Democracy for New Mexico

We Are New Mexico Releases Powerful Video on Dangers Posed by Susana Martinez to NM Water

See larger version or YouTube video

In this new three-minute video released by the Northern New Mexico political group, We Are New Mexico, five New Mexico women discuss GOP governor candidate Susana Martinez and the dangers she and her backers pose to our state's water supplies. The video ends with this question:

Do we really want to put
New Mexico's water policy
in the hands of a
POLITICIAN controlled by
OUT OF STATE BILLIONAIRES?

The report mentioned at end of video will be online late tonight or tomorrow at https://wearenm.com/. Watch the video, carefully read the report and think about your vote in New Mexico's governor race and what it will mean to our future. We Are New Mexico is dedicated to bringing "your urgent attention to dangerous and extremist forces from out of state that are funding and directing Republican Susana Martinez’s campaign for Governor." Take heed. Pass it on.

To see more DFNM posts about Susana Martinez, visit our archive.

NM Guv Race Polling: Voters Moving Away From Martinez, Race Now Even!

Big turnout for Denish at Laguna Pueblo this morning

This is almost entirely a turnout contest now -- it is ESSENTIAL that we all and then volunteer for the Denish campaign as much as possible before November 2nd, and also on election day itself to get out the vote! See below for ways to get involved.

A poll of likely voters in the New Mexico governor race conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner from October 20-24 shows that voters have shifted away from Susana Martinez and the race is now essentially tied -- with Diane Denish at 45% and Susana Martinez at 46%. The survey of 603 likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, so this is definitely anyone's race going into the home stretch. 

The polling memo shows the gap has closed and Democrats are consolidating behind Denish, with overall Democratic support at 84-11 and support among Hispanic Democrats at 83-11. Denish has moved from 5 points back earlier on to 3 points to just 1 point in the latest polling -- showing momentum for Denish as we head into the last days the campaign.

Oren Shur of the Denish campaign believes the race has tightened for several reasons, and I certainly concur:

• An onslaught of television and radio ads that raise the stakes for New Mexico voters -- showing Denish to be a fighter for New Mexico families, and exposing Susana Martinez’s agenda to protect loopholes for powerful corporations that will force her to cut critical services like education, Medicaid or public safety. We believe this message is not only resonating with persuadable voters, but also energizing the base. Democrats are clearly coming home.

• Denish delivered two strong TV debate performances in the past week. In each debate, Denish drove news coverage by confronting Martinez directly on instances where she has put powerful interests ahead of New Mexico families. In the first debate, Denish got Martinez to admit she’d protect a tax loophole that lets big, out-of-state corporations save $70 million a year at the expense of New Mexico families. In the most recent TV debate, Denish confronted Martinez with an invitation to a Martinez fundraiser with predatory lenders and their lobbyists -- where a lobbyist wrote that Martinez promised predatory lenders that they can continue doing business as usual, while Denish would shut them down. Martinez was unable to respond during the debate and the moment drove news coverage of the debate.

• In coordination with Vote New Mexico and the statewide ticket, the Democratic ground game is at an unprecedented level of strength for an off-year election. The coordinated campaign has already signed-up 21,000 infrequent Democratic voters to vote-by-mail, knocked on over 150,000 doors and put together a robust canvass/phone bank operation in every key region of the state. More than one-third of Democrats who have voted early are occasional/Obama surge voters, a number we believe to be very encouraging.

This field effort was bolstered by President Clinton’s visit two weeks ago, which helped energize the base. Denish has been considerably more visible these past few weeks than Martinez -- holding more than 25 Early Vote rallies, with many more to come in the closing days.

The gap has closed in this race and as Election Day approaches, we believe more New Mexicans will view Martinez as a typical Republican politician who will side with the big corporations, not their families.

Over the last two weeks, Susana Martinez has essentially been hiding out except for private events and the last debate. Why? The more voters see and hear her in action, the more they learn about her empty promises, lack of solid proposals and subservience to moneyed interests. Now we have to help Diane seal the deal!

GET INVOLVED NOW: Click for a list of Denish office locations and phone numbers.

Phonebanks are going every-night from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Sundays to Thursdays and anytime during the day seven days a week. Door knockers are needed all day long through Election Day. Get involved now! This race could come down to a very small margin and WE can make the difference!

On the Road in Southern NM With Dolores Huerta: “¡Que Viva Diane Denish!”

