Democracy for New Mexico

"Progressive Bloggers" Respond to Marty Chavez Reachout

I haven't written about my participation in a Tuesday "progressive bloggers" conference call with Marty Chavez, who's running for the Dem Senate nomination in New Mexico. There are two reasons:

1) I didn't think there was much that was newsworthy in the conversation other than the fact that Chavez, who had recently labeled Rep. Tom Udall "too far to the left" when he thought it might be politically helpful, couldn't manage to come up with any political differences between himself and Udall now that he was talking to a total of two "progressive bloggers" on the phone. I did add what I learned about the recent polling data leaked by the Chavez campaign to an earlier post.

2) My partner is going through health care hoops right now and I've been right there with her and not really concentrating much on mundane political matters.

Who Did Write About the Call?
In finally catching up some with the local scene, I noticed that Heath Haussamen and Steve Terrell -- neither of whom characterizes themselves as "progressive bloggers" -- both wrote about the call. Funny how that works. I had no idea the call may have been silently "monitored" by members of the local "neutral journalist" contingent. I surmised that Heath was on the call only because he said this in his post:

There was clearly some awkwardness about the conversation, but the bloggers also sounded genuinely happy to have such access to Chavez. Since he's currently the only big-name Democrat in the Senate race, progressives have no choice but to give Chavez a serious look.

Well, we do have another choice in the form of Don Wiviott, who's been reaching out to the grassroots in ways much more personal and sincere than an "official" blogger conference call. But that's a story for another day.

I don't know if Terrell was on the call or not, but he wrote an article for the New Mexican that characterized the call with Marjorie and I as a kind of stealth operation to snooker progressives, and he congratulated Chavez's paid web consultant for a "score."

Even though people on the call were asked to introduce themselves, only Marjorie from m-pyre and I did so, in addition to the Mayor and his web consultant. Therefore I'm not sure if Heath and Steve were just fed the angles on the stories they wrote or if they were actually on the call secretly or what. I know the world of "journalism" is in another, more exalted realm than that inhabited by naive, easily fooled "progressive bloggers" so it's hard to know for sure.

Wasn't Fooled Again
At any rate, I'll just say that I, for one, wasn't really "genuinely happy to have such access" to Chavez. I mean, it was OK, but I certainly wasn't unaware of why Chavez was suddenly "reaching out" to progressives. He needs the support of progressives and core Democrats to win. When he figured he didn't -- in his mayoral runs -- he never expressed one iota of interest in reaching out to us. As anyone following politics here knows, Chavez is a politician through and through. He does and says what he thinks he has to do or say to win. Period. Of course that's true of most politicos, which is why we need a an activist progressive movement in the first place. It's hard to find truth on the campaign trail or the halls of the "leaders."

And surely it's well known that Chavez hasn't exactly been popular with many progressives and party regulars, for a multitude of reasons. Mostly because of rather disturbing incidents we've witnessed or been a part of, as well as some of the decidedly Republican-lite or expedient positions he's taken over the years. A phone call isn't going to fix that, despite what hired web guns may think, whether they're "macaca" incident vets or not.

I'll have more to say soon about all this, but I have to go now and take care of some other things in my life. In the meantime, go read what Marjorie at m-pyre posted today about the call with Chavez. She IS a progressive blogger and she WAS on the call and she DID ask a number of pointed questions of Chavez after introducing herself on the call.

PS: Contrary to what the Blackstone guy said about the call in Terrell's article, there was no way that "about a dozen" progressive bloggers participated. I count two.

For our previous posts about the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

(Updated) Chavez for Senate Releases Selective Poll Results

UPDATE 10.31.07: Yesterday, I asked Mayor Chavez about this polling during a conference call initiated by his campaign to reach out to progressive bloggers. He said the poll was done on behalf of Patricia Madrid (who paid for it) when she was considering entering the race. He said his campaign purchased only certain segments of the results, and that they weren't yet in possession of all the data they had purchased. Chavez also reported that Steve Pearce had not announced his entry into the Senate race when the polling was done. The Chavez campaign is considering sharing more of the data when it becomes available.
*************
According to a short post today on Political Wire:

A Lake Reseach (D) poll conducted for the U.S. Senate campaign of Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez (D) showed him narrowly beating Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in a hypothetical Senate matchup, according to Roll Call. The survey found Chavez edging Wilson, 41% to 40%, with 19% undecided. Key finding for Democrats: "The poll found Chavez leading Wilson among independent voters 48% to 30%."

