members start to filter in.

As reported in the Albuquerque Journal,

Weahkee ... said she has yet to commit to either candidate, adding that Native American issues, including sovereignty and health care, are her top concerns. "My first loyalty is really to the Native American agenda. I'm really going to be listening to both candidates to find out what their positions are ... how hard they're willing to go to bat for the Native American people," Weahkee said.

Write-In Votes
Although there were more than 200 SCC members credentialed for the meeting, only 130 voted for either Weahkee or Little. The diminished vote totals were the result of Mark Fleisher grabbing the microphone after being ruled out of order and urging Clinton supporters to refuse to vote for either of the Colon nominees so that neither would receive a majority of SCC votes. He encouraged Clinton supporters to vote for a write-in candidate seen as being on Clinton's side, and some apparently did just that. The Clinton camp suggested they might attempt to challenge the selection method used to elect Weahkee as NM's final unpledged delegate, but no news has emerged yet regarding any action on that front.

New Mexico's superdelegates and their expressed candidate preferences are:

Governor Bill Richardson (Obama)
Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish (Clinton)
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (Undecided)
Congressman Tom Udall (Undecided)
DPNM Chairman Brian S. Colón (Undecided)
DPNM Vice Chairwoman Annadelle Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeeman Raymond G. Sanchez (Clinton)
DNC Committeewoman Mary Gail Gwaltney (Clinton)
DNC Committee Member Fred Harris (Obama)
DNC At-Large Member Mayor Martin Chavez (Clinton)
DNC At-Large Member Christine Trujillo (Clinton)

New Add-On At-Large Unpledged Delegate Laurie Weahkee (Undecided)

Obama table from above the action

You can see the split of pledged delegates awarded by Congressional District according to vote totals for each candidate in New Mexico's March 3rd Presidential Preference Caucus here.

Click on photos for larger images. All photos by M.E. Broderick. See our complete album of photos from this event at Flickr.

Technorati Tags:Democratic Party of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, presidential caucus, Democrats, Brian Colon, John Wertheim, Mark Fleisher, Democratic National Committee, DNC, Mary Gail Gwaltney, Raymond Sanchez , John Pound, Al Park

NM-03: Sierra Club Endorses Luján

From Luján for Congress:
The national Sierra Club and the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club have jointly announced that they are endorsing Public Regulation Commissioner and U.S. Congressional candidate Ben R. Luján.

The Sierra Club joins the national League of Conservation Voters and Conservation Voters New Mexico as major environmental organizations recognizing Luján’s outstanding environmental record and commitment to fighting global warming.

“We are very pleased to announce today that the Sierra Club officially endorses Ben Ray Lujan for election to the United States Congress,” said Susan Martin, Chair of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club. “In his excellent record as Chairman of the Public Regulation Commission he has shown himself to be a strong environmental leader, and we are confident he will continue to work to protect our environment, our families and our future.”

“Commissioner Ben R. Lujan has demonstrated bold leadership at the PRC that has made New Mexico a leader in addressing global warming and protected New Mexicans from high fossil-fuel prices,” said Tom Robey, political chair of the Rio Grande Chapter.

Along with the endorsement, the Sierra Club will lend its volunteer strength to Lujan’s campaign.

“I am honored to have the Sierra Club’s endorsement. In Congress, I will continue to stand up for New Mexico and our values,” Luján said. “New Mexico has already experienced millions of dollars in renewable-energy development through our Renewable Portfolio Standards. As a nation we must fuel economic development and create jobs by making a serious commitment to a major transition of our energy structure.” 

Under Luján’s leadership as chairman, the PRC implemented some of the highest renewable-energy requirements in the nation -- utilities must provide 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Luján fought to pass those standards in the Legislature.

Luján also joined leaders of utility commissions in California, Oregon and Washington state in forming the Joint Action Framework on Climate Change to take regional action to fight global warming.

In addition to raising net-metering limits to increase incentives for individuals and businesses to generate their own clean energy, Lujan pushed for PRC requirements for utilities to diversify their renewable-energy portfolio and develop more solar and other clean sources of energy, encouraging creation of green-collar jobs in New Mexico

“Having been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, Conservation Voters New Mexico and now the Sierra Club’s national and regional chapters is a responsibility I take very seriously,” said Luján. “New Mexicans value our great outdoors, and in Congress I will fight to protect our wild lands, curb global warming and make America energy-independent.”

Ben R. Luján is a New Mexico Public Regulation commissioner and past PRC chairman who is running for U.S. Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd District. He has been a leading proponent of renewable-energy development and advocate for consumers’ rights and improved access to health care.