Bayard. Click for photo album

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

With the desert wind at their backs, and Dolores Huerta swept through southern New Mexico on Saturday. “We are here today for a reason,” declared Huerta to audiences at well-attended early vote rallies in Las Cruces, Deming and Bayard, New Mexico, “the stakes are high.” Dolores Huerta, who addressed each of the rallies, is a leader of the United Farm Workers and was a close associate of Hispanic civil rights leader and union organizer César Chávez.

“Diane Denish is a good mother,” said Huerta. “I like to think that she will be a good mother for all of New Mexico. I’m not sure what that other lady stands for, she certainly doesn’t stand for you and I.” Huerta called on the attendees to get active. “We don’t need to go backward,” she said. “That other team drove the car into the ditch. Diane Denish will take New Mexico forward.” Huerta urged voters to bring others to the polls. “If you can walk, I want you to knock on doors, if you can’t walk I want you to make calls,” she said.

Huerta also warned voters not to be confused by the Republicans' negative advertising. “The Republicans are running ads telling Hispanic voters not to vote,” warned Huerta. “That is like telling us to cut off our own heads,” she said.

Las Cruces. Click for photo album

Diane Denish spoke of her long association with Huerta and stressed her central campaign themes of jobs, educational opportunity and economic development. “My opponent wants to talk about the past, I want to lead New Mexico into the future,” Denish said.

“You saw the debates. I asked if she was willing to end the tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to avoid their fair share of taxes. She said no,” Denish said. “She wants to balance the budget on the backs of New Mexico’s working people. She wants to cut education. I support our children’s future. She won’t protect our natural resources. I will. I stand with you, the people of New Mexico!”

Denish also reminded voters of the Republican candidate's sources of funding. “My opponent doesn’t like it when I bring up her associations with Texas,” Denish said. “She has received $800,000 in contributions from Texas. Those contributions came in $450,000, $200,000 and $100,000 chunks,” Denish explained. “I don’t know what those contributors are buying, but it can’t be good for New Mexico” she said. “My running mate, Brian Colon, and I our proud to be funded by New Mexico’s people. We are proud to have received contributions from over 16,000 individual New Mexico contributors."

Deming. Click for photo album

The events at Las Cruces and Deming were held outside early voting sites. At Deming, Diane Denish personally escorted a local voter, Daniel Flores, to the polling place at the Deming Learning Center. “This sure has been an exciting day for me, today,” said Flores.

At Bayard, Denish and Huerta spoke to a packed union hall, the historic USWA Local 810, which was the at the center of the 1950-1952 Empire Zinc Strike, the focus of the world-acclaimed film Salt of the Earth. “I’m proud to say my father was a mineworker,” Dolores Huerta said to thundering applause. U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, who also attended the event at Bayard, announced to the crowd that he and Senator Menendez of New Jersey had nominated Dolores Huerta for a Presidential Medal of Honor.

Following Bingaman and Huerta, Denish repeated her campaign appeal to the Bayard crowd, who responded with cheers of “¡Que Viva Diane Denish!”

“Every child in New Mexico has a right to a dream,” said Denish. “We need to support their dreams.” Other speakers echoed Huerta and Denish. “Tell them we need jobs and opportunity here,” said Daniel Manzano at the Bayard Union Hall, “¡Si se puede!”

Dolores Huerta, Bayard union hall mural

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

Click for info on the Bayard Union Hall Mural and the film Salt of the Earth.

Guv Debate: Martinez Shows Her True Colors on Predatory Loans, Child Care

Denish produces invitation to Martinez fundraiser by predatory payday loan backers

There were two very telling exchanges in the final debate  between New Mexico's gubernatorial candidates that aired live last night on KOB-TV. Both were instructive in revealing Republican Susana Martinez's true political priorities --  a willingness to side with moneyed corporate interests and to sacrifice vital services that support working families and children in order to serve them. (Click for video of entire debate.)

Martinez Backs Predatory Payday Loan Industry
At one point in the debate, Democrat produced a fundraising invitation from backers of the payday lending industry that explicitly says Susana Martinez will be a governor on the side of these powerful interests that rip off New Mexico families. The email invitation is from Hal Stratton, a prominent Republican who is a former New Mexico legislator and attorney general. Stratton later served in the Bush administration and was also was a partner in a law firm with Mickey Barnett -- a former Republican National committeeman and former state senator. It says:

As you know we have a governor's race here in New Mexico. The Democrat, Diane Denish, is out to end consumer lending. The Republican, Susana Martinez, we are assured is not for ending or further limiting consumer lending. Fortunately, Susana is ahead and is going to win.