Celinda Lake of Lake Research is the Chavez campaign's polling consultant (see our previous post), so even these selective data should be taken with a grain of salt. But the real question is why the complete polling results haven't been released. It would be useful, for instance, to examine the methodology and questions used in the survey to determine their fairness. What was the margin of error? How many people were polled? Were they registered voters? What were the party affiliation and other demographics of the samples queried?

I'd also like to know if polling was done on a Chavez run against Steve Pearce, the other Repub candidate in the race who showed better numbers than Wilson in a recent SurveyUSA poll. What were the percentages of Democrats and Republicans who indicated their support for Chavez? If he's beating Wilson so badly among independents and since Republicans make up less than 40% of the electorate, what does this say about how he's doing with Dems?

I think it's less than transparent to release only selective numbers from what appears to be a campaign-funded poll that's already subject to political shading. Mayor Chavez -- how about releasing the complete results so we can see for ourselves what's going on in the race? It's the right thing to do.

I'll be participating in a conference call this afternoon with Mayor Chavez so I'll try to get a question in about releasing the results of the Lake Research poll and report later on what I learn.

You can see our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico by visiting our archive.

Whos' Really on the Marty Chavez for Senate Finance Committee?

With all the "confusion" bubbling up around the Marty Chavez for Senate primary campaign regarding who is or is not a member of his finance committee, I thought I'd recap the inconsistent record that emerged late last week. It begins on Thursday, October 23, 2007:

1) Thursday's Roll Call article reports that the Chavez campaign is reporting that Marty's campaign finance committee includes Paul Blanchard, Johnny Cope and Javier Gonzales, among others.

2) Chavez is interviewed by Las Cruces blogger/journalist Heath Haussamen on Thursday afternoon and says that Blanchard and Cope are on his finance committee.

3) At 4:18 PM on Thursday, the Chavez campaign distributes a press release (pdf) that does not have Johnny Cope's name included in the listing of those serving on his finance committee.

4) The next day, Friday, Haussamen quotes Javier Gonzales saying he is not on the Chavez finance committee:

“I’m not a member of his committee. I notified his campaign staff of that yesterday afternoon but also notified them that I would continue to help the mayor raise money,” he said. “… What I have agreed to do is raise Marty money, as I have agreed to raise money for other Democrats, including contributions I’ve given to Don Wiviott (one of Chávez’s opponents in the Senate Democratic primary).”

5) On the same day, Friday, Paul Blanchard is asked by Heath Haussamen if he's on Chavez's finance committee and he answers "no comment."

6) Also on Friday, a Chavez spokesman says that Johnny Cope "will" be on the finance committee, according to an article by Steve Terrell published Saturday in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

7) In the same New Mexican article, Javier Gonzales goes on the record as not being a member of the Chavez team, and Marty Chavez is forced to confirm that:

Meanwhile, one person who was listed as a member of Chávez's finance team, former Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales, said his name should not have been listed on the news release.

Chavez "called me a couple of days ago. I told him I'd help him raise money. I help a lot of Democrats raise money. I guess it was a misunderstanding," Gonzales said.

Chavez confirmed Gonzales had told him he couldn't serve on the Chavez finance team.

Gonzales said because of his work as a consultant for a variety of national companies, he isn't comfortable being an official part of anyone's campaign.

What are we to make of all this? At the very least, statements by Chavez's campaign staff and Chavez himself as to the membership of Cope, Blanchard and Gonzales on his official campaign finance committee were premature, if not downright misleading. Despite the unwillingness of Cope and Blanchard to go on the record, the Chavez campaign is still touting them as finance team members. Javier Gonzales' membership on the finance committee has been refuted by him and Chavez finally confirmed that Gonzales wasn't on the committee.

The strong relationships that Cope and Blanchard have with Gov. Bill Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish make any formal connection with the Chavez campaign seem unlikely. After all, Denish says she's still pondering a Senate run, and reports have surfaced that Richardson people are telling his main financial supporters to "keep their powder dry" regarding the Senate race.

