Democracy for New Mexico

NM-01: Two More Unions Endorse Heinrich

Yesterday, two more unions announced their endorsements of Martin Heinrich in the NM-01 Congressional race. The Sheet Metal Workers Local 49 and the Albuquerque Federation of Teachers Local 1420, a division of the American Federation of Teachers, both came out in favor of Heinrich. Altogether, eleven unions have endorsed Martin's campaign.

In addition to the strong union support, four organizations, two pueblos, eight state legislators, six city councilors and nine other former elected officials and community leaders have formally endorsed Heinrich. Click here for a full list of endorsements.

To donate to Martin's campaign, click here. He's exceeded his original goal of raising $15,000 online by the end of this quarter's fundraising cycle on March 31st, and is now shooting for $25,000 in donations. Also, there are some terrific fundraising events happening tonight through Monday, from a wine and cheese tasting to a house party to a gourmet BBQ with the candidate. Click here to learn more and RSVP.

Two Senators Come Forward to Declare Win for Obama

Following on the heels of Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Barack Obama, are other Dem leaders coalescing around the candidacy of Obama and opening a dialogue to encourage Clinton to admit defeat and withdraw from the race? At least two have come forward since yesterday, as reported by Taegan Goddard:

Yesterday, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT:
"I think it's very difficult to imagine how anyone can believe that Barack Obama can't be the nominee of the party. I think that's a foregone conclusion, in my view, at this juncture given where things are."

Today, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT):
"There is no way that Senator Clinton is going to win enough delegates to get the nomination. She ought to withdraw and she ought to be backing Senator Obama. Now, obviously that's a decision that only she can make frankly I feel that she would have a tremendous career in the Senate."

More good news for Obama's campaign -- he's now up by eight points in Gallup's daily national polling.

Meanwhile, DNC Chair Howard Dean is talking to the media about ending the contest by July 1st at the latest, after the June primaries. From the AP

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NM-03: Wiviott Endorses "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq"

Darcy Burner, Dem Congressional candidate in WA-08, and Major General Paul Eaton worked together, with input from other distinguished experts, to produce "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq." The plan was unveiled at the recent Take Back America Conference in Washington DC. Its supporters are encouraging candidates for U.S. House and Senate seats and others to band together and formally endorse the plan so they can be on the record about the policies they support to end the Iraq occupation and change course to a more rational policy in the region. In this way, the grassroots/netroots can target support to candidates who are willing to demonstrate their commitment to bringing our troops home in an expeditious manner and working to make meaningful diplomacy and green energy intiatives top priorities.

Here's a list of the endorsers of the plan to date. Activists around the nation are being urged to submit the plan to U.S. House and Senate candidates in their districts and request their endorsements. NM-03 candidate Don Wiviott is the first New Mexican candidate to sign on. His campaign released the following statement today about his decision to support the plan:

Today, Don Wiviott officially joined 41 other congressional challengers across the country and endorsed “A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq,” a comprehensive, 36 page document endorsed by Major General Paul Eaton, Dr. Lawrence Korb (Asst. Secretary of Defense under President Reagan), Brigadier General John Johns and Captain Larry Seaquist (former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning). The plan has also been endorsed by a 37 U.S. House candidates and 4 U.S. Senate candidates.

Endorsing the plan, Don Wiviott said, “It's time to bring George Bush and Dick Cheney's foreign policy disaster to a responsible end. Make no mistake about it - fixing the quagmire that Bush, Cheney and the Washington Republicans created won't be easy. But with this plan, we have a thoughtful and responsible approach to bring our troops home, promote stability in Iraq, deal with the humanitarian crisis and take care of our troops when they come home. I’m pleased to endorse this comprehensive and responsible plan to bring the war in Iraq to an honorable end.”

Joining Wiviott in endorsing the plan is Major General Paul Eaton. From 2003 – 2004, Major General Eaton served in Baghdad and was charged with rebuilding the Iraqi army. He said, “What we’re after with this plan is a means of responsibly concluding the military war in Iraq... I’m proud of this document and the people that produced it.”

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New Report Tallies Likely NM Deaths Due to Lack of Health Coverage

From Families USA:
Five people die each week in New Mexico because they don’t have health insurance, says a new report by Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers. The Families USA report, the first-ever state-specific report of this type, is based on a groundbreaking national study by the Institute of Medicine, which in 2002 forged the direct link between a lack of health coverage and deaths from health-related causes. (Read the entire report, Dying for Coverage in New Mexico.)

“Our report highlights how our inadequate system of health coverage condemns a great number of New Mexicans to an early death simply because they don’t have the same access to health care as their insured neighbors,” Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today. “The conclusions are sadly clear—a lack of health coverage is a matter of life and death for many New Mexicans. Health insurance really matters in how people make their health care decisions,” Pollack said. “We know that people without insurance often forgo checkups, screenings, and other preventive care.”

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DNC Seeking Applicants for Candidate Training for LBGT People of Color

From Parag Mehta at the DNC:
Please forward this info and the flyer linked below to any LGBT people of color you know who might be interested in running for office.

The Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute is partnering with the Democratic National Committee and the National Black Justice Coalition to host a training for LGBT candidates of color - including African, Asian, Hispanic, Native and Pacific Islander Americans. It will take place in Baltimore, Maryland from April 23-26, 2008. To learn more or apply, please go to: www.glli.org/training. Scholarships are available. Click for flyer (pdf).

