Democracy for New Mexico

NM-Sen: Will DC Repubs Spend Any Money to Help Pearce?

According to the National Journal's Congress Daily commentary on this year's Senate races, a Dem win in the at-risk Senate seat in New Mexico could greatly help Obama:

In addition to extending the Democratic majority, the Senate battles could also have a profound effect on the presidential race, given that four of the top pickup opportunities for Democrats are in swing states where Republican presidential candidates have traditionally done well -- Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. President Bush won three of the four in 2004, losing only New Hampshire by a single percentage point to Democratic Sen. John Kerry from neighboring Massachusetts.

And it looks like the GOP may have already given up on the Senate race in NM:

This time around, strategists from both parties say privately that they expect the Virginia seat being left open by the retirement of GOP Sen. John Warner and the New Mexico seat that Republican Sen. Pete Domenici is leaving will end up in Democratic hands.

Campaign money is at a premium at the National Republican Senate Committee, so Pearce's campaign may have to go it alone unless his polling numbers suddenly start rising:

For now, the NRSC is marshalling its resources to dole out later in the cycle, when party leaders can more accurately judge which seats might be hopeless and which might be saved by an infusion of cash.

"If a race is going to win on its own, we're not going to play," Ensign said. "If it's going to lose and no chance to win, we're not going to play."

That statement is music to the ears of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer of New York, who sees the potential to put even more seats in play.

"If [Ensign] doesn't spend any money" in particular states, you think we'll have to?" Schumer asked. "It's a giant chessboard, and if he is to take some states off the map, it increases our flexibility in other states."

NM-Sen: Udall Still Crushing Pearce in Lastest Rasmussen Poll

The Rasmussen poll on the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico released on Friday shows Tom Udall retaining a commanding lead over Repub Steve Pearce:

Democratic Congressman Tom Udall is maintaining his huge lead over Republican Steve Pearce in New Mexico’s U.S. Senate race. The Democrat now leads 59% to 34%. When “leaners” are included, Udall is on top 61% to 35%.

This marks the fourth straight time Udall has topped his rival by double-digits. Last month the Democrat was ahead 58% to 30%. In May he led 53% to 37%.

Udall has increased his strong lead among unaffiliated voters, although he's lost a few points with Republicans:

This month, Udall has a 59% to 27% advantage among voters not affiliated with either major political party, up from a 19-percentage-point lead last month. He is also backed by 18% of Republican voters, which is down from the 26% support he enjoyed last month.

His lead is dropping with men but increasing with women:

Among men, Udall leads 54% to 42%. His lead among men has dropped 10 points since the last survey. However, his lead among women has jumped four percentage points to a 64% to 26% edge.

As expected, the highly respected Tom Udall still has very high approval and very low disapproval numbers, while sourpuss Pearce continues to struggle with unfavorable ratings outnumbering his favorable ratings:

Favorability ratings for both candidates have changed little over the past month. The Democrat is viewed favorably by 66% and unfavorably by 28%. Pearce’s numbers are 46% favorable, 48% unfavorable.

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Must Read: Pearce Won't Commit to Attend GOP Convention

Click. I knew this was a bad year for all things GOP, but this is getting our of hand. At this rate, Ron Paul's shadow convention will have more attendees than the main event. Hey Stevan (yes, that's the correct spelling) - you can run but you can't hide .... People have ways of finding out that you're a True Red Right-Wing Republican (who just voted against the housing bill designed to help folks stay in their homes after getting bilked by predatory lenders).

NM-Sen: Meet Tom Udall, Jill Cooper Udall & Martha Burk at Launch of Women for Udall

Congressman Tom Udall
and
Jill Cooper Udall
Invite you to attend the roll out of
Women for Udall
with special guest
Martha Burk
In support of Tom Udall, Candidate for U.S. Senate

Thursday August 7th, 10:00 AM
UNM Law School Room 2402
1117 Stanford NE, Albuquerque

For more information or to RSVP please contact Sarah Cobb at 505.884.3055 or by email: scobb@tomudall.com. Click for FLYER (pdf). Pass it on.

NM-Sen: Udall Challenges Pearce to Three Statewide TV Debates

Things are heating up in the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico. Yesterday, Rep. Tom Udall's campaign  challenged Repub nominee Steve Pearce to participate in three statewide televised debates. In a letter (see below the fold) Udall’s campaign invited Pearce’s campaign to begin coordinating details and discussing the two candidate’s busy schedules.

