Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Heinrich to Reveal an Endorsement a Day

Martin Heinrich's campaign announced yesterday it will roll out a new endorsement each day from unions and organizations that have recently announced their support for his NM-01 Congressional campaign. A total of xix endorsements will be announced on Heinrich's blog -- one per workday -- through next Tuesday.

To kick off endorsements week, the campaign announced that Carpenters Local 1319 has officially endorsed Martin Heinrich for Congress. According to Carpenters Local 1319 Special Representative David Barber, "Martin Heinrich understands the needs of working families. He's an honest leader that we can trust to stand up to the special interests and put New Mexico's working families first."

Throughout endorsements week, supporters of Heinrich's campaign are being asked to stand with the organizations and unions by making a contribution. As the campaign explains, "Small investments from thousands of hard working people are crucial to the success of our campaign for change and they will help to keep our momentum moving forward!" Click to make a donation and keep Martin's momentum going.

The Carpenters are the fourth major union to endorse Martin's campaign -- with more to come this week. Two New Mexico pueblos and 15 elected officials from the First District have also endorsed Martin's campaign for change.

Click for a full list of endorsements of Martin Heinrich. Remember to visit the Heinrich blog every workday between now and next Tuesday to learn the identities of the other organizations and unions that are uniting for change and supporting Heinrich for Congress in NM-01.

To see our previous coverage of the 2008 Congressional race in NM-01, visit our archive.

You're Invited: 2/13 Fundraiser for Martin Heinrich

Please join us at the home of Linda Joyce
for a House Party Fundraiser with
Democratic Congressional Candidate
Martin Heinrich
§
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
5:30-7:00PM
§
13220 Executive Ridge Dr. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
§
Please consider making an investment in New Mexico’s future
with your contribution of $25, $50, $100
or whatever your finances will allow!
§
Hors d'oeuvres, dessert, beer, wine and soft drinks provided.
Please RSVP to Linda at (505) 292-2611
Click for invitation (doc)

NM-01: Vigil-Giron to Formally Announce Entry Into Race on Saturday

Note: David Alire, of KNME's New Mexico in Focus, has snagged an exclusive interview with Vigil-Giron about her decision to run for Congress. You can see a video here.

Former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron will make her official entry into the Dem Congressional race in NM-01 at a public event this Saturday, February 2, 2008, at 2:30 PM at the Albuquerque Hilton. She has a campaign website at www.RebeccaForCongress.com.

Vigil-Giron enters the race with three other Dems already in the running: Martin Heinrich, Michelle Lujan Grisham and Robert Pidcock. Another is on the way in the form of political neophyte Jessica Wolfe, who has announced she's gathering nomination signatures. Wolfe was a cabinet aide to Gov. Richardson and worked on issues like domestic violence, water cooperatives and rural projects.

Clearly, Vigil-Giron has her work cut out for her if she's to get on the primary ballot and win the nomination. For one thing, the very popular Martin Heinrich has a huge headstart. His campaign has raised considerable and consistent amounts of money every quarter and earned several very important endorsements. Plus Heinrich has built strong grassroots support within the Dem Party's active membership, which will control who gets on Party's primary ballot during the pre-primary convention set for March 15th.

Why does Vigil-Giron think there's a niche for another candidate at this late date? One reason she cites is the appeal of her gender and ethnic background -- even though Lujan Grisham is a match for those and already has respectable fundraising totals and reachout efforts. In talking points, Vigil-Giron's campaign claims she's the best candidate because she’s a Hispanic woman in a Congressional district that's 53% female and 43% Hispanic. She's also stressing her background as "an experienced, nationally recognized leader and a proven vote-getter.”

This wouldn't be Vigil-Giron's first experience with a Congressional race. In 1990 she ran unsuccessfully against incumbent Republican Congressman Steve Schiff for a U.S. house seat in NM-01. Most recently, Vigil-Giron was unsuccessful in seeking the job of Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. Overall, she served three times as Secretary of State, from 1987 to 1990, and from 1999 to 2006. She's also held several positions with national organizations related to elections and voting.

Her last SOS term was somewhat rocky. She was criticized for using federal voter education funds for ads in which she was prominently featured, and for leaving the SOS budget in the hole to the tune of about $3 million. The financial problems prompted both federal and state probes. The NM Department of Finance and Administration identified several problems with her budget management. Vigil-Giron's view is that the passage of paper ballot legislation was primarily to blame because it was essentially an unfunded mandate to reconfigure the state's voting system.