We are having a meet and greet for Susana on October 20, at the Albuquerque Country Club. We would welcome having you there if it is of interest. I've included articles and the invite along with my complete contact information.

The invitation itself is to a fundraiser for Martinez hosted by both Hal Stratton and Mickey Barnett.

In the late 1980s, Hal Stratton and Mickey Barnett introduced legislation that led to a repeal of New Mexico's interest rate caps. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, “New Mexico and most other states did have usury laws until the late 1970s and 1980s, when many of those measures were repealed ... Stratton, along with another Republican representative, Mickey Barnett, introduced legislation that led to a repeal of the state’s interest rates caps.” [Santa Fe New Mexican, 11/19/95]

Later, Barnett was a lobbyist for the payday loan industry -- which often charges outrageous interest rates on loans -- at the New Mexico legislature. The rates are often so high, and escalate so rapidly that it's almost impossible for those receiving the loans to pay them off in any reasonable amount of time. A consumer can end up paying thousands of dollars for a loan for that was originally for one thousand dollars, for instance.

Confronted with the invitation, Martinez failed to respond to the charge that she supports predatory lending and instead changed the subject and charged that Denish had broken the rules of the debate by bringing in the invitation. Martinez refused to deny she supports the often shady characters who operate the payday lending industry -- to the detriment of New Mexico's working families -- because she obviously does. And as the fundraiser demonstrates, Martinez benefits from their campaign contributions. Denish responded:

There you have it. She is going to stay on the side of those predatory lenders.

In a statement released after the debate Denish said,

The predatory lenders and their lobbyists are raising money for Susana Martinez because she promised to let them continue ripping off our most vulnerable families. I’ll put predatory lenders out of business. Why? Because they trap our families in never-ending cycles of debt, forcing folks to lose their homes or cars. With each passing day, Susana Martinez makes it clearer that she’ll side with the powerful corporations. I’ll side with New Mexico families.

Affordable Child Care
In another telling exchange, the candidates discussed subsidies to hard-working low-income families to help them pay for child care during the work day. Martinez equated the subsidies to welfare and emphasized that they should be temporary, saying:

We have to get New Mexican's back to work, and sometimes they are not able to get a full-time job at a salary that allows them to pay for child care that sometimes can be expensive for a family; and sometimes we have single moms out there that don't get any kind of child support and they are needing that assistance. But it's meant to be a temporary fix.

It certainly is true that lots of folks in New Mexico don't have jobs that pay enough to make decent child care affordable! However, Martinez apparently believes the types of jobs that pay enough to allow working families to cover such child care costs on their own are a dime a dozen, easily obtained if folks just keep at it. Just another example of Susana being out of touch with the realities of ordinary working people in New Mexico.

Denish, on the other hand, stated her strong support for helping families to afford decent child care from licensed, reputable providers. "When a family or single mother loses their day care, they can't go to work, they lose their jobs," Denish said.

What Would Martinez Chop in Cutting Budget by Half?
Sure sounds like New Mexico's child care program to help working families would be on the chopping block if Martinez manages to win the election -- just another example of Martinez's intent to balance the state's budget on the backs of working people in order to protect moneyed interests that are funding her campaign. Susana is obviously more intent, for instance, on protecting the corporate tax loophole that gives big out-of-state corporations tax breaks at the expense of New Mexico's families and small businesses than in ensuring that families have access to quality child care. She again refused to agree with Denish's plan to close the loophole.

Denish also accused Martinez of planning to cut the state budget in half -- which would make it virtually impossible to avoid deep cuts in education and Medicaid, among other things. Her campaign produced a video of Martinez's running mate, John Sanchez, saying just that at a September 11 forum in Bernalillo:

In his eight years in office, from 1995 to 2003, former Republican Governor Gary Johnson gutted the state budget and vetoed hundreds of bills aimed at restoring funding to critical budget components like education and Medicaid. Clearly, a Martinez administration would have a very similar goal, despite Susana's rhetoric in debates aimed at hiding that fact by failing to provide any detailed information on how she'd balance the budget, and offering a conflicting jumble of statements about her intent. As Denish said:

My opponent, her numbers just don't add up. She's been going around telling everybody she's going to cut New Mexico's budget by 50 percent.

You could say Martinez isn't very honest about the numbers, generally. She again claimed that New Mexico "is ranked 13th in the nation in total taxes paid by individuals per capita in this state." While technically true, that statement is only valid if you ignore the often very large property taxes paid in other states, which are used to fund public schools. When those are added in, New Mexico's individual tax ranking drops to 39th in the nation according to the AP.