Can't wait to watch these -- IF Pearce accepts the invitation. As we've seen during the GOP Senate primary, Pearce isn't exactly a scintillating debater. I guess it's hard when you have to defend so many awful Bush-McCain policies and positions ....

Vote Now at Give 'Em Hell Harry
By the way, Tom Udall is one of two finalists in the voting in Sen. Harry Reid's Give 'Em Hell Harry poll for Senate candidates. You have until July 28th to weigh in. The winner will get to send two emails to the GiveEmHellHarry.com list and attract the financial resources needed to win big this Fall. Please vote. It's almost as good as making a donation to Tom yourself. What a bargain.

July 21, 2008

Mr. Bob Carter
Campaign Manager
Steve Pearce for Senate
121 Wyatt, Suite 14
Las Cruces, NM  88001

Dear Mr. Carter:
As we all prepare for this year’s historic elections, New Mexico and the nation are at a crossroads.  Do we continue the policies of the past eight years that have resulted in so many hardships for working families, or do we drastically change the direction of our country and begin doing the right thing for the people of New Mexico?

Tom Udall has been crisscrossing the state, listening to New Mexicans who are desperate for a government that will do the right thing and come up with solutions to fix our ailing economy, bring down skyrocketing gas prices, and take care of our veterans.  They are looking for leadership on these and so many other issues, and they will be looking to their next United States Senator to provide that leadership.

To make the decision of who our next Senator will be, New Mexicans deserve to see the candidates side-by-side, engaging in a vigorous exchange of ideas with each other.  They deserve to see where each candidate stands on the issues that matter most to New Mexico and our nation.

To that end, we propose that Congressman Pearce join Congressman Udall in a series of three statewide televised debates.

We propose the following principles to shape the debate schedule:

• Three televised debates, to begin after Labor Day;
• Debates coordinated to reach every part of New Mexico;
• A variety of formats to allow the most statewide interaction with the people of New Mexico.

We look forward to working with the Pearce campaign to agree upon three, well-planned, statewide debates heading into the fall.  We hope the Pearce campaign will join us to ensure that all New Mexicans have the opportunity to participate and have their voices heard in this historic United States Senate campaign.

I will be contacting you in the coming days to set up a meeting where we can work out the details.  We look forward to finalizing a debate schedule and giving the people of New Mexico the chance to see the candidates exchange ideas and discuss their very different visions for the direction of our state and our country.

Sincerely,
Amanda Cooper
Campaign Manager, Udall for Us All

Photo Credit: Steve Terrell.

Tom Udall is a True Blue New Mexico candidate, so please give what you can in terms of time and/or money to help him get elected.

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NM-Sen, NM-02: Candidate Forums Set for Mescalero

According to the AP, Senate candidates Tom Udall and Steve Pearce will both appear at a candidate forum on July 26th at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Mescalero, but they'll be appearing one at a time. The campaigns could not reach agreement about a format for a joint appearance at the forum, part of a two-day gathering of thr New Mexico Farm Bureau. Instead, each candidate in turn will speak for 30 minutes, then take questions.

"Both candidates have a great opportunity to address the group, to present and share ideas as well as take questions," Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said. "It's a very important venue. We look forward to talking and comparing ideas."

Also during the Farm Bureau meeting, Dem Harry Teague and Repub Ed Tinsley, Congressional candidates in NM- 02, will participate in a forum together after agreeing to a format that includes opening statements, questions from the audience and brief rebuttals if one candidate mentions the other.

"It's kind of a debate. I would call it a debate," because House candidates can respond to each other's remarks, Teague spokesman Alex Cole said

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Meet Campaign Staff at DPBC Third Thursday Meeting

From the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County:

DPBC THIRD THURSDAY MEETING
Thursday, July 17th, 6:00 PM
UNM LAW SCHOOL, ROOM 2401
1117 Stanford NE, Albuquerque, Map

Come meet campaign staff: Josh Geise from the Coordinated Campaign, Adrian Saenz from the Obama Campaign, and staffers from the Heinrich and Udall campaigns. They will be available to answer questions and discuss the coordination of the different campaigns. All are welcome.

Alsok mark your calendar for the DPBC Labor Day picnic  on September 1st honoring our labor partners. Location and time to be determined.