Why is the Chavez campaign going down this road, given how easy it is for fact checkers to determine the truth? Why did they release campaign finance committee information that can't readily be confirmed, especially when it tends to strengthen the already enshrined perception that some of the Mayor's dealings have been less than ethical or even downright dishonest? The Chavez campaign's strategy seems particularly dangerous when voter mistrust of career politicians is at an all-time high. I can't imagine why they think that operating in this matter will help their chances.

To read our previous coverage of the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

NM-Sen Race: Marty Chavez Disses Tom Udall, Others

Anyone else shocked and dismayed that Mayor Marty Chavez has the nerve to paint Rep. Tom Udall -- one of the most respected and widely popular political figures in the state -- as a fringe left candidate? In an interview with Las Cruces blogger Heath Haussamen, Chavez is quoted as follows commenting on the Dem primary race for U.S. Senate in New Mexico:

He [Chavez] also said he is confident he would defeat Udall in a primary. "Philosophically, he's so far to the left," Chavez said. "I'd rather not have him in the race, but that's a challenge I'd not shy away from."

Despite serious misgivings about Chavez's primary run on the part of many Democrats -- high and low -- he comes across as supremely confident he can beat anyone because, well, he's "moderate" Marty Chavez and any other baggage he carries is apparently irrelevant:

"I feel very strongly that this is going to be a Democratic pickup and I'm going to be that Democrat, because I'm a moderate Democrat," Chavez said. "I think the Republicans are more afraid of me than some others."

... He also said he isn't concerned about U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, the two Republicans who are running. He said Wilson "is in trouble" because she's damaged from the 2006 election and the U.S. attorney scandal, and Pearce - who he called the likely winner of the GOP primary - "is way outside the mainstream."

In contrast, a statewide SurveyUSA poll, conducted for Albuquerque's KOB-TV from October 5-7, 2007, shows Pearce 21 points over Chavez and Wilson besting Chavez by four. The poll also has Pearce losing to Tom Udall by 18 points, as well as Wilson losing to Udall by 18 points. Seems that according to those polled anyway, it's Chavez who's outside the mainstream in some way.

Chavez also said he's "not concerned" about running against popular Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in the Dem Senate primary, should she decide to enter the race:

Chavez said he isn't worried. Denish has already raised more than $1 million for a 2010 gubernatorial run, and with Chavez abandoning his gubernatorial bid to instead run for Senate, he said it wouldn't make sense for her to enter the race. He said he is "not concerned" even if she does enter the race.

In addition, Chavez is out of step with those who believe that Albuquerque's recent municipal election, where the candidates he backed lost miserably, was a meaningful gauge of his current popularity:

Chavez said he doesn't "take much" from the results of the city election because turnout was only 9 percent.

... "I have legitimate progressive credentials, but I am pro-business," Chavez said, adding he believes the two can go together.

Marty doesn't seem to get that there's a big difference between being supportive of local business interests and giving away the store to sprawl developers and other big donors while claiming to be "progressive" and "green." There's also a big difference between Dems respected by New Mexicans for their integrity and fair play, no matter what their political stripe, and those who too often come across as concerned only with maximizing their own power by any means necessary.

To read our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

First Look at Marty Chavez's Senate Campaign Team

A Roll Call article (subscription only) entitled, "Chavez Consolidating Democratic Establishment Support in New Mexico" provides an early look at the team Mayor Marty Chavez is putting together for his primary run for U.S. Senate in New Mexico.

I find it telling that Mayor Marty's finance team is "composed of many individuals from outside the mayor's Albuquerque base." That might just be because so many rank and file Democrats in the Albuquerque area don't consider him to be a genuine Democrat or one that can be trusted. Chavez seems to be drawing heavily from the big dollar donors with ties to oil and gas, horse racing and gambling interests that have been among the campaign funding mainstays in the political circles of Gov. Bill Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

Judging from those named, I wouldn't be surprised if Denish and Chavez made some kind of deal that's aimed at giving Chavez support for his Senate run while leaving a clear path for Denish to the governorship in 2010 -- or earlier if Richardson leaves New Mexico for a job in DC. If true, I hate to say it -- but yuck. Nothing like helping a flawed candidate with undoubtedly high negatives in order to assure that your own political path is easier. I hope I'm wrong.

