Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Blue America Welcomes Heinrich at FDL Live Blog

Join in at Firedoglake today starting at Noon Mountain time. Martin Heinrich's campaign released a new video today, which highlights his commitment to middle class issues like creating jobs and improving our economy.

NM-Sen: Albuquerque Journal Fails to Report SUSA Poll Numbers for Udall

Now there's one more reason to question the fairness of the Albuquerque Journal. In today's Political Update section, the newspaper reported the statistical tie between Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson, the GOP primary candidates in the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, in the recent SurveyUSA poll. However, I guess they don't think that SUSA results from the same day showing Tom Udall beating both Wilson and Pearce by about 25 points are of interest to their readers because they failed to report those numbers. Just an oversight, I'm sure.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Journal also chooses to ignore the results from a new 5/14 Rasmussen poll of likely voters that shows:

Tom Udall (D): 53 (54)
Steve Pearce (R): 37 (40)

Tom Udall (D): 57 (56)
Heather Wilson (R): 36 (36)

(4/8 Rasmussen results in parentheses)

Technorati Tags:Tom Udall, Steve Pearce, Heather Wilson, NM-Sen, New Mexico, Rasmussen, SurveyUSA, Albuquerque Journal

5/22: East Mountain Ward Hosts Dem Candidate Forum

From Ron Humphreys, Ward Chair: Ward 20C, which includes many  parts of the Bernalillo County East Mountain area southeast, from Carnuel to Chilili, will be having a forum to allow the candidates for office to express their qualifications. Lt. Gov. Diane Denish will lead off the meeting. The meeting will be held at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras, (1/4 mile west of the stop light), from 6:30-9:30 PM on Thursday, May 22nd.

Invited and expected to attend are the Dem Congressional candidates for CD-1, the Bernalillo County Dem candidates for Clerk and Treasurer, the Dem candidate for Senate District 19 and various candidates for the Judiciary in Bernalillo County. All invited speakers are Democrats, but the meeting is open to the general public, and all are welcome and invited to attend.

Quote of the Day: Huckabee Jokes About Gun Aimed at Obama

I wish I were kidding, but I'm not. Not that this is something to kid about anyway, given the toxic nature of too many right-wing extremists stirred up by the likes of smiley Huckabee and his ilk. I guess nothing's off limits in the prez campaign now that Bush himself has compared Obama and the Dems to Nazi appeasers while speaking to the Knesset in Israel.

From the CNN Political Ticker:

During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee — who has endorsed presumptive GOP nominee John McCain — joked that an unexpected offstage noise was Democrat Barack Obama looking to avoid a gunman.

“That was Barack Obama, he just tripped off a chair, he's getting ready to speak,” said the former Arkansas governor, to audience laughter. “Somebody aimed a gun at him and he dove for the floor.”

Technorati Tags:Mike Huckabee, NRA, National Rifle Association, Barack Obama

NM-Sen: Check New Udall Website and Join the Udall Canvass This Saturday

It's been a long time comin' but it's finally here. Check out the new and improved Tom Udall for Senate campaign website and blog. Fresh, clean, interactive, more widgets and feaures on the way.

Next, consider participating in the campaign's big Canvass Day tomorrow, May 17, held in conjunction with the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Assemble at 10:00 AM at the Udall Campaign Office at 3311 Candelaria NE, Suite A, in Albuquerque (map). Call Andrew Marshal at 505.884.3055 to RSVP or learn more. There'll be coffee and AM munchies to help you prime your pump.

Internet Director Steve Olson and Online Communications Manager Bryan Barash -- the campaign's friendly, neighborhood web team (as they describe themselves) -- will be heading out tomorrow too, so remember to smile for the video camera while you knock on those doors. Mary Ellen and I will be there too, so come on down and join us if you can. You know it's always invigorating to be among a bunch of Dems working for change. This year, the energy is percolating stronger than I've ever felt it. Come and see for yourself.

Also recommended: check out NM FBIHOP's with Udall's internet team for a humorous (corny look at what's up at TomUdall.com.

NM-01: NEA Endorses Heinrich

From Martin Heinrich for Congress: Today, the National Education Association (NEA) announced their support for Martin Heinrich. The NEA is the 14th major union to support Martin Heinrich's candidacy. No other First Congressional District candidate has received a union endorsement.

The NEA is the third major teacher's organization to endorse Martin's candidacy. The Albuquerque Federation of Teachers Local 1420 and the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico previously endorsed Martin Heinrich.

"From my experience working with kids at the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation, I know first hand how a quality public education can enhance a child's life and create opportunities that might not otherwise be available." said Martin Heinrich. "We must make sure our teachers have the resources they need to open doors and create opportunities for all of New Mexico's children."

The NEA represents 3.2 million teachers nationwide.

DFA-Democracy for New Mexico has endorsed Martin Heinrich for Congress. Please do what you can to support his campaign in New Mexico's First Congressional District.

Technorati Tags:Martin Heinrich, NM-01, National Education Association, NEA, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Democrats, primaries

NM-Sen: New SUSA Poll Shows Pearce (Barely) Winning Primary, Udall Winning Senate Seat vs. Either Opponent

Results are in from a new SurveyUSA Poll conducted for KOB-TV in Albuquerque. With 18 days left in the U.S. Senate primary race, the polling shows:

GOP Primary
Steve Pearce 49%
Heather Wilson 46%

With a margin of error of 4.8% for the poll (rather high), Pearce and Wilson are in a statistical tie for the GOP nomination. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released six months ago, Pearce is up 12 points while Wilson is down 10 points. Among conservatives, Pearce leads by 14; among moderates, Wilson leads by 17. Among men, Pearce, leads by 11; among women, Wilson leads by 5 -- a 16 point gender gap.