Vigil-Giron has a BA in French and Social Science from New Mexico Highlands University and is a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University. According to her profile on Wikipedia,

Vigil-Giron once said she became interested in politics after running a successful campaign for homecoming queen at New Mexico Highlands University in 1975. In a 1998 interview she claims to have run a full-fledged campaign for the spot going, "door to dormitory door," with the help of the campus Young Democrats who sponsored her effort. [Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico) September 27, 1998 --3 Vow To Get Voters to Polls]

NM-01: Important Endorsement for Heinrich from Fire Fighters

Click on image for larger version.

On Tuesday, January 29, 2008, Albuquerque Area Fire Fighters (IAFF Local 224) and the International Association of Fire Fighters formally endorsed Martin Heinrich's campaign for Congress in NM-01. Joined by scores of Fire Fighters sporting "Fire Fighters for Martin Heinrich t-shirts," IAFF Local 224 President Diego Arencón formally announced the endorsement.

President Arencón said, "Martin Heinrich is a strong and effective leader. On the city council, he always stood up for Albuquerque's Fire Fighters and made sure that we had the resources we needed to keep New Mexicans safe. I know that Martin Heinrich will stand up for our Fire Fighters and our safety in the Congress. IAFF Local 244 urges all Fire Fighters and all New Mexicans to support Martin Heinrich in his campaign to bring real change to Washington."

An early and enthusiastic endorsement of Heinrich by the international and local fire fighters union (IAFF and Local 224) is a major coup by the campaign. In years past the union endorsed Rep. Heather Wilson. They switched to Patricia Madrid in 2006, but did so very late in her general election campaign.

It's notable that the union decided to offer their endorsement during the primary election cycle this time, with several other Dems vying for the nomination. It also demonstrates that they evidently don't think much of the candidates on the Republican side -- Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White and State Sen. Joe Carrero. The union's early endorsement should translate into significant donations and lots of help canvassing and phone banking as Heinrich pursues the Dem nomination.

Accepting the Fire Fighters' endorsement, Martin Heinrich said, "Congress has an obligation to make sure our first responders have the resources they need to keep us safe and effectively respond to emergencies. I am pleased to have the support of New Mexico's Fire Fighters in my campaign to bring real change to Washington."

The IAFF is the third major union to endorse Heinrich. AFSCME and UFCW have previously endorsed Martin Heinrich for Congress. Click to see the campaign's other endorsements.

Heinrich is a part of the local netroots True Blue New Mexico fundraising campaign.

For our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive. The other Democrats in the NM-01 primary race are Michelle Lujan Grisham and Robert Pidcock.

NM-01: New Heinrich Video On Protecting Our Liberties

Check out the great new video by NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich. Heinrich stands with other Democrats with spine who are aren't afraid to defend the Constitution, our civil liberties and the rule of law in these dangerous times. He's critical of those on both sides of the aisle who've taken the path of least resistance by going along with Bush on the Patriot Act, warrantless wiretapping and other serious threats to our freedom. It's really satisfying to see that Heinrich is right out front taking a firm stand on this issue, while others cower in the corner more fearful of garnering criticism than of seeing our democracy trashed.

I'm not the only one impressed. See today's coverage of the video by Matt Stoller on Open Left. Excerpt:

Glenn Greenwald has gone over all the legislation passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities, including the Patriot Act, the authorization for the war in Iraq, the FISA legislation, Kyl-Lieberman, the Military Commissions Act, condemning Moveon, etc.  What we have in DC is bipartisanship, elites getting along to take away our rights and to move us towards an authoritarian state. 

Now it's relatively easy to make these arguments as a blogger or an outsider critic.  It is extremely difficult to do it as Heinrich is doing it, as a leading candidate in a Congressional district who is seeking support from the political institutions he is criticizing ... It seems to me that Heinrich is actually using his campaign to lead, and he will hopefully be one of a group of Democrats injecting new blood into a now morally bankrupt Congress.

Glenn Greenwald at Salon, one our most respected national bloggers, also posted today about the need for more Democrats to take a real stand on issues like these, and used Heinrich's video as an example:

Leaving aside how shallow and, shall we say, unserious is this endless chirping for more "bipartisanship" -- as though it's a magic feel-good formula for resolving actual policy differences -- it's hard to imagine how there could possibly be any more "bipartisanship" in Washington even if that were the only goal. Other than formally disbanding as a party -- or granting a permanent proxy of their collective vote to Mitch McConnell -- how could Congressional Democrats possibly be more accommodating than they already are?

... This superb ad, from Martin Heinrich, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 1st District of New Mexico, makes the point about as well as a political advertisement can make a point -- is it really that difficult for other Democrats to convey this message?