The article says that the list of Chavez's "cadre of supporters" suggests that Richardson and Denish won't be running for the Senate seat, and that Marty claims he's lined up $560,000 in campaign pledges. No money in the bank, just "pledges." Trying to scare off the competition? You bet.

The Chavez Team According to Roll Call

Campaign Manager: Mark Fleisher, who ran Chavez's '05 mayoral reelection campaign

Finance Team:

• Edward Romero, former ambassador to Spain
• Jamie Koch, who chaired Richardson's first run for governor in 2002 and is the finance co-chair of Denish's 2010 gubernatorial campaign committee as well as a former business partner of her late father, Jack Daniels.
• Paul Blanchard, who serves on Richardson's presidential campaign finance committee
• Johnny Cope, wealthy oil and gas executive and a big fundraiser for statewide Dem candidates and another Denish ally
• Javier Gonzales, former Santa Fe County Commissioner
• Bud Dziak, insurance executive and prominent Repub fundraiser
• Mike Anaya, former chair of the NM Dem Party and brother of former Dem Gov. Toney Anaya.

General Consulting: McMahon Squier Lapp and Associates

Polling: Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners

Media Consulting: Intends to sign Murphy Putnam Media LLC.

I'll be writing more soon about the backgrounds and connections of the Chavez team. For now, suffice it to say that it's clear that Mayor Marty will be running for the Senate nomination much as he has for Mayor -- with an emphasis on big donor bucks from the usual suspects who are heavily involved in the big business community. It should be interesting to see how the Party's State Central Committee members and primary voters will react to this approach to securing the nomination. Not only is Chavez seen as an anti-progressive DLC-type Dem, his operating style and power base is viewed with what might be termed disdain on the part of many. It's one thing to be "moderate" but quite another to be ethically challenged.

Additional Media and General Consulting: Brown Inc.

Direct Mail: The Mack Crounse Group

Local Reaction to Defeat of SCHIP Override, Peace's Vote Against It

In the U.S. House, the attempt to override Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill was 13 votes short of the needed two-thirds majority. The vote was 273-156. None of the 151 Republicans who voted “no” on Sept. 25 switched sides today. Instead, six Democrats switched from “no” to “yes.” Rep. Steve Pearce (R, NM-02), who has announced he's running for U.S. Senate, voted no. Here are some of the statements from New Mexico politicos in response to today's vote:

Don Wiviott, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate:
"Steve Pearce faced a choice before today’s vote: New Mexico's children or President Bush. Once again, he chose President Bush to the detriment of our state. He has become a reliable rubberstamp for this White House, instead of a champion for the people he is supposed to represent.

"No matter what excuses the Congressman tries to make for his vote, he can't change the facts. With one vote, he has denied millions of children - thousands of them in New Mexico - an opportunity to receive the health care they need and deserve. Even in the face of such obstruction, it is my hope that the Democratic leadership in Congress will continue to reach across the aisle for the sake of those who need health care the most. I don’t believe this should be about politics. It is about doing what is right, and standing up for New Mexico values.”

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM):
"Millions of American children lack health insurance. In our state, more than 100,000 young people are uninsured. I am extremely disappointed that the president vetoed this bill, and that the House of Representatives fell just shy of an override. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which crafted the Senate version of the bill, I will continue pressing for enactment of strong SCHIP legislation that extends health care coverage to our nation's most vulnerable citizens."

Rep. Tom Udall (D, NM-03):
"This is a sad day for millions of working American families whose children face losing their health care because President Bush continues to put politics ahead of their welfare. American taxpayers provide Congress and the president the best health care benefits in case we get sick, yet this president refuses to extend the most basic coverage for children who go without. By continuing to fuel this battle over S-CHIP legislation that a clear, bipartisan majority of the Congress and the American people support, the president has shown just how far removed his priorities are."

"What makes this discussion particularly frustrating is the shocking amount of misinformation that has been spread by opponents of S-CHIP. S-CHIP is not government-run health care; it does not provide health care for wealthy families; and, it does not give benefits to illegal immigrants. Members of Congress faced a choice between helping children and not helping children. S-CHIP opponents have spread misinformation because they don't want to talk about this choice."

