Democracy for New Mexico

Guest Blog: Open Letter to Bill McCamley & Harry Teague

This is a guest blog by Col. Donald E. Jonker, USAF Ret., of Las Cruces in the form of an open letter to Bill McCamley and Harry Teague, Democratic candidates for Congress in NM-02.

The President is going to ask the Legislature to approve these additions for fiscal year 2009. An additional $1.3 billion to meet health care needs for the 350,000 military men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. $3.9 billion for mental health services and $1.5 billion for prosthetic and sensory aids. This does not include the fact that some men and women will be in pain the rest of their lives. I believe all New Mexicans are interested in these tragic numbers and those of us in Democratic District Two have a right to know where our candidates stand on these issues.

Open Letter to Bill McCamley & Harry Teague
Most of us New Mexicans believe that the economy, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and health care are the three biggest areas of concern in the next election. Since I am not an expert on the economy or health care, I will stick to the wars. Almost all of the active duty, National Guard, Reserve, veterans and widows are deeply concerned about many aspects of the wars; however, I would like to concentrate on three areas: 1) Should we or should we not withdraw from the wars, and if so, when? 2) What health benefits should our military receive? And, 3) How should the VA be funded to ensure our brave young men and women returning from the wars after three, four and even five combat tours be treated for life long injuries?

If the wars go on, the cost of benefits could reach as high as $75 to $150 billion. During the wars, despite improved equipment, for every person killed there are 16 wounded and injured, an unprecedented number. (In Vietnam the ratio was 2.6 for every death and in Korea it was 2.8 for every death.) For 2009, the President has asked for $1.3 billion for health care needs, $3.9 billion for mental health services, and $1.5 billion for prosthetic and sensory aids. That's only $6.7 billion -- nowhere near what is necessary.

On behalf of all military and veterans, I would like to challenge both Mr. McCamley and Mr. Teague to debate these issues and these issues only. I believe these concerns are so important that the outcome of this debate should be a strong determining factor in choosing whom put forth as the Democratic nominee from District Two.

Military, veterans, widows and concerned citizens, send your comments to: www.billmccamley.com and www.harryteagueforcongress08.com.

This is a guest blog by Col. Donald E. Jonker, USAF Ret., of Las Cruces. Col. Jonker commanded a Fighter Squadron in Vietnam and flew 120 combat missions. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, eight Air Medals and others. In addition to running a consulting firm with his wife, Dr. Pat Jonker Ph.D of NMSU, Don is currently Chairman of the Dona Ana County Labor/Management Board; Chairman of the Dona Ana County Airport Advisory Board; Director of the Picacho Hills Country Club and Director of the Special Deputy Sheriff's Commission.

Guest blogs provide our readers a chance to express themselves on topics of interest to the political discourse here, and may or may not express the views of the DFNM blog. If you'd like to submit a post for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of the page.

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, Harry Teague, NM-02, New Mexico

NM-02: Latest on McCamley Campaign

Two big endorsements were unveiled this week for Bill McCamley, Dem candidate for Congress in New Mexico's Second District. I've already reported on 2006 Dem nominee Al Kissling's endorsement. He's now been joined by the National Sierra Club. Their support is a great recognition of the importance McCamley's campaign has placed on protecting our environment and developing alternative energy.

The campaign has also released video footage of their check-signing ceremony where McCamley loaned his campaign $47.50 (see above). As Bill explains, it was a fun event, but it had a serious purpose: "It highlighted the difference between our candidacy that is funded mostly by small and medium-sized donors from across the District and the country, and our opponent's candidacy, which is funded primarily by oil money. Can you help us continue to point out that difference? Can you contribute $47.50, $475, or $4,750 to our campaign? You can do so quickly and securely by clicking here or by sending a check made out to "Bill McCamley for Congress" to: Bill McCamley for Congress, PO Box 6552, Las Cruces, NM 88006."

In his latest email, McCamley suggests a few more ways to help out:

TAKE TWO SECONDS TO HELP RIGHT NOW: Go to Heath Haussamen's blog and vote in the online poll on the right-hand side. Just click here to get to it. You don't have to log in or register or anything. The poll ends Sunday evening!