Technorati Tags:Ben R. Lujan, NM-03, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sierra Club, Democrats, U.S. House, primaries

4/30: Reception in Support of Judge Clyde DeMersseman

The Committee to Keep Judge DeMersseman will be celebrating the Judge's recent endorsements by the Albuquerque Area Firefighters (Local 244) and AFSMCE (American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees) at a reception in support of his retention as Metropolitan Court Judge on April 30, 2008 in Albuquerque. See FLYER (doc) for more information.

Meet & Mingle Events: Tim Keller for State Senator

Upcoming ‘Meet and Mingles’ in support of TIM KELLER, Democrat State Senate Candidate in Albuquerque's District 17 are set for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 29th and 30th. Click for FLYER (pdf) with more information about the events, including directions.

DFA-Democracy for New Mexico has endorsed Tim Keller for State Senate. Please do what you can to support his candidacy whether you live in his district or not. We need to help elect more and better Dems regardless of district if we want the NM Legislature to pass a progressive agenda.

NM Cover the Uninsured Events Scheduled for April & May

From ACI: As part of Cover the Uninsured Week, the Association of Commerce and Industry is sponsoring an Employers’ Health Coverage Symposium to look at how the business community can help be part of the solution for health coverage for the uninsured. The Employers’ Health Symposium will focus on public and private options available for employers with a panel of national and state experts as well as New Mexico businesses that are successfully using the State Coverage Insurance program. We'd like to invite you to attend this important meeting.

EMPLOYER HEALTH COVERAGE SYMPOSIUM
Monday, April 28, 2-4:00 PM
CNM Workforce Training Center
5600 Eagle Rock Ave. NE, ABQ
Please RSVP to Robin at 505-250-3105 or robinhunn@comcast.net

Click for FLYER (doc) with info on additional Cover the Insured events in April and May, including a AARP Town Hall Forum on Health Care Issues on April 29 at 9:30-11 AM at Hotel Albuquerque.

Cover the Uninsured Week is a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to raise awareness about the 47 million Americans without health insurance and to help get people coverage. Over 400,000 New Mexicans don’t have health insurance—the 2nd worst rate in the U.S. Most of these people are eligible for state programs but not signed up. Cover the Uninsured New Mexico wants to let people know about options for health insurance coverage and will be holding events throughout April and May.

Cover the Uninsured Week New Mexico is sponsored by: AARP New Mexico, Association of Commerce and Industry, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Mexico, Con Alma Health Foundation, Health Action New Mexico, Lovelace Health System, Molina Healthcare, New Mexico Hospital Association, and Presbyterian Healthcare Services.

Technorati Tags:Cover the Uninsured, New Mexico, town halls, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Cover the Uninsured Week, symposiums

NM-03: Wiviott Hosts Santa Fe Earth Week Celebration Tonight

From Wiviott for Congress:
Gas prices are soaring to record highs and big oil is raking in record profits. Global climate change is threatening our way of life. And, the thirst for oil is creating instability across the world. Now, more than ever, it's time to break our addiction to foreign oil and move America toward energy independence.

On this Earth Week, we remember just how fragile our planet really is. Today, I'm hosting an Earth Day Celebration and barbecue to meet with northern New Mexicans and discuss the future of our environment. The campaign will be providing free food and beverages for people who come to the event. I hope that you'll join us.

• Where? Monica Lucero Park, Santa Fe
• When? 5:30 PM, today, Friday, April 25th
• Directions: From Rodeo Road, turn North on Camino Carlos Rey, turn Left on Bellamah Drive which will end in a T at Monica Lucero Park
• RSVP ONLINE

As a green builder and a lifelong environmentalist, I know that economic growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand. And, that's why I'm committed to harnessing the power of American innovation to build the clean energy technologies of the future. My plan to break our addiction to foreign oil and move America toward energy independence is as follows:

• Mandate Substantial Renewable Energy Standards. Ensure that utilities are providing a percentage of their energy from wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.
• Hold Oil Companies Accountable for Price Gouging. Provide proper oversight to big oil companies and their CEO's to make sure they don't make record profits off the backs of average Americans. Also, stop giving them billions in tax breaks and start using those funds to invest in renewable energy.
• Lower Long-Term Carbon Emissions. Begin using systems like Cap and Trade to provide incentives for heavy polluters to lower their carbon emissions.

In Congress, I will be an effective advocate for a bold solution to move America toward energy independence - because I know the clean energy industry. Given my experience building an environmentally friendly company, I know the right mix of incentive and regulation that we need to successfully move America toward energy independence. I hope you'll give me the chance to put my experience to work for you and become a national leader in the drive to break America's addiction to foreign oil!

Sincerely,
Don Wiviott
www.donfornewmexico.com

Technorati Tags:Don Wiviott, NM-03, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Earth Day, environment, green energy, Democrats, primaries