If we want to elect "more and better Democrats," we need to step up to the plate now and support Martin and other candidates like him with our donations of time and money, no matter how small. Click to donate to Heinrich's campaign and to volunteer a few hours of your time. If we don't stand behind our strong candidates now, we can't complain about weak Dems dominating the Party in the future.

Heinrich is a part of the True Blue New Mexico fundraising campaign.

For our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive.

Tonight On We The People: Martin Heinrich

WE THE PEOPLE
Guest: Martin Heinrich, Democratic Candidate
New Mexico First Congressional District
Watch - Think - Call-in! (505) 346-1633
New Day and Time: Wednesday, January 30th, 6 PM
Albuquerque Comcast Cable Channel 27

Not a cable subscriber? Watch simultaneously on your high-speed computer: https://www.quote-unquote.org. Click for Channel 27s Media Stream ---> down the page on the Right.

WE THE PEOPLE is an innovative call-in television show looking for TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY in local, state, and federal governments. THANKS FOR WATCHING! Mickey Bock, Host; Judith Binder, Producer.

Obama, Heinrich, Wivottt Winners of Sandoval County Dem Straw Poll

The Sandoval County Democratic Club and the Sandoval County Democratic Women's Club co-hosted a Straw Poll at a gathering last night in Rio Rancho. About 150 people attended.

In the presidential nomination poll, Javier Gonzales, the Chairman of New Mexico Highlands University's Board of Regents, spoke in support of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Former State Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim spoke on behalf of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton. Obama beat Clinton by a 50-41 margin, while John Edwards finished third with 28 votes.

Martin Heinrich won the Straw Poll for NM-01 Congressional candidates with 83% of the vote. Michelle Lujan Grisham was second with five votes. In the NM-03 Congressional candidate poll, Don Wiviott won by a margin of 51-34 with Ben R. Lujan coming in second. The Wiviott campaign issued this statement about their win:

“I’m encouraged by the support I received in Sandoval County, one of the largest counties in the district. It is clear that Democrats are ready for a change from the “business as usual” politics of Washington,” Wiviott said. “I’ve spent my life promoting responsible clean energy solutions and creating jobs. I will fight for communities in northern New Mexico—both urban and rural—creating a place where our families can succeed and our children can get a great education, good paying jobs, and raise their families.”

Over the last two decades, Wiviott has built a successful New Mexico-based business and established himself as one of the nation’s leading “green builders.” His projects in Santa Fe, like the Lofts, have helped create jobs, grow the economy and protect New Mexico’s precious natural resources. 

The Third Congressional District contains all of San Juan, Mora, Colfax, Union, Harding, Curry, Roosevelt, Los Alamos, Taos, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Quay, and most of Santa Fe, Sandoval, and McKinley counties. 

If you're a bit confused about who's running for our three open Congressional seats and one open U.S. Senate seat, check out New Mexico FBIHOP's easy .

NM GOP: We've Got a Secret (Or Two)

Coco over at Duke City Fix takes up the continuing saga of the privatized Repub Congressional candidate debate held on Saturday morning at JB's restaurant in Albuquerque. The story's been bouncing around since Friday.

Although initially billed as a public event, the GOP decided to ban the media and anyone other than Repub insiders from the scene. Since the secret nature of the forum was revealed, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White (above right) has remained firmly in the keep 'em out camp, while perennial candidate Joe Carraro, a State Senator, has come out against the ban:

"I invited the press," Carraro told the crowd. "I have nothing to hide."

Monahan reported on Friday that Rory Ogle was the guy who decided to exclude all media, angering KOB-TV and other local media. Rory also claimed both Carraro (left) and White agreed to the media ban before the event, explaining that the candidates would be more "candid" that way. I guess whenever cameras are around they intend to morph into evasive double-talkers. Remember that when these candidates emerge from their secret cocoons and into full campaign mode.

Who is GOP spokesman Rory Ogle? A blogger on Clearly New Mexico fills us in:

A curious aspect of this story is that it highlights the increasing visibility of Ogle, a former Republican state representative (District 28, Bern) as a spokesman for GOP party insiders.

Many will recall that it was Ogle who resigned from the legislature in 2004 after being arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a household member and domestic violence. It was reported that he picked up a twin bed headboard and threw it at his wife, seriously injuring her right hand.

When you have a past like that, as significant numbers of Repub politicos do these days it seems, you tend to get attached to secrecy and avoiding the press at any cost. Of course, this kind of paranoid strategizing can make it difficult for candidates to reach voters. Apparently the NM GOP is content to have their candidates preach only to the choir right now.

Come to think of it, it might not be a bad idea to keep their real views hidden from voters until the election. When you've uttered the kind of nonsense that often issues from Carraro, and you're connected at the hip to Bush-Cheney like White -- who chaired their campaign in the county in 2004 -- I imagine it might be considered prudent to keep them under wraps as long as possible.