VOLUNTEER:  Find out ways to get involved by clicking . There are lots of ways to help.  If you want to call or walk a precinct, work on inputting data, put together yard signs, or any number of other activites, there are always opportunities available.  Just call the office at (575) 525-9329.

CONTRIBUTE:  Of course, if you've got a few dollars (or $6,900) lying around, we're really getting down the wire. You can contribute quickly and securely by clicking here or by sending a check made out to "Bill McCamley for Congress" to: Bill McCamley for Congress, PO Box 6552, Las Cruces, NM 88006.

Thank you all so much for your support so far.  Now is the time to take it to the next level! --Bill

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, NM-02, New Mexico, Democrats, Sierra Club, Al Kissling, endorsements, grassroots

NM-02: Kissling Endorses McCamley

Today Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that Al Kissling (right), the 2006 Democratic nominee for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, was endorsing his candidacy for US Congress.

“Bill and I may not agree on everything, but I have been very impressed with his energy and efforts crisscrossing this extensive district and making contact with the people,” said Kissling. “For me, issues are critical in this campaign because we need someone in Congress who can work to solve problems and not just fill the seat. I have watched Bill as grows in his knowledge of the issues, and I feel that he will continue to develop in this area.”

“I am humbled to have Mr. Kissling’s support,” said McCamley (right). “Al was the only one with the courage and commitment to stand up to Steve Pearce in the last election. Al understands what it means to fight for Democratic values, not just to talk about them. I look forward to having him supporting me on the campaign trail as we spread our message of fixing Washington so it works for the middle class and not special interests."

Al Kissling was the Democratic nominee for the Second Congressional District in 2006 against Steve Pearce. He won over 40% of the vote.

McCamley is a Doña Ana County Commissioner and former Executive Director of the New Mexico Rural Development Council. He recently won the Democratic Party’s Pre-Primary Convention for the Second Congressional District with 49% of the Convention delegates over his remaining opponent’s 36% in a tremendous show of strength. Internal polling has shown McCamley leading his opponent by over 20%.

McCamley has previously been endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 7,000 New Mexico workers, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents over 12,000 city, county, state, and university employees in New Mexico. He also been endorsed by numerous present and former Democratic officials in New Mexico’s Second District.

McCamley’s campaign website is www.billmccamley.com.

Technorati Tags:NM-02, New Mexico, Al Kissling, Bill McCamley, Democrats, primaries, endorsements

Leadership Roswell to Host Two-Day Candidate Forum

The Leadership Roswell Alumni Association candidate forum will be held on May 5 and 6 at 6:30 PM at the First Baptist Church, 500 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Roswell. On May 5th the 2nd CD congressional candidates will answer questions, and on May 6th the two Republican candidates in State Senate District 33 (Rod Adair vs. Rory McMinn) and State House District 57 primaries (Dan Foley vs. Dennis Kintigh), respectively, will answer questions. Candidates in other local races will also be participating.

The candidates will answer questions prepared by the forum's committee they haven't seen ahead of time, taking turns on who answers first, and be granted two minutes each to answer. According to an article about the two-day forum in the Roswell Daily Record:

"Our ultimate goal is to educate the community so that when they go to vote they can make a knowledgeable choice on the ballot," said Rick Kraft executive director of Leadership Roswell. Kraft will participate as moderator for the forum.

"This is only the second time we've held a primary forum," he said. "With so many contested positions this year, we felt it would be a real service to the community."

This forum will mark the organization's 22nd candidate forum, said Toni Hall, chair of the Leadership Roswell Alumni Association Candidate Forum Committee.

"We're expecting excellent participation," she said.

Although candidates in uncontested primaries were not invited to participate in the primary forum, they are asked to participate in the general election forum to be held this fall, Hall said.

Seeking nomination for the 2nd Congressional seat, Democrats Bill McCamley and Harry Teague, along with Republicans Edward Tinsley, Monty Newman, Earl Greer and Greg Sowards, will participate in the forum on May 5. Republican candidate Aubrey Dunn will not be able to attend.

