Democracy for New Mexico

10/25: Meet and Greet With AG Gary King, El Bandito in Albuquerque

Please Join Co-Hosts
Bernalillo County Democratic Party Chair Ana Canales,
State Senator Tim Eichenberg, Mark Fleisher,
Tom and Diana McHugh, Bruce Barnaby, Mike Davis
for a Fun and Festive
MEET AND GREET FOR
ATTORNEY GENERAL GARY KING
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM
EL BANDIDO RESTAURANT
2128 CENTRAL AVENUE (YALE AT CENTRAL), ALBUQUERQUE
Mariachi Music, Complimentary Mexican Food Buffet,
Beer, Margaritas, and
Good Democratic Party Friends and Colleagues.

Attorney General Gary King is running for re-election, so please join us and show your support.

Attorney General King and Matthew Chandler Debate in Las Cruces

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Contributing writer Stephen Jones checks in with more on-the-ground coverage from Southern New Mexico.

Attorney General Gary King and his challenger, Matt Chandler, faced off in an occasionally caustic debate at the New Mexico State University Corbett Center in Las Cruces on Sunday. Chandler and King frequently clashed over background credentials and experience. King outlined his background in consumer affairs, protection of New Mexico’s water and other natural resources, and his ongoing prosecutions of state ethics violations. Chandler stressed his background as a District Attorney. “You need a prosecutor in the Attorney General’s office,” Chandler said, outlining a record of local criminal convictions. Chandler promised to take on political leaders “regardless of party,” in the state which he termed the “most corrupt.”

“If elected you won’t need someone who must learn on the job,” King said of his candidacy. Attorney General King noted that in his first term he had received national recognition for his effectiveness at rooting out child predators. “I am the most successful Attorney General at protecting children from Internet crimes,” King said. He also pointed out that his office was the first to win a judgment for mistreatment and lack of care against a corporation in a Medicare abuse case in which a patient in a nursing facility had been found with a bedpan fused to their skin.

Chandler charged King with travelling out of state and seeking to work in concert with other state jurisdictions and with the Mexican government in enforcing New Mexico’s laws. “My opponent criticizes me for working with other states and with Mexican authorities,” King said. “I have news for him. You can’t draw a line around the state of New Mexico and expect criminals not to cross it.” On the issue of out of state and foreign travel to address organizations on issues of child endangerment and trafficking, King said the state had not paid for any of the trips, except one, a trip in which he was invited to address illegal child trafficking at an international conference in Geneva.

Immigration: On immigration and border security, Chandler said New Mexico needed to stop making itself “friendly to illegal aliens,” and that he would act against the state issuing driver’s licenses to “illegal aliens,” a statute Chandler charged King with supporting. “My opponent tells you what he wants the law to be,” King responded. “He doesn’t understand that the job of the Attorney General is to defend the law that is on books.”

Health Care Reform: On health care reform, Chandler said he would join other state Attorneys General in bringing suit against the Federal law which he said was “clearly unconstitutional.” King responded, “First my opponent tells you he’s a great prosecutor, now he claims he’s a constitutional authority.” King pointed out that the suit of twenty Republican Attorneys General had been filed as a political response immediately after passage of the national law, an action which he termed as reflecting a lack of serious deliberation on the matter. “The Supreme Court will determine what is, and what is not, constitutional,” King said. “My job as Attorney General is to fight for what is good for New Mexico.” King added that on the issue of health reform, generally, he could support any effort to protect consumers from “denying coverage to consumers based on pre-existing conditions.”

Corruption: Chandler claimed his “most effective” prosecutions had involved “convictions for government corruption,” and termed himself “tough” for having sought the death penalty in a murder prosecution. “My desire is to stand up to corruption in New Mexico. The people have the right to expect that the Attorney General will act on behalf of the people who put them in office,” Chandler said.

“If you want to fight corruption,” King responded, “first you have to be honest and ethical yourself.”

Experience: King is the incumbent Attorney General for the State of New Mexico. Chandler is District Attorney of the Ninth Judicial District of New Mexico, representing the citizens of Curry and Roosevelt Counties. Chandler has been an attorney for nine years, and was first elected in 2004. Gary King has twenty-six years of experience as an attorney. He served for twelve years in the New Mexico state legislature and was elected Attorney General in 2006. King also holds a PhD in chemistry.

Photos by Stephen Jones. To see more posts by Stephen, visit our archive.

10/16: Join Brian Colón and Gary King at Early Vote Breakfast and Rally in Albuquerque

Please Join Lieutenant Governor Candidate , Attorney General Gary King and other candidates for an early vote rally and breakfast on Saturday, October 16, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the coordinated campaign office. The Coordinated Campaign Headquarters is located at 4565 San Mateo NE, Suite F34, in Albuquerque NM.

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Lieutenant Governor Candidate Brian Colón and Attorney General Gary King. Food and refreshments will be served. If you have questions or to RSVP, call (505) 830-2811.

Brian Colón and Gary King will also be joining Senator Tom Udall and Rep. Martin Heinrich at an early vote rally on Albuquerque's Westside on October 16, at 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Twisters, located at 3240 Coors Blvd. in Albuquerque.

Early voting in expanded locations all over the state begins this Saturday. Click to find out where and when you can vote early on an or on the Secretary of State's listing.

Photos: Otero County Democrats Gather for Candidate Meet & Greet, Lemonade Social

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Contributing writer Stephen Jones checks in with another report from Southern New Mexico.

An upbeat crowd braved intermittent ribbons of desert rains to meet and greet Democratic candidates in Otero County in south central New Mexico on Thursday. The event was held at the Sgt. Willie Estrada Civic Center on 1st Street in Alamogordo. The lemonade social brought together Otero County voters with state and local candidates seeking election in the upcoming General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 2. The event stressed direct conversation between voters and candidates rather than formal speeches.

Headlining the event were two statewide public officials, Attorney General Gary K. King and New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas. King and Balderas were on hand to meet local residents, discuss issues and concerns with voters, and to outline accomplishments from their first terms in their respective State constitutional offices. Both King and Balderas are seeking re-election. Also in attendance was State Representative Nate Cote (NM-53), whose district includes parts of Otero County.

Also on hand were Stephanie L. Dubois, seeking election to the Public Regulation Commission, District 2, and Bill McCamley, who is running for the Public Regulation Commission in District 5. The three incumbents and the two Democratic nominees for PRC stressed their ongoing work to achieve stronger ethics in New Mexico government.

Among the other candidates Ellen Wedum and Sue Medina, running for State Representative in District 59 and 51 respectively, hope to join Representative Cote in the next session of the New Mexico State Legislature. Otero County includes parts of five districts.

Local candidates present included L.C. Marshall, running for Otero County Commissioner, Wally Anderson, seeking the office of County Sheriff, and Sheldon Compton, who is making his second run for County Assessor. While Otero County has traditionally been dominated by Republicans, Compton received 49% of the vote in his first try for public office four years ago.

Others on hand to meet with the candidates were the Alamogordo Mayor’s Commission on Youth, a group of local high school students working to inform and bring young people into the civic process. Otero County Democratic Chair Dawn Provencer and Nola Jones, who coordinated Thursday’s event, reminded the audience to register to vote for the General Election. Jones reminded the younger members of the audience that anyone whose 18th birthday falls on or before November 2 is eligible to register now.

All potential New Mexico voters must be registered by October 5, 2010 in order to vote in the upcoming election. You can learn more here.

All photos by Stephen Jones. To see more of his posts, visit our archive.