Martinez Launches Bogus Attack on Brian Colón
Susana also attacked Dem lieutenant governor candidate during the debate, accusing his law firm of getting some kind of sweetheart contract for $4 million from the state. According to information in today's Albuquerque Journal, the claim is entirely off base:

Effective July 1, an Albuquerque law firm in which Colón is a partner, Robles, Rael & Anaya, was one of about 60 New Mexico law firms awarded a state Risk Management Division contract to defend unspecified legal claims brought against the state, The contract was a renewal of an earlier contract, The same law firm had a Risk Management contract before Colón joined it four years ago.

In other words, Colón's firm and FIFTY-NINE others in the state have long shared the burden of risk management defense duties via state contracts. Further, Colón's membership in his current firm was not in any way a determining factor in their getting their contract renewed. Grasping at straws, Susana. 

Families vs. Moneyed Interests
In the end, this final debate between the candidates served to underline the fact that Diane Denish would work every day to create jobs, help New Mexico families, improve education and protect vital government services, while seeking out other ways to save money. On the other hand, Susana -- with hundreds of thousands of dollars in large campaign donations from the same Texans who crafted, funded and directed Bush's rise to governor and president -- would almost always come down on the side of those interests.

If Martinez were really so into "fighting corruption," as she always says, she' be staying as far away from that bunch as she could. Instead, she's obviously in bed with them. In essence, if Martinez becomes governor, we'll have the worst political machine in the West -- the very Texans who created this awful economy to begin with -- running New Mexico and using Susana to do it.

Do New Mexicans really think it's a good idea to elect a governor beholden to the likes of shady characters like Texan and Swiftboat perpetrator Bob Perry, with ties to George Bush, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney? Do people remember that this same bunch was behind many of the horrible rip offs like Enron, also based in Texas? We can't let that same bunch buy their way into power here. Not ever. 

Guest Blog by Helen Laura López: Will It Be the Name or the Accomplishments in Denish v. Martinez?

This is a guest blog by Helen Laura López, who was born and raised in Albuquerque and earned her law degree from the University of California-Berkeley. She served for two terms as chair of the Democratic Party of Taos County, and is currently the third CD Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of NM. She lives and works in Taos County and Santa Fe, in private practice representing disabled people on social security appeals.

Race, ethnicity and gender play a large part in how Americans vote. Two years ago, people were saying Hispanic people would not vote for an African American for president and that was proven wrong.

In my little precinct of Llano San Juan in Taos County, 98 percent in our classic Northern New Mexico Hispanic village voted for Barak Obama. Now Hispanos are presented with a question of voting for an Anglo woman or an Hispanic woman. On its face it is a hard decision for many.

This is a time when we have to look closely at the first Hispanic woman to be nominated by a major party. First we have to get beyond the rhetoric. I recently saw a post on Facebook calling Susana Martinez “evil.”

Then there is the big deal about her being born a few miles beyond the N.M. border. That is not helpful. Susana Martinez is an attractive candidate, being an Hispanic woman, an accomplished lawyer and an elected district attorney in southern New Mexico. She is also deceptive about many things. She said until recently only that she is from the Rio Grande Valley and she is, but on the Texas side.

It does not matter where she is from -- many of our fine governors were born beyond our borders -- but to Susana it did matter, so she covered it up. She broke all campaign records when she accepted $450,000 from a Texan who financed the swift boat campaign full of lies against John Kerry. There is a lot more Texas money in her war chest and more than half of her contributions are from outside of New Mexico. When she says in her ad, “It’s our state and we can take it back,” what “we” is she talking about? Texas?

She won’t say how her grandparents got to El Paso but she did say that she supports the Arizona law on illegal immigrants -- the law that a federal judge has put a hold on because it violates the Constitution. You will remember that under that law we all had to have proof of citizenship in Arizona and if we get stopped for a broken tail light and don’t have papers to satisfy Sheriff Arpaio, it was off to jail until your mom comes up with a birth certificate.

Contrary to all scientific evidence, she has her doubts in the role humans play in global warming. She has no experience in making education policy or budgeting, yet those are top issues in our state. When she was in a position to create jobs with a grant of $447,000 to beef up her district attorney staff, she paid out $228,000 in lump sum bonuses.