Seeking election to the position of district attorney for the 5th Judicial District, Republicans Janetta Hicks, and incumbent Terry Haake will also participate in the May 5 forum.

Republican candidates for state representative in District 57, Dennis Kintigh and incumbent Rep. Dan Foley, will participate in the May 6 forum, along with Republican candidates seeking the state senator position in District 33, incumbent Sen. Rod Adair and Rory McMinn.

Republican candidates for County Commission in Districts 2, 3 and 4, along with those seeking the county treasurer position, will also participate on May 6.

From District 2, Dr. Doug Gillies and Dale Haverland will be present. Kim Chesser will not be attending the forum. In District 3, incumbent Alice Eppers and opponent Kyle "Smiley" Wooton will be present, along with District 4 candidates, incumbent Richard Taylor and George Aho.

Republican candidates for county treasurer Steven C. Harris, Steve J. Staeden Jr. and Dara Dana will all participate.

Technorati Tags:Roswell, New Mexico, candidate forums, Harry Teague, Bill McCamley, Edward Tinsley, Monty Newman, Earl Greer, Greg Sowards

NM-02: McCamley Makes Extraordinary Loan to Campaign!

McCamley announces loan at campaign HQ this morning

I reported earlier today, as breaking news, that the McCamley campaign would be unveiling something unique this morning.  Now it's official. Bill McCamley made an extra-special and highly symbolic $47.50 loan to his campaign today. He's also asking his many grassroots supporters to make a campaign contribution in that same amount to help offset the hundreds of thousands of dollars his primary rival, Harry Teague, has tossed into his own campaign coffers. Click to (or any amount you can afford) to McCamley's campaign.

I'm a big admirer of McCamley and the feisty (and successful) campaign he's been running. Bill's campaign loan provides a clever commentary on the difficulties a grassroots candidate faces when going up against a monied opponent with insider political ties and numerous colleagues in the oil business. The question that naturally comes to mind is, what will all that oil money really buy? Do you realize that you may be contributing to McTeague's campaign, in a way, simply by filling up your vehicle? Read all about it:

LAS CRUCES – Today Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that he has loaned $47.50 to his campaign in a ceremony at his headquarters in Las Cruces. This follows one day after McCamley’s opponent, oil industry executive Harry Teague, loaned his campaign $475,000.

McCamley with THE CHECK

“I am not a millionaire oil industry executive, but I am pleased to provide my campaign with this contribution,” said McCamley. “With gas prices reaching new records every day, this $47.50 will almost pay for our campaign’s next tank of gas as we take our message of fixing Washington for the middle class across the Second District.”

Gas prices hit another national record high last week of $3.60 a gallon, according to Reuters.

“Just remember, every time you see a TV ad from Mr. Teague, you’re paying for it at the pump,” said McCamley. “Gas prices are just one of the many economic challenges that are hurting middle class families and workers throughout New Mexico and across the nation. We need someone in Washington who will stand up to the oil companies and the other special interests to make government work for the people again.”

McCamley’s contribution is exactly one 10,000th of Teague’s recent contributions. After the ceremony, McCamley announced he would be asking his supporters to contribute an additional $47.50 to his campaign.

McCamley’s campaign website is www.billmccamley.com.

Note: Matthew Reichbach at The New Mexico Independent has an excellent article about techniques being used by candidates this year to try and make it fun for small donors to participate. McCamley's campaign loan to himself today is another example.

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, NM-02, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Harry Teague, Democrats, primaries, campaign finance

NM-02: Breaking: McCamley to Make Loan to His Campaign

UPDATE: See my later post.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR A FULL REPORT LATER TODAY
Today Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that he will loan $47.50 to his campaign in a ceremony this morning at his headquarters in Las Cruces. This follows one day after McCamley’s opponent, oil industry executive Harry Teague, loaned his campaign $475,000.

“I am not a millionaire or oil industry executive, but I am pleased to provide my campaign with this contribution,” said McCamley. “With gas prices reaching new records everyday, this $47.50 will almost pay for our campaign’s next tank of gas as we take our message of fixing Washington for the middle class across the Second District.”

Have you checked out McCamley's new campaign yet?