Brian S. Colón, Chairman, Democratic Party of NM:
"With today's unconscionable vote, Steve Pearce helped prevent 27,900 uninsured New Mexican children, and 3.8 million children nationwide, from getting health insurance - all in the name of attempting to make an extreme ideological statement.

"However, the message that the people of New Mexico heard loud and clear today is that Steve Pearce lacks the leadership to represent them in the U.S. Senate. Once again, Pearce confirmed that he values marching in lock-step with a failed President more than the health of New Mexico's children.

"Steve Pearce and President Bush are happy to spend half-a-trillion dollars on their mismanaged War in Iraq that has no end in sight, yet they lack the compassion and wisdom to vote to ensure that millions of poor children can see a doctor if they are sick, without adding a dime to Bush's record deficits.

"This cruel action ignores the wishes of 43 of our nation's governors, as well as bipartisan majorities in Congress, and 8 in 10 Americans. This vote therefore firmly places Steve Pearce in the ideological extreme of our state, and confirms that his values are vastly different from the mainstream of the people of New Mexico."

Pulling Out All the Stops: Rep. Pete Stark (D, CA-13):
The harshest criticism of Bush's veto came before the vote, on the House floor, by California's Congressman Pete Stark:

"First of all, I'm just amazed they can't figure out, the Republicans are worried we can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children.  They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq.  Where ya gonna get that money?  You going to tell us lies like you're telling us today?  Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.  This bill would provide healthcare for 10 million children and unlike the President's own kids, these children can't see a doctor or receive necessary care.
[...]
"But President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq.  The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up.  In Iraq, in the United States and in Congress."

NM Congressional Candidate Scorecard Time Again

Here's the lastest news on the political candidate musical chairs front in New Mexico. Dem Lt. Gov. Diane Denish told the Albuquerque Journal she's "still considering" a U.S. Senate run and doesn't expect to make a decision for "several weeks." She also said she'd recently spoken to several female Senators and elected officials about the possibility of her candidacy, including an unexpected call from Sen. Hillary Clinton. "I don't think it's a decision to rush. I want to work it through and make a decision," Denish said.

Former Attorney General Patricia Madrid has announced she won't run for Senate but said she's still considering running for Congress in NM-01. I'll have more on that later this morning.

On the Repub side, State Land Commissioner Pat Lyons announced he won't run for U.S. Senate due to the "crowded field." And Spiro Vasilopoulis has told the AP he's not running despite his earlier announcement that he'd do so.

I'm sure I'll be reissuing this scorecard many times before the nominations are secured on both sides of the aisle. Let me know if you have any other updates. As far as I can piece it together, here's how it stands now:

U.S. SENATE

Democrats:

• In: Santa Fe small business owner Don Wiviott; Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez; Santa Fe publisher Leland Lehrman; Santa Fe Community Housing Trust Finance Director Jim Hannan
• Out: Gov. Bill Richardson; former AG Patricia Madrid; Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03)
• Pondering: Lt. Gov. Diane Denish

Republicans:

• In: Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01); Steve Pearce (NM-02)
• Out: State Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons; oil industry investor Spiro G. Vassilopoulos
• Pondering: ?

U.S. HOUSE NM-01

Democrats

• In: ABQ City Councilor Martin Heinrich; former Secretary of NM Public Health Department Michelle Lujan Grisham; attorney Jon Adams
• Out: State Rep. Al Park; State Treasurer James Lewis
• Pondering: Former AG Patricia Madrid

Republicans:

• In: Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White
• Out:
• Pondering: State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones; State Sen. Mark Boitano; State Sen. John Ryan; State Sen. Joe Carraro

U.S. HOUSE NM-02

Democrats

• In: Dona Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley; retired minister Al Kisslling; conservative oilman and former Lea County Commission Chairman Harry Teague
• Out:
• Pondering: State Rep. Joseph Cervantes; State Sen. John Arthur Smith (who lost to Pearce in 2002)

Republicans

• In:
• Out: Incumbent Rep. Steve Pearce (running for Senate)
• Pondering: Dona Ana County State Senator and Minority Whip Lee Rawson; Socorro State Rep. Don Tripp; Roswell oilman Phelps Anderson; Sierra County GOP Chairman Earl Greer; K-Bob's steakhouse chain owner Ed Tinsley; State Rep. Gray of Artesia; State Rep. Bratton of Lea

U.S. HOUSE NM-03

Democrats

• In: Tom Udall, incumbent

Republicans

• In: No names floated yet

You can compare this updated scorecard with our previous version.