NM-Sen: Udall's New Ad and Statements Tackle Gas Prices with The Facts

I really like the new ad by U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall, which goes up on the air tomorrow. It takes on the issue of exploding gas prices and what we can do to address the problem. Number one on Tom's list of what we can do right now? Stop hedge fund speculators from driving up prices unnaturally. Rah.

The new ad follows on the heels of Udall's Friday round table on gas prices in Albuquerque, which you can read about here (with photos). Also, watch the video above of Tom's statement to reporters at the round table. Unlike the soundbites favored by much of our MSM, the video gives you a more complete statement about oil prices and energy policy by Udall. AND READ THE FACTS BELOW THE FOLD.

Too bad KOB-TV news, the only local news station that covered the round table (to my knowledge), decided to slant their coverage so heavily to a Steve Pearce, pro-drilling as an end all and be all focus. They even went so far as to provide Steve Pearce with a special, lengthy appearance on camera even though he hadn't held any recent public events or held any press conferences about gas prices. They provided a sound bite of about one sentence from Udall. Bah humbug. You can't seem to get the facts from them.

Udall Provides the Facts
Forget about the MSM and the pundits, and read the following statement from the Udall campaign that lays out the facts on gas prices and our energy future. I'm sure you won't see these facts anywhere on the corporate-owned media -- not if they can help it anyway:

“Rising gas prices, and the additional associated costs, are crushing New Mexico citizens,” said Udall Campaign Manager Amanda Cooper. “Tom Udall is proposing effective solutions that could help stabilize prices and bring relief to New Mexicans right now.”

Udall has long advocated for a balanced energy policy with a range of solutions to help put our nation on a path towards greater energy independence. “Right Now”, which is set at a gas station and debuts statewide on Tuesday, outlines his ideas about what can be done to address escalating gas prices, today.

Udall’s plan includes:

Immediately cracking down on hedge fund speculators who are manipulating markets to drive up the price of oil to reduce the cost of a barrel of oil by approximately one third knock up to a dollar off of the price of a gallon of gas. 

• Bringing new, clean refineries online to increase domestic supply.
• Getting serious about alternative energy to reduce both gas and food prices.
• Raising fuel economy standards for our vehicles.
• Responsible drilling to increase domestic oil production.
• Supporting legislation that would punish price gouging by unscrupulous companies.
• Encouraging additional conservation efforts throughout our economy, including tax credits for renewable energy.

“Tom Udall believes we have the skills and vision to right here in New Mexico to play a vital role in our national energy security while simultaneously creating the jobs of the future here at home,” said Cooper. “In the Senate, Tom Udall will do what’s right and work to put us on a path towards greater energy independence.” 

The text and facts behind Udall’s new, 30-second ad, which will begin airing throughout New Mexico on Tuesday, are below.

“RIGHT NOW” (:30), Release Date - July 15, 2008

Tom Udall: “Is there anything we can do right now to lower gas prices? I’m Tom Udall and, first, stop hedge fund speculators from driving up the price of oil.

FACT: Hedge funds, investment banks, and other institutional investors are now swamping oil markets.  These investors, who are seeking paper profits, not oil, are driving up oil prices by as much as $40 per barrel according to experts, a Senate subcommittee report, oil company executives, and others. [Senate Commerce Committee, Testimony of Mark Cooper, 6/3/08; Senate Commerce Committee, Testimony of Gerry Ramm, 6/3/08]

FACT: On June 26, 2008, Congressman Tom Udall voted on HR 637, Energy Markets Emergency Act of 2008, a bill that “directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use all its authority, including the agency's emergency powers, to ‘curb immediately’ the role of excessive speculation in energy futures markets.” [June 26, 2008, Reuters; Roll Call #468]

Tom Udall: Get oil companies to build new clean refineries in the U.S. to increase supply, or take away their tax breaks.

FACT: “Existing refineries in the U.S. produce gasoline and other end-use products in the 90 percent plus range of capacity. While refining capacity has crept up a small amount since 2005 through operating efficiencies, the solution — adding significant refinery capacity — is more easily said than done.” [“Shock at pump stems from high crude oil prices.”Sandia.gov, April 23, 2008.]

FACT: In Congress, Tom Udall has supported measures to promote the development of clean refineries. [Voted for Amendment offered by Rep. Stupak: “Federal Response to Energy Emergencies Act of 2005”; Voted for Rep. Boucher Motion to Recommit HR 5254, 2006]

Tom Udall: And get serious about alternative energy.