She drops words like corruption and cronyism against Democrats, but in her small world as a prosecutor, she gave a no-bid contract to her friend and employee to purchase $60,000 of office equipment. She sounds tough when she says she successfully prosecuted a horrific crime against a baby. She is stooping low to use that tragic crime to tap the emotion of the public while it says nothing of her talent as a prosecutor.

The crime was so outrageous, a first-year law student could have convicted the family that committed the atrocities. As the seventh Hispanic woman to receive a license to practice law in the state of New Mexico in 1977, right behind Supreme Court Justice Petra Maes and former Attorney General Patricia Madrid, I would love to see an Hispana governor.

But I don’t want one there who will fail us. I don’t want one there who will take marching orders from a Texas billionaire, her supporter Sarah Palin, or the GOP in Washington. I would love to vote for a Martinez, but in this case, the beautiful name is hollow. To my Hispanic Norteño friends who support her: She says she is one of us, pero no es. With Lt. Governor Diane Denish, we know what we get.

She knows New Mexicans from east to west, north to south. She knows education is failing in New Mexico. Most of the schools in Taos County are failing -- they are in the bottom half in the state education Annual Yearly Progress report (AYP) and they have drop out rates hovering around 50 percent. She has the will and the political skills to attack the problem head on.

She knows that Northern New Mexico is losing jobs and in fact has never had the number of jobs it needs for viable communities. Diane comes with ideas on creation of jobs and reducing the jobs lost in the recession. The lieutenant governor has held 25 small business forums throughout the state to connect businesses with public and private programs.

She has successfully pushed for programs that provide microloans and other forms of capital to businesses. She brokered an agreement on new payday lending regulations and reform of the Regional Housing Authority.

She led the effort to provide home loan protection that has helped consumers avoid high-cost mortgages. In Northern New Mexico, so much is about families and yet families are breaking down with the infusion of drugs, gangs and poverty. Lt. Gov. Denish has a proven history of working on issues concerning families for a long time and she will do far more as governor.

It means a lot when 90 percent of Diane Denish’s contributions are from New Mexicans. That is why I support Lt. Gov. Diane Denish for governor.

This is a guest blog by Helen Laura López. It has also appeared in and on the DPNM blog.

If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of the page.

Final Denish vs. Martinez Debate Tonight at 7PM on KOB-TV

Democrat and the Republican recipient of unprecedented campaign funding largess from many of the most corrupt members of the right-wing attack establishment, Susana Martinez, will face off in their final debate tonight, live from 7:00 to 8:00 PM on KOB-TV4. I'm sure the KOB.com site will also have the debate live-streaming.

Let's hope Denish keeps on keepin' on with challenging Susana's habit of hiding behind talking point platitudes, refusing to discuss specifics and repeating already discredited attacks on Denish and her family. What else does Susana have?

Leaders from Small Communities Around New Mexico Endorse Diane Denish

Denish a recent event with her two youngest phone bankers

Impressive: Nearly 100 local community leaders at the city, town and county level from around New Mexico have endorsed for governor. Why? Obviously because they have faith in Diane's understanding of New Mexico's diverse communities, the needs of folks who live, work and own small businesses around the state and her proven abilities to bring people together in collaboration to get problems solved with practical, common-sense solutions.

"I am honored to have received so much support from around the state," Denish said in a statement. "People in smaller communities want a governor who is on their side -- someone who understands the needs of rural New Mexico and will fight for small towns every day. While Susana Martinez has been traveling the country attending fancy events with the rich and powerful in New York and Texas, I have had my feet firmly planted in New Mexico."

The shocking fact is that in the final weeks of the campaign, Martinez has been hiding from New Mexicans -- going more than a week without a single public appearance in the state! Susana knows that the less ordinary people see of her, the better. Cardboard candidates like Martinez, propped up by outside money and repetitive right-wing talking points, are always in danger of folks seeing who they really are. They can win only if their masks stay intact.

Diane, on the other hand, has spent her time crisscrossing the state, visiting towns and villages in the north and the south, and making herself available to questions and comments all along the way.

“Diane shows care and concern for all parts of the state including rural areas. She's always ready and willing to listen,” said Bayard Mayor Charles Kelly.