1Sky Launches First Action: Ask Heather Wilson to Sign Global Warming Pledge

If you're not yet familiar with 1Sky New Mexico, you should be. According to their website, "1Sky is an effort to galvanize a more powerful climate movement. It is not a new institution or even a coalition. Its purpose is to communicate a positive vision and a clear, simple set of goals and policy initiatives that are commensurate with the scale of the climate challenge, and to build the necessary power to solve global warming and put America on a new path for energy. 1Sky New Mexico is a project of New Energy Economy and is intended to aggregate the power of those concerned about climate and energy." Click to learn more about their team.

1Sky is holding its first action event in the state -- B.Y.O. Blue -- on Friday, March 28, at 10:00 AM at the Albuquerque office of Rep. Heather Wilson at 20 First Plaza NW. You're invited to join other advocates for solutions to global warming at a press conference and rally highlighting Rep. Wilson's record on climate change -- and urge her to take the 1Sky pledge:

I support the solutions to global warming that will protect our society and future generations from climate change and will create a new energy economy. In particular, I support:

• The creation of five million new green jobs;
• A science-based reduction of emissions of at least 25% by 2020; and
• A moratorium on all new coal-fired power plants nationwide.

Participants are being asked to wear blue in solidarity for blue skies and a moratorium on coal-fired power plants in New Mexico. You can learn more about 1Sky and the pledge from Juan Reynosa's post at Clearly New Mexico, and add your name to the pledge here.

Amy Goodman to Celebrate Community Activism at UNM Appearance 4/18

Note: Amy and David Goodman will be appearing at similar events in Santa Fe and Taos on April 19, 2008.

Amy Goodman and David Goodman are celebrating 12 years of broadcasting of “Democracy Now!” (on KUNM weekdays at 4 PM) and the release of their third book, Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary People in Extraordinary Times. Amy Goodman is the co-host and executive producer of “Democracy Now!,” an independent, award-winning news program airing on over 650 radio and TV stations.

The Goodmans will give a talk and sign their new book at UNM’s Woodward Hall on April 18 at 6:30 PM. This inspirational event, cosponsored by Bookworks, is a benefit for KUNM 89.9 Community Radio and honors the170+ community volunteers and students working at KUNM.

Amy Goodman, known worldwide for her courageous coverage of news missed or ignored by the USA’s mainstream media, is now on tour to tell the inspiring stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary work in countering the “madness” of current White House policies. These stories are recounted in her latest book, Standing Up To The Madness, which is co-authored with her journalist brother David Goodman. The book release date is April 8, 2008 and is published by Hyperion.

Amy Goodman has a strong, and growing, audience; previous events in Albuquerque have sold out. FOR TICKETS:

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New Poll, Teague vs. McCamley: Money Can't Buy Me Love?

McCamley rocks the Dem Preprimary Convention crowd

The primary competition between Dems Bill McCamley and Harry Teague in New Mexico's Second Congressional District has been characterized as a contest between grassroots campaigning and big oil money. I don't think that's far from the truth and, at least for now, the grassroots candidate is winning -- big. McCamley beat Teague at the recent Dem Preprimary Convention by a margin of 48.71% of the delegate votes to Teague's 36.47%, followed by Al Kissling (13.41%) and Frank McKinnon (1.41%). Kissling and McKinnon have since dropped out of the race, and the odds are that most of Kissling's supporters will probably switch to McCamley.

Now, McCamley's campaign has released initial polling results that show McCamley leading Teague by a huge margin:

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research 3/17-19 (likely Democratic primary voters):

Bill McCamley (D): 43%
Harry Teague (D): 22%
Undecided: 35%
(MoE: ±4.9%)

Click for polling results and memo. Quote:

McCamley leads Teague in every demographic group, including Hispanics and Anglos, men and women, and across most of the district. He leads Teague by more than 50 points in Doña Ana County and is tied with him in the eastern part of the district, where Teague lives.

Granted, about 35% of those polled in NM-02 are still undecided, but McCamley's taking a 21 point lead over a deep pocket candidate with support from the lieutenant governor and the entrenched interests of New Mexico's wealthy oil patch denizens is quite an achievement any way you look at it.

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National Congress of American Indians Seeks Applicants for National Native Vote Coordinator

The National Congress of American Indians is seeking qualified applicants for the salaried position of National Native Vote Coordinator for a national bi-partisan GOTV campaign. For more information on the job and how to apply, click here. The 2008 Native Vote initiative is an extensive national non-partisan effort to mobilize the American Indian and Alaska Native vote in collaboration with regional organizations, local tribal governments, centers serving the Indian populations of urban areas, and non-governmental organizations whose focus is on democracy initiatives.

You're Invited: Special Heinrich Events This Weekend

Martin Heinrich thanks supporters at last night's victory party celebrating his preprimary convention win

Chantal, who always seems to know where the hot events are happening, reminded me there are listings on Duke City Fix for two fun events this weekend to benefit Martin Heinrich's campaign:

Saturday Coffee in the SE Heights @ Michael Thomas:
Michael Thomas Coffee Co. invites you to join The Next Democratic Congressman from New Mexico’s 1st district, Martin Heinrich, for an intimate Afternoon Coffee on Saturday, March 29, 2008, from 2:00-4:00 PM. Coffee and Refreshments provided. Michael Thomas Coffee, 1111 Carlisle Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.

Wine and Cheese Tasking in the Valley on Friday
Charlotte Walters and Tierra Encantada Winery invite you to a Wine and Cheese Tasting at 5:00 PM to benefit the Martin Heinrich campaign. Tierra Encantada Winery is located at 1872 Five Points Road SW (at Goff), Albuquerque, NM. Suggested minimum contribution: $25. If you have any questions, please contact Charlotte Walters at 247-3473 or e-mail cwalters505@netzero.net.

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