An Antidote to Secrecy
As an antidote to all this right-wing spin, I suggest you sign up to support the campaign of Martin Heinrich, who's running on the Dem side in NM-01. He's for transparency in government, not secrecy. Martin needs donations of time and money FROM YOU to win this race. Visit his website to learn more, and/or contribute some bucks via the NM netroots True Blue New Mexico project.

You can also run to be a delegate to the Democratic Pre-Primary Convention set for February 7, 2008, and vote for Martin there. Here's how.

For our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive.

Guest Blog by Martin Heinrich: Beyond the Politics of Rove

This is a guest blog by Martin Heinrich, Democratic candidate for Congress in NM-01. He's one of the candidates featured on the NM netroots' True Blue New Mexico page.

Karl Rove is the epitome of everything that’s wrong with Washington and the Republican establishment. He’s the king of political dirty tricks and smear campaigns. His Machiavellian tactics have no moral compass and are divisive at a time when the nation is ready to unite for progress.

The politics of Rove are the politics of lies, thoughtless partisanship, deception and personal attacks. He allegedly sanctioned a racist push poll that wrongly claimed that fellow Republican John McCain had fathered an illegitimate black child. He was tied to a homophobic push poll that asked voters whether they are "more or less likely to vote for Governor [Ann] Richards if [they] knew her staff is dominated by lesbians." This is the same Rove that used the slash and burn politics of personal destruction to paint a genuine American patriot and Vietnam War hero, former Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), as a friend of Osama bin Laden.

It’s not just campaign tactics that define Karl Rove. As a Bush Administration official, Rove played a key role in the run up to the war in Iraq. He chaired meetings of the White House Iraq Group and devised communications strategies that the White House used to sell the disastrous war to the American people.

If orchestrating the sale of the Iraq War wasn’t bad enough, Rove was also investigated for his role in the Valerie Plame Affair. And, he was allegedly one of the prime movers involved in the U.S. Attorney scandal, which included firing New Mexico’s US Attorney David Igelesias.

At a 2006 White House holiday party, New Mexico Republican Party Chair Allen Weh complained to Rove that former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias failed to bring down politically motivated indictments during the campaign. Rove responded to Weh saying: “He’s gone.”

Today, Karl Rove is back in New Mexico helping his friend Allen Weh. He’s raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from hard right wing oil and gas fatcats. That’s money that will be used by New Mexico Republicans to employ Karl Rove’s style of slash and burn politics of personal destruction.

Together, we can fight back.

One of the things I am most proud of is my record of bringing people together and bridging the partisan divide.  On the Albuquerque City Council I brought business interests together with conservationists and citizen activists to craft an archeological ordinance and to conserve billions of gallons of our limited water resources.  Even when I successfully pressed an increase in the minimum wage, I kept my door open to those who disagreed or did not support the effort.  Had I not taken that inclusive approach, tens of thousands of hard working New Mexicans might not have gotten the raise they deserved.

I believe passionately that our adversaries need not be our enemies.  The Karl Rove approach ensures politics are mired in unnecessary partisanship -- even common sense solutions like the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (S-CHIP), which would give health care to tens of thousands of uninsured New Mexican children, are stymied by the kind of extreme partisanship that Rove represents. 

We can do better, and when I am in Washington, we will.

Obviously, Karl Rove has taken an early interest in New Mexico and you can be sure that he’ll be following this race very closely. That’s why I need your help. I need the resources to fight back against Rove’s politics of personal destruction.

Together, we can send a message to New Mexico Republicans that the smear and fear tactics of Rove have no place in New Mexico. I hope you’ll help by supporting my campaign and the New Mexico blogosphere’s True Blue New Mexico effort with a generous contribution.

This is a guest blog by NM-01 Democratic Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich.

To learn more about the NM netroots' True Blue New Mexico effort to raise campaign donations for NM Congressional candidates read our previous post or donate directly at the True Blue New Mexico page on Act Blue.

To see our previous coverage on the 2008 NM-01 Congressional race, visit our archive.

If you'd like to submit a guest blog for possible publication on this blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand side of the page.

(Updated) Support True Blue New Mexico: Diss Rove and Cheney

UPDATE: We've posted a guest blog by Martin Heinrich about moving beyond the politics of Karl Rove, and in support of our True Blue New Mexico effort. Check it out.
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This is an effort organized by the New Mexico netroots including and this blog.