Here's a list of current and former small-community officials who endorsed Diane for Governor:

• Darren DeYapp, Chama City Councilor, Rio Arriba County

• Helen Kain-Salazar, Española City Councilor, Rio Arriba County

• Diane Moore, Las Vegas City Councilor, San Miguel County

• Heather E. Velasquez, Española City Clerk, Rio Arriba County

• Amy Quintana, Taos City Councilor, Taos County

• Rosemary Romero, Santa Fe City Councilor, Santa Fe County

• Denis Tim-Salazar, Española City Councilor, Rio Arriba County

• Angela K. Romero, Mora County Assessor, Mora County

• Joanne E. Padilla-Salas, Mora County Clerk, Mora County

• Mike Anaya, Santa Fe County Commissioner, Santa Fe County

• Daniel Barrone, Taos County Commissioner, Taos County

• Andrew D. Chavez, Taos County Commissioner, Taos County

• Kathy Holian, Santa Fe County Commissioner, Santa Fe

• Harry Montoya, Santa Fe County Commissioner, Santa Fe

• Alfredo Montoya, Rio Arriba County Commissioner, Rio Arriba County

• Albert Padilla, Mora County Commissioner, Mora County

• Liz Stefanics, Santa Fe County Commissioner, Santa Fe County

• Virginia Vigil, Santa Fe County Commissioner, Santa Fe County

• Larry Sanchez, Taos County Commissioner, Taos County

• Ida E. Mora, Mora County Treasurer, Mora County

• Hugh H. Ley, Former San Miguel County Commissioner, San Miguel County

• Debbie Jaramillo, Former Mayor Santa Fe, Santa Fe County

• Joseph Maestas, Former Mayor Espanola, Rio Arriba County

• Stephanie V. Gonzales, Former Secretary of State Santa Fe, Santa Fe County

• Mayor Arthur Arguello, Wagon Mound, Mora County

• Mayor Linda Calhoun, Red River, Taos County

• Mayor Richard Cordova, Eagle Nest, Colfax County

• Mayor Darren Cordova, Taos, Taos County

• -Mayor David Coss, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County

• Mayor Danny Cruz, Springer, Colfax County

• Mayor Jesse James Johnson, Raton, Colfax County

• Mayor Neal King, Taos Ski Valley, Taos County

• Mayor Alice Lucero, Española, Rio Arriba County

• Mayor Karla Kay Pinkston, Maxwell, Colfax County

• Mayor Tony J. Roybal, Pecos, San Miguel County

• Mayor Archie J. Vigil, Chama, Rio Arriba County

• Mayor Pro-Tem/City Councilor Rebecca Wurtzburger, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County

• Paula Garcia, Mora County Chairperson/County Commissioner Elect District 1, Mora, Mora County

• John Olivas, Mora County Commission Elect District 2, Mora, Mora County

• Margaret Tapia, President, Pojoaque Valley School Board of Education, Pojoaque, Santa Fe County

• Linda Siegle, Santa Fe Community College Board Trustee, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County

• Sheriff Joe Mascarenas, Española, Rio Arriba County

• Joe Ferguson, Alamogordo City Commissioner, Otero County

• Nathan Small, Las Cruces City Councilor, Doña Ana County

• Scott A. Krahling, County Commissioner, Doña Ana County

• Karen Perez, Doña Ana County Commissioner, Doña Ana County

• Former Mayor Steve Brockett, Alamogordo, Otero County

• Mayor Nora Barraza, Mesilla, Doña Ana County

• Mayor Ravi Bhasker, Socorro, Socorro County

• Mayor Ray. S. Cordova, Tularosa, Otero County

• Mayor Edward Encinas, Hurley, Grant County

• Mayor Eddie S. Espinoza, Columbus, Luna County

• Mayor Ramon Gonzales, Anthony, Doña Ana County

• Mayor Sammy Hammons, Capitan, Lincoln County

• Mayor Charles L. Kelly, Bayard, Grant County

• Mayor Eunice Kent, Elephant Butte, Sierra County

• Mayor James Marshall, Silver City, Grant County

• Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Las Cruces, Doña Ana County