Among voters age 18 to 49, Pearce leads by 9; among voters 50+, Pearce and Wilson tie. Among whites, Pearce and Wilson tie; among Hispanics, Pearce leads by 16. Wilson leads by 25 points in Bernalillo County, where Albuquerque is located; Pearce leads by 22 points in the rest of the state. SurveyUSA estimates that 40% of Republican voters will come from Bernalillo County. The larger the turnout from that county, the better Wilson does.

General Election
Udall 60%, Pearce 36%
Udall 61%, Wilson 35%

In a hypothetical General Election for U.S. Senator from New Mexico 25 weeks to the vote, Democrat Tom Udall defeats either Republican Pearce or Republican Wilson by a nearly identical margin. Udall leads among both men and women, young and old, white and Hispanic, regardless of opponent. 1 in 4 Republicans cross over and vote Democrat; 1 in 10 Democrats cross over to vote Republican.

Another point to consider is that undecided voters in the general election polling were in the 3-4 percent range, showing that a large majority of those polled already know the candidates and have made up their minds early. It should be a difficult task for either Pearce of Wilson to significantly dig into Udall's large lead.

Filtering: 2,200 New Mexico adults were interviewed by SurveyUSA 05/12/08 through 05/14/08. Of them, 1,827 were registered to vote. Of them, 439 were determined by SurveyUSA to be likely to vote in the Republican Primary. These likely Primary voters were included in the Primary Poll portion of the questionnaire. General Election hypothetical match-ups were asked of all registered voters.

Dig In
has a nice summary of data about New Mexico and this Senate seat past and present. They now show this Senate race as Leaning Democratic.

Technorati Tags:Tom Udall, Steve Pearce, Heather Wilson, NM-Sen, SurveyUSA, polling, primaries, U.S. Senate, New Mexico

NM-02: McCamley's First TV Ad Knocks Special Interest Gravy Train

Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that his first television ad would begin airing in the Albuquerque media market today (see video above). Titled “Gravy Train,” the ad focuses on Washington’s failure to defend the middle class against special interests.

I really like the ad because it shows McCamley's enthusiasm and genuine emotion about the issues, something anyone who's seen McCamley speak live can certainly attest to. I also think it draws a powerful distinction between McCamley's grassroots-powered campaign, built on small donations and dedicated volunteers, and his rival Harry Teague's top-down, big donor, insider campaign. The majority of Teague's funding has come from his own pocket -- or from wealthy oil and gas interests -- to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Unfortunately, Teague has refused to debate McCamley during the final weeks of the primary race, perhaps because Teague reportedly did so poorly at a recent candidate forum. I guess he thinks his generously funded ad campaign will suffice. I hope he's wrong and that voters see this race for what it really is.

“There is a special interest gravy train in Washington, DC,” McCamley says in the ad. “Money from big oil and drug companies comes in one door, and taxpayer giveaways go right out the other.”

“This ad not only highlights why Bill is running, it clearly shows the passion and energy that he is going to bring to the general election and to Washington in January,” said McCamley campaign spokesman Mike Ward. “Voters want to see a candidate who stands up for them against the special interests, and this ad focuses on how Bill will do just that.”

The ad was produced by Fletcher Rowley Chao and Riddle, which also created the television ads for Travis Childers, the Democrat who defeated Greg Davis in Tuesday’s special election in rural Mississippi. The district is a reliably conservative district that President Bush won by 25 points.

Help Keep the Ad on the Air
If you like the ad and want to help more people see it, please consider making a contribution to the campaign. With only a few weeks left, they need to find every penny they can to get their message out. You can contribute quickly and securely online by clicking here or by sending a check made out to "Bill McCamley for Congress" to: Bill McCamley for Congress, PO Box 6552, Las Cruces, NM 88006.

E-Card: Another Way to Help
Gotta love this: The McCamley campaign sent out a piece of mail last week that highlights how Bill is different from so many politicians these days. Thanks to their web designer, you can now see it as an "e-card" and send it on to your friends. Just click this sentence to see it.  (You must have Adobe Flash Player on your computer.)

Endorsements
Within the last three weeks, McCamley has been endorsed by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents over 12,000 city, county, state, and university employees in New Mexico, by the Sierra Club, and by Al Kissling, the 2006 Democratic nominee for the District.  McCamley was previously endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 7,000 New Mexico workers. He has also been endorsed by numerous present and former Democratic officials in New Mexico’s Second District (see www.billmccamley.com for more information).

McCamley is a Doña Ana County Commissioner and former Executive Director of the New Mexico Rural Development Response Council.  He 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 has shown McCamley leading his opponent by over 20%.

McCamley’s campaign website is www.billmccamley.com.

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, NM-02, Democrats, political ads, primaries, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Fletcher Rowley Chao and Riddle, Travis Childers

Dem Party of Bernalillo County Picnic Set for May 24

The Democratic Party of Bernalillo County
would like to invite you to a

DEMOCRATIC PICNIC

Saturday May 24, 2008, Noon - 4:00 PM
at the
Spanish Village, EXPO NM
300 San Pedro Drive NE, Albuquerque

FREE FOOD, FUN & MUSIC!

Music will be provided by
Supreme Court Justice Charlie Daniels
and Judge William Parnall

Click for FLYER - Pass It On

Everyone Welcome
Invite Your Friends, Neighbors & Family

Reminder: Progressives for Tim Keller Tonight

Progressive fundraiser for Tim Keller for Senate in District 17 tonight from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Click for FLYER. If you need more reasons to actively support a real progressive Dem who's running against an entrenched and ethically challenged incumbent, read this. I mean it. No matter which Senate District you reside in, now's the time to step up and help create a responsive Legislature.