Steve Pearce Would Deny Health Care to Children Like This

And he wants to be New Mexico's next Senator? Tell him what you think about his refusal to vote for SCHIP. All the other members of New Mexico's Congressional delegation -- both Repubs and Dems -- support SCHIP. Clearly, the views of Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) put him well out of the mainstream in New Mexico and nationally. Only 15 or so Repub votes in the U.S. House stand in the way of an override of Bush's veto of SCHIP legislation. Pearce's is one of them.

Gov. Richardson Urges Pearce to Vote for SCHIP Override

Today Gov. Bill Richardson sent a letter to Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) urging him to vote to override Bush's veto and reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). He noted the bipartisan nature of the legislation. SCHIP now covers 8,700 children in New Mexico and an additional 11,000 get some SCHIP funding. Pearce, who has announced he'll run for the U.S. Senate in New Mexico, is the only member of the state's Congressional delegation to vote against the reauthorization of SCHIP.

In a statement, Gov. Richardson said, "Reauthorizing the children's health care program is vital for assuring the health of tens of thousands of low-income children in New Mexico, and an opportunity to expand health care for thousands more," stated Governor Richardson. "Of the estimated 94,000 children uninsured in New Mexico, nearly 50,000 qualify for either the Medicaid or SCHIP programs. I urge you to join the rest New Mexico's delegation, and do what is right for the people of our state, and vote to override the President's veto of the children's health care reauthorization legislation."

In September, Gov. Richardson and 29 other Governors urged Bush to sign the SCHIP reauthorization. The State of New Mexico will also file an 'amicus curiae' or friend of the court brief in support of New York's lawsuit to protect the flexibility states in the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Text of the letter:

October 15, 2007

The Honorable Steve Pearce
Congressman
U.S. House of Representatives
1607 Longworth HOB
Washington DC, 20515

Dear Congressman Pearce:

As you are aware, Congress has a very important vote coming up this week that will determine the future of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).  SCHIP is a vital program for New Mexico's children as it currently covers 8,700 children with an additional 11,000 children benefiting with some SCHIP funding.

I am writing to urge you to vote to override the President's veto of this bipartisan legislation, which Senators Bingaman and Domenici, as well as Representatives Udall and Wilson voted to support.   The SCHIP reauthorization legislation will benefit New Mexico's hard working families who currently lack the health insurance coverage they need to be successful in life.

There are some misconceptions about the SCHIP funding in New Mexico, such as who it covers and how the funding is allowed to be used to cover both children and adults.  I would like to provide you with the facts of the SCHIP program in New Mexico in order for you to have the best information prior to this important vote.

SCHIP in New Mexico covers children between the income levels of 185 percent and 235 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), or up to $40,356 annual income for a family of three.  There are approximately 8,700 children currently in this category.

New Mexico expanded Medicaid coverage for children up to 185 percent of FPL prior to the implementation of SCHIP in 1997, and as such we were prevented from using SCHIP funds for those kids below 185 percent of FPL.

Because of those limitations, New Mexico began to accumulate unspent SCHIP funds.  Legislation introduced by Senator Bingaman helped New Mexico and other states in our situation that were being penalized from using SCHIP funds for lower-income children.  This legislation allows New Mexico to use some SCHIP funds for approximately 11,000 children whose family income is 150 percent of FPL, or about $25,764 for a family of three.

The reauthorization legislation that President Bush vetoed would allow New Mexico to use SCHIP funds for an additional 11,000 children whose family income is 133 percent of FPL or about $22,848 for a family of three.

New Mexico received a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that allows the state to use the unspent SCHIP funds to cover working uninsured adults ages 19-64 through the State Coverage Insurance Program (SCI).  This public/private partnership operated by New Mexico managed care organizations covers adults up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty level for approximately 10,000 people.  SCI is an employer-based program where the employer pays a $75 monthly premium per employee, the employee pays up to $35 per month depending on income, and the state and federal government pays the remainder.