FACT: In Congress, Tom Udall wrote bi-partisan legislation that requires electric suppliers to provide 15 percent of their electricity using alternative energy resources and energy efficiency measure by the year 2020. The amendment passed 220-190. [H.AMDT.748 to H.R.3221, Vote #827, 8/04/07] According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), consumers would save $1.3 billion to $6.1 billion in lower electricity and natural gas bills cumulatively by 2020. [Union of Concerned Scientists Fact Sheet, “EIA Study: 15 Percent Renewable Electricity Standard Would Save Consumers Money and Reduce Global Warming Pollution.”]

Tom Udall: I’m running for the U.S. Senate and I approve this message because record profits for big oil companies, while we pay record prices for gas, is wrong.”

FACT: “High gas prices may have cinched American consumers’ wallets in 2007, but they loaded the coffers of the big five oil companies: BP, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell. ExxonMobil, after record high profits in 2005 and 2006, smashed the record for highest profits ever made by a public U.S. company—previously held by Exxon—by posting a net profit of $40.6 billion in 2007. To put these figures in perspective, Exxon’s $40.6 billion profit in 2007 is roughly equal to receiving ‘$30 for every person in China and $132 for every U.S. resident.’ Another way of looking at it is that Exxon made $77,245 per minute in 2007—that’s more money generated per minute than 70 percent of Americans earned all year, according to the Census Bureau.” Daniel J. Weiss, Nick Kong. “Big Oil Feasts on Economic Woes. Record Profits from Big Five Oil Companies Feed on High Gas Prices.” American Progress.com February 5, 2008

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NM-Sen: CQ Politics Rates Race in Top Five Takeover Chances

Our U.S. Senate race between Dem Rep. Tom Udall and GOP Rep. Steve Pearce continues to get national attention. Bob Benenson of CQ Politics considers the race among the in the nation for a Dem pickup:

New Mexico, a swing state, where six-term Republican Pete V. Domenici’s decision not to seek re-election has created a golden opportunity for a Democratic takeover. Five-term Rep. Tom Udall, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, has opened up a big lead in polls over the Republican nominee, strongly conservative three-term Republican Rep. Steve Pearce. Pearce won a narrow victory in the June 3 primary over the state’s third House member, Heather A. Wilson, whose image as a less-hardline conservative than Pearce led some GOP strategists to view her as potentially a stronger contender against Udall. Running in a state that is split very evenly between the parties, Pearce is staking his hopes on persuading voters that Udall’s House record is too liberal. This race is rated Leans Democratic, which means Udall has an edge in a contest that still is highly competitive.

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Tom Udall in Lead at LCV's Give Green

Over the weekend, New Mexico's U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall took the lead in Give Green donations over his cousin Mark, who's running for U.S. Senate in Colorado. As of today, Tom's campaign has garnered more than $2,400 from 71 donors since the site launched a little over a week ago -- the most of any candidate on the site. Meanwhile, NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich has received more than $870 to date in Give Green donations from 48 donors. Haven't heard of Give Green? Keep on reading.

The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, which works to turn environmental values into national priorities, recently launched Give Green, the first donation bundling website to raise money exclusively for environmental champions and candidates. The non-partisan website at is similar to the highly successful ActBlue and EMILY’s List fundraising sites, but is unaffiliated. Why did LCV decide to launch Give Green? 

“Ever increasing numbers of environmental voters and donors live in every part of the country,” LCVAF President Gene Karpinski said in a statement. “But America’s clean energy future is not just a local issue. Give Green makes it easy for concerned citizens to support not only local environmental candidates, but also future members of Congress from across the country who will fight for a clean, renewable energy future.”

Today, Give Green features 20 federal candidates who are environmental champions and who have earned LCV’s endorsement. As the election nears, other champions will be added to the site.

“Give Green is the bundling portal for the whole environmental movement,” LCV Board Member and Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder said. “This site will be a great tool for the environmental community to help elect pro-environment candidates and to change the face of Washington.”

“This is for donors from both parties to join together in support of environmental issues,” former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) said. “For the first time, Americans from every party who are committed to clean, renewable energy and conservation will be able to express their support through meaningful financial backing of environmental champions.”

To donate to one or all of LCV's Give Green candidates. You can also create your own page there to raise funds for a candidate, just as you can at similar sites like ActBlue.

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