Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Martin Heinrich Going 100 Miles an Hour

Mary Ellen happened to run into NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich today as she was visiting the Obama campaign office at Central and Carlisle and he stopped to fill us in on how his campaign's going with 58 days until the election. As he says, "If we turn out this year we're gonna turn New Mexico Blue -- top to bottom and North to South -- and it's all up to YOU."

Click to visit the Heinrich campaign's Voting Center where you can request a voter registration form, see if you're already registered to vote and get all the info you need on voting. You can vote by mail, you can vote early or you can vote on election day, Tuesday, November 4th.

THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH! If you're not registered, start the process NOW.

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NM-01: Roll Call's SurveyUSA Poll Has Heinrich Leading White 51-46%

Good news is breaking out all over for Dems at this point in the 2008 election cycle, including New Mexico's First Congressional District. A poll conducted by SurveyUSA for Roll Call shows Dem Martin Heinrich leading Repub Darren White by a margin of 51-46%. The poll of 631 likely voters was conducted August 26-28 and has a 4-point margin of error. As Roll Call reports:

To House Democrats, New Mexico’s 1st district has been like Moby Dick to Ahab. Democrats have spent 40 years trying to wrest the Albuquerque-based seat — a perpetual swing district on the presidential level — from the Republicans’ hands.

But a new poll conducted exclusively for Roll Call suggests that 2008 may finally be the Democrats’ year.

The article admits the race is no "slam dunk" for Dems, but points out that results of the same poll regarding the presidential race in NM-01 may mean that Heinrich will get an additional boost from an Obama victory in the District. Presidential coattails can be mighty:

But White and Republicans have one apparent political trend to worry about: According to the poll, the 1st district is no longer a swing district in the White House election.

In 2004, Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), the Democratic presidential nominee, carried the district by just 3 points. In 2000, former Vice President Al Gore won by 1 point. But in the Roll Call poll, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) led presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), 55 percent to 41 percent.

This suggests that White, who is better known than Heinrich, is running against a Democratic headwind in the Land of Enchantment. And if Obama is so far ahead in the 1st district, his chances of carrying New Mexico in November are excellent, because the state’s 3rd district is a Democratic stronghold, and the 2nd district almost always goes Republican in White House elections.

And get this:

To hold this district, Republicans will try to paint Heinrich as an out of touch liberal. But in the poll he was leading among self-described moderates and among Independents.

The Roll Call article also analyzes the poor favorable-unfavorable numbers for Heather Wilson and John McCain in the poll and how that also favors Heinrich. Things are definitely looking up in the First District -- so now's the time to rachet up the action. Donate what you can afford in terms of money and time to the Heinrich campaign.

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NM-01: New Heinrich TV Ad in Heavy Rotation

NM-01 Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich is up on the air in heavy rotation with his first TV ad called "A Single Day." I confess I don't like many political ads, but I love this one. It's got a great lead-in hook, showing a group of young children with Martin addressing the camera to note, "These children have yet to experience a single day when we're not at war or in recession."

The ad emphasizes that Heinrich is dedicated to bringing New Mexicans "a new start" -- not more of the disastrous policies of the Bush administration -- and mentions the Iraq war, the economy, alternative energy, tax cuts and better care for our veterans. I think the ad's effective in contrasting the failures of Bush (and his cronies like Darren White) with what Martin and other Dems can bring to the table to genuinely help New Mexico families. What do you think?

Good to see Martin come out swinging now that Labor Day is past and campaign season is kicking into high gear. To help keep the ad on the air, donate a few bucks to the cause.

The Heinrich campaign is also urging supporters to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav on the Gulf Coast by giving to the American Red Cross or other relief organizations.

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NM-01: Steny Hoyer, Heinrich to Hold Wednesday Press Conference, Tour Sandia Labs

Martin and Micah Heinrich on Labor Day travels

From the Martin Heinrich for Congress campaign: Martin Heinrich will host a press conference and tour of Sandia National Laboratories with Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, this Wednesday, September 3rd, at 3:15 PM. Majority Leader Hoyer and Heinrich will tour Sandia National Laboratories and meet with researchers in the solar energy and nuclear labs.

"Politics aside, it is critical that when our national leaders come to Albuquerque they see first-hand how important Sandia Labs is to Central New Mexico," said Martin Heinrich. "Sandia is emerging as an international leader for an innovative energy solutions and Sandia scientists do invaluable research for national security. I am proud to bring the Majority Leader to Sandia Labs so we can work together to ensure the Labs receive the research funding they need."