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, NM-02, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Harry Teague, Democrats, primaries, campaign finance

NM-02: AFSCME Endorses McCamley

More good news (and more momentum) for Bill McCamley's campaign. Congressional candidate and Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced that the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) had endorsed his candidacy for US Congress in New Mexico’s Second Congressional District. AFSCME represents over 12,000 city, county, state, and university employees in New Mexico. AFSCME New Mexico’s Political Action Committee voted to endorse McCamley, citing his “great relationship with labor over the years.”

“Bill is going to do great things for Southern New Mexico,” said Committee Member Fred Marquez.  “We are going to work hard to make sure he is our next Representative in Washington.”

“I am thrilled to receive AFSCME’s support,” said McCamley. “I am committed to changing Washington to get results for the people of southern New Mexico, including the hard-working public servants that AFSCME represents.”

McCamley is a Doña Ana County Commissioner and was Executive Director of the New Mexico Rural Development Council.

McCamley recently won the Democratic Party’s Pre-Primary Convention for the Second Congressional District with 49% of the Convention delegates over his remaining opponent’s 36% in a tremendous show of strength.  Internal polling showed McCamley leading his opponent by over 20%.

He has previously been endorsed by the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents over 7,000 New Mexico workers. 

Since declaring his candidacy in April, McCamley has put over 50,000 miles on his car – enough to circle the earth twice – traveling to every county in the district to listen to the concerns of constituents.  He has raised $350,000.

McCamley’s campaign website is www.billmccamley.com. No donation is too small to help NM-02's grassroots candidate. Just do it.

Technorati Tags:Bill McCamley, Las Cruces, New Mexico, NM-02, AFSCME, Democrats, primaries, endorsements

(Updated) NM-02: Grant County Progressives Sponsor Silver City Dem Candidate Forum

UPDATE: I just learned that Harry Teague has turned down the invitation for the candidate forum as explained by the Grant County Progressives: "Harry Teague, district two Democratic candidate for Congress, is going to be a no-show. District two Democratic candidate for Congress Bill McCamley will definitely be attending for the whole event. Because of that, we have decided to invite all of the Democratic candidates for Grant County Commission Dists. 2 and 3 to join us at the Silco Theater to speak and answer questions in concert with Bill McCamley. Most of the commission candidates have already accepted."
*****************
From John Fridinger and Richard Earnhart, Silver City:
A number of local Progressives here in Grant County have voiced an interest in hearing what the two Democratic candidates running to replace Republican Steve Pearce in Congressional District 2 have to say. Several of us would like to help that conversation happen outside of the framework of a political party. 

We have gotten together to rent the Silco Theater for April 30th from 6:30-8:30 PM, and we've invited Harry Teague and Bill McCamley to come, meet, greet, and talk about their respective positions on issues important to Progressive members of this community. The format will be questions from the audience with answers from the candidates.

Progressive Forum for Congressional District 2
Democratic Candidates Harry Teague (invited) & Bill McCamley
Wednesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30 PM
Silco Theater, 311 Bullard Street, Downtown Silver City
Come early and bring a voting friend!

Mr. McCamley has accepted and we are on his schedule, and though we don't have a confirmation from Mr. Teague's campaign at this writing. We hope that he makes the right decision to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

The Democratic Party Primary is on June 3rd. Only registered Democrats can vote in the June primary.

Both of these candidates want your vote. Meet them face to face, make up your minds, help them to win in June and then most importantly in November.  NOW is the time for us to begin to get rid of the Bush administration clone Steve Pearce.  Let's let these two fellows know what really matters to Progressives.

This event is co-sponsored by the Grant County Progressives.

To see our previous coverage of the 2008 NM-02 Congressional race, see our archive.

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NM-02: Teague Up First in District With TV Ads

Today Harry Teague's campaign for Congress released its first TV ads of 2008. The two 30 second ads can be seen starting today. One provides bio material on the candidate and the other focuses on ending the Iraq war. According to a campaign release, "These ads are part of Harry Teague's commitment to share his plan to get real results on the issues that matter most to New Mexico families: bringing our troops home from Iraq, access to affordable health care, improving education and bringing new jobs to New Mexico."