Have you heard? The Bush-Cheney-Rove machine is still going strong, working to maintain the far right's obstructive stranglehold on Congress and beyond. Turns out Karl Rove will appear at a fundraiser for the New Mexico GOP today in Artesia, NM. And in D.C. today, Dick Cheney will host a campaign fundraiser for Steve Pearce's Senate run. He's already done a similar event for Heather Wilson, the other Repub candidate for Senate here, with the same $5000/PAC and $2000/person price tag. Given how much Republican elites have gained financially during Bush's two terms, they have a lot of money to burn for the cause, don't they?

As usual, these Repub affairs will bring in big dinero for New Mexico's Bush cronies. What can we do about it? Fight back with True Blue New Mexico! We might not be able to match the big donations of BushCo, but we can certainly blunt some of their clout with hundreds of small donations from ordinary people.

We've set up a special fundraising page at Act Blue to support the campaigns of Senate candidate Tom Udall, Martin Heinrich (NM-01), Bill McCamley (NM-02) and whichever Dem wins the primary in NM-03. Every dollar you donate from now until next Wednesday will go towards helping turn New Mexico's Congressional Delegation True Blue -- and fight back on behalf of Democrats against the relentless BushCo money machine. How can you resist?

The True Blue New Mexico Candidates
True Blue New Mexico is supporting current NM-03 Rep Tom Udall for U.S. Senate. Having voted against such travesties as the invasion of Iraq and the Patriot Act, Rep. Udall is a True Blue New Mexico progressive. His environmental credentials are impeccable and New Mexicans from every corner of the state respect Tom for his integrity, honesty and passion for Democratic principles like fairness and working for the common good. Think about what it would mean to New Mexicans from all walks of life to replace the pinched perspective of Pete Domenici with the forward-looking vision of Tom Udall -- while keeping right-wing Bush rubberstamps like Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson out of the Senate chamber altogether.

In NM-01, True Blue New Mexico is backing former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich, who's been working hard within the local conservation and environmental communities for many moons. He's been instrumental in raising the minimum wage for Albuquerque, promoting smart growth over sprawl. He's won award after award for his work to preserve and maintain New Mexico's stunning landscapes. Now he's calling for an Apollo-style program to achieve energy independence and cut greenhouse gases. Against the Iraq invasion from the start, Heinrich wants to end the occupation as soon as possible and start using the billions being spent there to benefit our pressing human, clean energy and infrastructure needs here at home. Think what it would mean to New Mexicans if we replace Heather Wilson's hypocrisies with someone who really does care about the people. Side benefit? We can keep likely Repub candidate Darren White -- who chaired the Bush-Cheney campaign in Bernalillo County -- out of the halls of Congress and away from the fray.

True Blue New Mexico believes the fresh, creative, passionate voice of Bill McCamley needs to be heard in the U.S. House representing NM-02. Running a truly grassroots operation fueled by the people power of small donations -- and face-fo-face dialogue with voters all over Southern New Mexico -- McCamley is known for working hard while other candidates are hardly working. McCamley was a breath of fresh air during his service on the Dona Ana County Commission, pushing to tamp down the destructive effects of down and dirty sprawl development and inject the process with ethical, reasonable safeguards. He's helped solve long-standing battles over water and improved health care financing. With a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, McCamley is smart, organized and effective in whatever he tackles. In a diverse district, McCamley uses effective negotiation skills, honesty and common sense to bring people together to solve problems. Think of replacing Steve Pearce with a Congressman dedicated to creating solutions -- not pushing rightwing ideologies at any cost.

Because there are several excellent candidates in NM-03, True Blue New Mexico decided to raise campaign funds for the eventual primary winner. Green builder Don Wiviott, PRC member Ben Ray Lujan and Jemez Pueblo member Benny Shendo, among others in the crowded field up north, are running lively campaigns to get on the Dem primary ballot. Whoever wins, we hope the funds we raise for the eventual nominee in NM-03 will help them carry forward the progressive platform of current Congressman Tom Udall.

Many Small Donations = Big Mojo
The forces of the Bush-Cheney -Rove agenda may have the big donors and Beltway clout to try and have their way in New Mexico's Congressional districts. What they don't have is authentic grassroots-netroots people power -- the many coming together to support a common cause. If we all pull together and toss a few bucks into the effort right now, we can be instrumental in achieving a True Blue New Mexico. We can add a second Democrat to New Mexico's Senate roster and help transform our U.S. House delegation from 2 Repubs and 1 Democrat to all True Blue. Any donation, no matter how small, will help do the trick. We can't let Rove and Cheney go unanswered today, now can we?

For our previous coverage of these races, visit our archives:

• 2008 U.S. Senate Race
• NM-01 Congressional Race
• NM-02 Congressional Race
• NM-03 Congressional Race