• Mayor Lori Montgomery, Truth or Consequences, Sierra County

• Mayor Judd L. Nordyke, Hatch, Doña Ana County

• Mayor Martin Resendiz, Sunland Park, Doña Ana County

• Mayor Ysidro Salazar, Lake Arthur, Chaves County

• Mayor Pro Tem/City Councilor Sharon Thomas, Las Cruces, Doña Ana County

• Trustee Betty Gonzales, Anthony, Doña Ana County

• Trustee Diana Murillo, Anthony, Doña Ana County

• Trustee Jim Scott, Anthony, Doña Ana County

• Robert "Bobby" Ortiz, Moriarty City Councilor, Torrance County

• John E. Padilla, Deputy Fire Marshal, Bernalillo County

• Mel Eisenstadt, Ph.D, Former Corrales Municipal Judge, Sandoval County

• Ely Daymon, Former County Commissioner, Sandoval County

• Pauline Eisenstadt, Former state representative and senator, Sandoval County

• Kandy Cordova, Former Representative, Valencia County

• Mayor Wayne Ake, Bosque Farms, Valencia County

• Mayor Ted Hart, Moriarty, Torrance County

• Mayor Rudy Jaramillo, Belen, Valencia County

• Mayor Thomas E. Swisstack, Rio Rancho, Sandoval County

• Mayor Jack Torres, Bernalillo, Sandoval County

• R. David Pederson, Former State Representative - District 5/City Manager and City Attorney for Gallup

• Mayor Gayla Brumfield, Clovis, Curry County

• Mayor Albert E. Campos, Jr., Santa Rosa, Guadalupe County

• Mayor Kris King, Causey, Roosevelt County

• Mayor Sharon King, Portales, Roosevelt County

• Mayor Paul R. Madrid, Vaughn, Guadalupe County

• Mayor Harry H. Mendoza, Gallup, McKinley County

• Mayor Joe Murrietta, Grants, Cibola County

• Mayor Tom Ortega, Milan, Cibola County

• Patty Bushee, Santa Fe City Councilor, Santa Fe County

• Chris Calvert, Santa Fe City Councilor, Santa Fe County

Click to see a list of the organizations and groups that have .

Swiftboat Veterans for Truth Launches New Susana Martinez Ad

(Disclaimer: Obviously this video is "A parody ad of Susana Martinez and her ill- conceived, ultra- conservative agenda," as stated on the YouTube page by somebody called "SoozMartinez," who posted it. Neither Swiftboat Veterans for Truth nor any campaign has released it or endorsed it. Just saying.)

Don't Believe the Right-Wing Hyena Pack on the Governor Race, Or Any Other

Republicans know that if Democrats turn out in force in this election, Democrats will win. Out of a total  1.1 million registered voters in New Mexico this year, 49% are Democrats, 32% are Republicans, 16% are independents and 3% are registered as Libertarians or other parties. And voter registration since 2006, with Democrats holding steady and Republicans losing some registrations.

What does this mean? Republicans can win ONLY if they can convince Democrats not to vote, and Republican and right-leaning independents vote in huge numbers. True, some Democrats are apparently straying this year -- ignoring the issues and being swayed by empty GOP talking points and Susana's surname -- but that won't matter much if Democrats turn out in large numbers. In other words, this election is all about turnout. And don't let anybody tell you any different.

The Right-Wing Disinformation Campaign
As you may have noticed, the right-wing echo chamber is now in full force, repetitiously putting out claims that this election is already over, that Martinez will win with a blow out, that Dem candidates can't win in other races, that Democratic voters are uninterested, that most of the undecideds and soft votes will magically all go Republican. You know the routine. The same thing is going on nationally.

It's happening for a reason and that reason is that the moneyed interests hope that if enough Democrats believe the hype, they won't come out to vote and Republican deadbeats will win by default. And it's happening so forcefully because the reality is that all the Dem candidates are either winning or the races are so close right now (according to rumored interior polling) that Dems are just a sliver away from winning. In other words, good turnout on the Dem side will be the determining factor. Repeat after me.

The "Neutral News" Racket

Not only does the right-wing echo chamber include the Republican Party and Republican campaign operatives (aided by national operatives like Karl Rove), it is bolstered by a contingent of "reporters" and "news" outlets that claim to be "neutral" or "nonpartisan." Professional spinners like Monahan (with his conveniently timed and anonymously sourced "alligator" leaks), obviously slanted "journalists" like Sean Olson of the Albuquerque Journal (not to mention the Journal's right-wing bias generally) and various TV "news" gatherers and news departments have been acting like a pack of hyenas circling a kill. And that's not counting the well-orchestrated bullying and BS going on during KKOB radio talk shows.

Add in the fact that New Mexico has only one pollster, Brian Sanderoff of Research and Polling Inc., who does ALL of the Albuquerque Journal's polling and is just fine with allowing the Journal to post only parts of the information gathered -- not the entire cross-tabs and other data -- and you have all the makings of a spin machine that pretends to be otherwise. I mean, Tom Lang, who owns the Journal, has a financial stake in Sanderoff's company. Cozy, isn't it?