"I want the people of the 2nd Congressional District to know I am committed to bring our troops home from Iraq, to providing access to healthcare, improving our schools, and creating good jobs here in New Mexico," Teague said. "The ads we started running today are just part of my effort to let voters know I plan to go to Washington and get things done for New Mexico families."

The campaign release continues, "Harry was born in Oklahoma and moved to New Mexico when he was nine years old. He was forced to drop out of school when he was 17 to provide for his family. He now runs his own company with over 250 employees. He served eight years on the Lea County Commission, including three years as Chairman. He has served as a member and chairman of many boards, for groups including, Lea County Big Brother Big Sister, Lea County Fair, and the Boys and Girls Club of Hobbs, among many others. Learn more at Harry's website at www.harryteagueforcongress08.com."

Teague's competitor in the NM-02 race is popular grassroots candidate Bill McCamley. In the only polling released on the race so far, McCamley beat Teague by a margin of 43-22% with 35% still undecided. McCamley also topped Teague's delegate vote at last month's Dem preprimary convention 48.71% to 36.47% in a four-candidate competition. The other two candidates, Al Kissling and Frank McKinnon, have since dropped out of the race.

To see our previous coverage of the 2008 Congressional race in NM-02, visit our archive.

National Politicos Converging on New Mexico

Hillary Clinton will be jetting in and out of Albuquerque on Sunday for a big-ticket fundraiser organized by former Ambassador to Spain, Ed Romero:

At Clinton's fundraiser, invitees will pay $2,300 to be "sponsors," while "friends" pay $1,000 for the catered event of Spanish tapas, wine and sherry. Romero declined to say how much Clinton hopes to raise.

The guest list will include Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, former state Democratic Party chairman John Wertheim and former Ambassador Joe Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame, who says she was outed as a CIA operative after her husband criticized the Bush administration's handling of prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Payback for Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama? I wouldn't be surprised. What I am surprised about is that the hosts are seeking funds for Clinton's lagging prez campaign at a time when local cash donations are in high demand here. With all three U.S. House seats and Domenici's U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, Dem candidates in New Mexico are scrambling hard for contributions, especially after so many resources went to support Gov. Richardson's prez run. Reports are abundant that the Clinton campaign is running out of cash and delaying payments to vendors, as pressure builds from many quarters for her to withdraw from an increasingly unwinnable race and Obama continues to snag endorsements from prominent superdelegates.

GOP Tamaya Huddle
Meanwhile, out at Santa Ana Pueblo's Hyatt Regency Tamaya near Bernalillo we've got a big meeting going on this week of the GOP State Party Chairs from all over the nation, led by Republican National Committee Chair Mike Duncan (right). Duncan has made it clear that the Repubs will be targeting New Mexico with everything they've got in the 2008 election cycle:

"New Mexico is a battleground target state for us," Republican National Committee chairman Mike Duncan told The Associated Press. "We recognize it's going to be an important state for us."

Darren White: GOP Beltway Fave
Besides touting the prez campaign of John McCain, the RNC is also taking sides early and rallying around the Congressional candidacy of Darren White in NM-01 -- to the detriment of the Party's other primary candidate, State Sen. Joe Carraro.

It's unusual for the national or state party to openly take sides in a contested primary race, but Duncan said party rules allow that when requested by a state's RNC members. New Mexico's three RNC members, who include state chairman Allen Weh, submitted a letter to the national party asking it to treat White as the presumptive nominee. The letter was sent after White received 85 percent of the vote of delegates at the party's preprimary nominating convention in mid-March.

Of course the RNC will be pushing hard for Darren White -- he was the Bush campaign's chair in Bernalillo County in 2004. Repub bigwigs know that Darren's loyalty will always be given first and foremost to the Beltway rightwing establishment. If elected (heaven forbid), he'll be a dependable supporter of the insider Repub agenda whether it benefits New Mexicans or not. White has always answered to the demands of the GOP extremists in DC. What's worse is that he seems to sincerely believe in the policies that have brought us a quagmire in Iraq, an economic tsunami at home, a compromised Constitution, a broken health care system and a dearth of good-paying jobs.