Press Conference
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Hon. Martin Heinrich
Guard Gate Entrance, Sandia National Laboratories,
Eubank Blvd SE, ABQ
Wednesday, September 3, 3:15 PM

All members of the press and the public are welcome to meet Majority Leader Hoyer and talk with him about the importance of Sandia and our National Labs to our nation.

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Saturday: Udall, Heinrich, Lujan Join Chairman Colon at Rio Rancho Dem Party Office Opening

The DPNM has announced it will be celebrating the opening of its Rio Rancho office on Saturday, August 16th, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM. The new office is located at 4100 Southern Blvd, Suite 7; Rio Rancho, NM 87124 (map). Come on down and meet U.S. Senate Candidate, Congressman Tom Udall; NM-01 Congressional candidate and former City Council President Martin Heinrich; NM-03 Congressional candidate, Commissioner Ben Ray Luján; and DPNM Chairman Brian S. Colón.

"This is an historic election year, with unprecedented excitement surrounding not just the Presidential election, but New Mexico's Senate and Congressional campaigns," said Brian S. Colón, Chairman of the DPNM. "As a party, we have responded to this excitement, opening offices in all corners of the state, including this one here in Rio Rancho, to ensure we send an all-Democrat delegation to Washington in November."

Saturday: Join Defenders of Wildlife Santa Fe Volunteer Day of Action

From the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund: We're organizing a Volunteer Day of Action this Saturday, August 16, in Santa Fe. Canvassers will talk with registered voters, encouraging them to vote for Barack Obama, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich in the 1st Congressional District. Here's how to get involved:

What: Join us for canvassing starting at Noon. Well be driving to Rio Rancho from Santa Fe, and be back in Santa Fe by 5 PM. We'll provide transportation to/from Santa Fe OR you can phone bank in Santa Fe to registered voters throughout the state, anytime from 1:30 PM to 5 PM.

Where: Meet for both activities at 826 Camino del Monte Rey, on the second floor in the reading room. The location is north of St. Michael's off of St. Francis Street in Santa Fe.

RSVP for Canvass to: Maggie Raiken at 505-254-4756; no need to RSVP for phone bank. We will provide food for lunch for our volunteers.

NM-01: Heinrich Again in ActBlue Top Five Fundraisers

Heinrich with other Netroots All-Stars at Netroots Nation in Austin

Once again, NM-01's Dem Congressional candidate Martin Heinrich is among the top five fundraisers on ActBlue, this time for the week of August 4-10. Heinrich even beat out two of the netroots' most popular candidates -- Al Franken, who's running for the Senate in Minnesota, and Rick Noriega, who's the Dem Senate candidate in Texas:

1. Accountability Now | $146,210.97
2. Kay Hagan | NC-Sen | $36,083.47
3. Martin Heinrich | NM-01 | $20,475.90
4. Al Franken | MN-Sen | $19,652.58
5. Rick Noriega | TX-Sen | $14,786.13
6. Scott Kleeb | NE-Sen | $12,856.81
7. Jon Powers | NY-26 | $11,523.75
8. Gary Peters | MI-09 | $10,860.60
9. Russ Warner | CA-26 | $9,947.26
10. Annette Taddeo | FL-18 | $9,185.67

Most recently, Heinrich made ActBlue's top five for the week of June 30 to July 6th. Here's what ActBlue has to say about Martin Heinrich:

3. Martin Heinrich (NM-01)
Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich is running for Congress in New Mexico's 1st District. Heinrich, once director of a foundation dedicated to science and environmental education, has served on several boards focused on environmental, open space, and urban issues, and has used his time on the City Council to work toward making New Mexico a leader in alternative energy and energy efficiency. Heinrich is running against Republican Darren White, who was recently aided by a George W. Bush fundraiser in Albuquerque.

The Heinrich campaign is once again leading the way in terms of innovative fundraising asks. This week, we noticed that one of Heinrich's mentees, Javier Benavidez, created a page, as he says, in the spirit of Sam Cooke. On the page, called "A Change is Gonna Come," Benavidez explains what he saw in Heinrich as a boss and mentor, and asks his closest friends for help. See the ask at https://www.actblue.com/page/achangeisgonnacome.

Heinrich's ActBlue hubpage: https://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18006

Heinrich's campaign site: https://www.martinheinrich.com

A grand total of $344,160 has been raised to date for the Heinrich campaign on various pages on ActBlue. And he's going to need every penny and more in his contest against the GOP's Darren White. You know what to do.