In our state the SCHIP program invests $140.0 million ($124.2 million of federal funds) to assure the health of our children, and through the CMS federal waiver our state spends a fraction of those funds, $33.9 million ($27.2 million of federal funds), on working adults. 

The SCHIP reauthorization legislation vetoed by President Bush would allow our state to offer health coverage to the thousands of low-income children who are currently uninsured.  At the same time, the SCHIP reauthorization legislation vetoed by President Bush phases out the use of SCHIP funds for adults, eliminating health care coverage for approximately 10,000 people.

The reauthorization of the current SCHIP program is vital for assuring the health of tens of thousands of low-income children in New Mexico, and an opportunity to expand health care for thousands more.  Of the estimated 94,000 children uninsured in New Mexico, nearly 50,000 qualify for either the Medicaid or SCHIP programs. 

I urge you to join the rest of New Mexico's delegation in doing what is right for the people of our state, and vote to override the President's veto of the SCHIP reauthorization legislation.

Sincerely,

Bill Richardson
Governor                                             
State of New Mexico

(Updated) Pearce Is In for U.S. Senate

UPDATE 4:53 PM. Brian S. Colón, Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, released this statement about Pearce's decision to run for U.S. Senate:

"Steve Pearce has a consistent record of failing the people of New Mexico. In the real world, when folks fail miserably at their jobs like Steve Pearce has, they get fired - not promoted," Colón said. "Steve Pearce is in a state of denial to believe that his record of failure would lead the people of New Mexico to consider giving him a promotion.

In Congress, Pearce has been one of the most steadfast supporters of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Pearce supported Bush's mismanaged Iraq policies at every turn and consistently voted to support Bush's fiscally reckless management of the budget that turned record surpluses into record deficits. He was also the only member of the New Mexico Congressional delegation to heartlessly oppose expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program to cover an additional 27,900 uninsured New Mexican kids. Steve Pearce's priorities are clear -- what he values is loyalty to a failed president over the priorities of the families of New Mexico."
**********

Says the Albuquerque Journal's Michael Coleman:

Rep. Steve Pearce will announce tomorrow that he will seek ...

... the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pete Domenici, the Albuquerque Journal just learned. Pearce, a three-term New Mexico Republican, will send an email to "friends and supporters" tomorrow declaring his intention to run. A person familiar with Pearce's plans said the congressman wants to notify supporters informally before officially declaring his campaign sometime in the coming weeks.

"There are a number of pieces that still need to be put in place - a website, a campaign team, etc.," before a formal announcement is made, the person said, adding that Pearce is not ready to field media questions until possibly Thursday.

Rep. Pearce (NM-02) reportedly raised $255,000 during the third quarter of 2007 for his Congressional race, and had $582,000 on hand at the end of September. All of that can be transferred to his Senate campaign.

Rep. Heather Wilson, also in the Senate race on the Repub side, announced she raised $247,000 in the third quarter for her Congressional race in NM-01, which can also be transferred to her Senate campaign. She's raised a total of $988,000 this year, and $756,000 remained as cash on hand at the end of September.

As a post on New Mexico FBIHOP reports, the Repub House leadership has been pressuring Pearce to stay in his Congressional seat in NM-02. I guess it didn't work. Now Wilson and Pearce will have to enter into what could be a very brutal primary given the festering split in New Mexico's GOP between Repubs who try to position themselves as "moderates" and those who are true blue rightwingers and gung ho Bushies, like Pearce.

Dem Bill McCamley, who is running for Congress in NM-02, must be smiling now that Pearce is out of the way. McCamley has reportedly raised $66,000 this quarter and had $186,000 in the bank when September ended. Of course things could get more complicated quickly if other Dems decide to enter the race now that Pearce will run for Senate. Currently, McCamley's only official primary competitor is Al Kissling, who is running his campaign on a shoestring. Just today, however, Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague, a conservative Democrat, said he'll be entering the race soon.

Meanwhile, both Mayor Marty Chavez and Don Wiviott have reportedly been in Washington this week looking for help and trying to convince Dem poobahs of their campaign-worthiness for their Senate runs.

To read our previous coverage of the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.