Photo by M.E. Broderick. Click on image for larger version.

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NM-01: Hey Darren, Who Paid for Your Hospital Stay?

The rumors are swirling about the possibility that Heather Wilson and her power brokers (like Pete Domenici) are trying to push Darren White out  as the GOP Congressional candidate in NM-01. The talk is that Darren is such a weak candidate, poor fundraiser and loose cannon on the campaign trail that certain biggies in the GOP would love to shove him aside and insert Heather into the race for what is currently her seat. No matter. To me, Darren and Heather are two peas in a pod. And the pod is owned by the mega-corp lobbyists who are part and parcel of the Bush-McCain team.

Nobody seems to know where the rumors started, or if they have any validity. But what we do know is that even though White lacks some important candidate skills, he has something that more than 419,000 New Mexicans and 47 million American don't have -- health insurance. Last week, when White injured his back, New Mexico's government and taxpayers picked up the tab for his hospital stay.

White Was Against Universal Health Care Before He Was For It: Darren has his top-notch health insurance but he's been against making sure that New Mexicans have theirs. White said he opposed health care for every New Mexican at the Health Action New Mexico Forum earlier this year. However, now that his injury has put him in the spotlight on health care, he's changing his tune -- at least rhetorically. He's suddenly pretending he's all for universal health care. Yesterday, he said our country should, "provide affordable, accessible, and portable health care to all those New Mexico families and children." 

Quite a flip flop.

This is the guy who in 2004 worked as the Bernalillo County campaign chair to re-elect President George Bush -- a president who has fought tooth and nail against sane health care policies and for very damaging ones. For instance, Bush and his cohorts have refused to expand S-CHIP coverage for children and pushed hard for cutting Medicare payments to phyisicians.

The Bush-White health care policies have clearly failed New Mexico. For instance, since 2000, premiums for family health insurance in New Mexico have risen by more than 50% under George Bush's administration.

"The issue of health care is too important to trust Darren White and his election year flip-flops," said Josh Geise, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. "Obviously, we're glad that Darren White received quality care and is back on the campaign trail, but we can't help but ask, how about New Mexico's working families? Should they be able to receive the same quality of care? Which position is it, Darren?"

Background:

• In New Mexico, an average of 419,000 people lacked health insurance in 2005-06. In America, 47 million people lack health insurance. [Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce; Joint Economic Committee]
• Darren White said, "I oppose universal health care." [Health Action New Mexico Forum, 5/08/08]
• Between 2000 and 2005, premiums for family health insurance in New Mexico increased by more than 50 percent. [Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]

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NM-01: Candidate Forum/Debate Schedule

Mark your calendars for these candidate forums and debates scheduled for our NM-01 Congressional candidate, Martin Heinrich, and his Repub challenger, Darren White. Click on the links for available info or contacts for the events.

Friday, August 22nd - 11:00AM
WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy) Forum
Marriot Pyramid North, ABQ

Saturday, September 6th - 12:00PM
NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees) Forum
Palo Duro Senior Center, 5221 Palo Duro NE, ABQ

Sunday, October 26th - 9:30AM
Congregation Albert Debate
Congregation Albert, 3800 Louisiana Boulevard NE, ABQ
Tickets that include brunch available in October
Debate open to public first come, first served

Sunday, October 26th - 4:00PM
KOAT / Albuquerque Journal Debate
KOAT Channel 7

Thursday: Rahm Emanuel in NM to Raise Funds for Congressional Candidates

Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel will be in New Mexico tomorrow, Thursday, August 7th, to help all three of our Dem Congressional candidates raise funds. Rep. Emanuel formerly chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and is the current Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. He'll be at fundraisers on Thursday for NM-01 candidate Martin Heinrich, NM-02 candidate Harry Teague and NM-03 candidate Ben Ray Luján.

In addition, Martin Heinrich will host a press conference in Albuquerque with Emanuel -- the fourth-highest ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership -- as well as members of New Mexico's law enforcement and first responders. Sheriff Greg Solano will be attending as well as representatives of Sheriffs John Paul Trujillo and Rene Rivera. The event will be held at 3:30 PM at Highland Park, located at Silver SE and Elm SE. Emanual and law enforcement will stand side-bys-side to support Heinrich.

In Santa Fe, Emanuel will host a fundraiser for Ben Ray Lujan at Gabriel's Restaurant on U.S. 84/285 north of town. Emanuel will also appear with Harry Teague on Thursday. Details are still pending on these.

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