I'm not saying that Sanderoff's polls are necessarily wrong, but there's a lot that can be done to slant findings by selective or incomplete data releases and via interpretation of the results. These are avenues that could easily be used by Lang and others to taint or shape perceptions. 

Sanderoff and the KOAT Governor Debate
To make matters worse, Sanderoff was tapped to be the sole provider of debate performance analysis after Sunday's televised gubernatorial debate. So you've got a guy who depends on right-winger Lang for a significant portion of his business, and whose business investors include Lang, providing the only debate analysis TV viewers will get via his appearances on KOAT. Sorry, that just leaves too much room for pressuring and spin on behalf of Martinez and her big-dollar donors. Can we have some genuine outside, nonpartisan analysis please?

Not surprisingly (at least to me), Sanderoff decided that the debate was a tie. He actually said that Martinez's supporters would think she won and that Denish's supporters would think she won. Duh, no kidding. That's what always happens in debates. What Sanderoff should have been doing instead was scoring the debate on the points made. Instead he unilaterally declared that nobody won, but that Denish was the loser because she hadn't hit the ball out of the park against Martinez. Oh, and he gratuitously added that "in his opinion" Denish's calling Martinez a liar was "over the top." Gee, thanks Brian. Have you ever heard Sanderoff say anything similar about Martinez's bad cop demeanor?

For the next few days, the echo chamber (and its supporters) repeated Sanderoff's "analysis" of the debate ad nauseum, planting bad seeds in many places. The king had spoken and that was that. Sanderoff didn't explain WHY Denish called Martinez a liar or that the highly reputable factcheck.org agreed with Denish's assessment that Martinez's attacks on Denish's family related to Mesa del Sol were bunk. He just proclaimed Denish was "over the top" -- period, end of story.

Denish's Winning Debate Points
Sanderoff also failed to analyze whether Denish's gotcha points against Martinez were legitimate and fact-based. Probably because they were -- in spades. Clearly, Denish forcefully and effectively backed Martinez into a corner on any number of issues, as never before. The facts are:

• Martinez backs taking funding from the public school system and transferring it to expensive private schools.
• Martinez refused to deny that she would continue allowing a tax loophole -- unavailable in every Western state but one -- that allows big out-of-state corporations to protect their NM profits from being taxed. So, New Mexico's small businesses and individual tax payers have to make up the difference. In other words Susana cares more about the well being of big corporate interests than that of New Mexico's families and businesses.
• Martinez couldn't refute the fact that she's taken big blobs of campaign cash from sleazy oil, real estate and water operators in Texas ($800,000), some of whom are cronies of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney and one of whom (Bob Perry and wife, who made a history-making $450,000 donation) was the perpetrator of the totally disproved Swiftboat attacks on John Kerry.
• Martinez couldn't deny that her running mate, John Sanchez, was caught by the INS not once, but twice, for hiring undocumented workers (illegal aliens in right-wing parlance). Talk about hyprocrisy.
• Martinez didn't deny that she has said she will put all regulations on hold if elected and that, in fact, she considers such regulations related to environmental protections and other important safeguards to be nothing more than "red tape" that gets in the way of high rolling corporate interests.
• Martinez offered nothing in the way of an economic proposal except vague statements about cutting waste, abuse and "red tape," while Denish discussed her specific 36-point plan.

Martinez's Misfires
Martinez ignored the nation's bad economy (thanks to Bush et al.) and instead characterized its negative impact on New Mexico as Diane's fault -- once again implying that Denish has been governor for eight years. In an exchange about job creation, Martinez actually had the nerve to say that if Denish's job creation ideas were so good, why didn't she implement them during the last eight years? Again, implying that Diane has been the governor when, in fact, she served in the limited role of lieutenant governor -- an office whose powers and responsibilities are narrowly defined by the New Mexico constitution. Even given that, Denish managed to set up a Children's Cabinet and push for Pre-K education statewide.

A Tie?
So I ask you -- does this sound like a debate that was a "tie" with no clear winner? Go watch the videos yourself -- did Martinez make any valid, fact-based points at all? Yet the meme being howled by the right-wing hyena pack that Denish didn't win -- and can't win the election -- just keeps echoing and echoing, very purposefully.

Ignore the Hyenas
You know what to do. Don't listen to the hyenas. Vote early. Volunteer. Canvass. Phone bank. Convince your friends, collegues, neighbors and family that the very future of New Mexico's jobs, lands, water, air and social services is in jeopardy -- if they don't vote and support Democratic candidates across the board. Don't let the hyenas win.

Denish Takes it to Martinez in Las Cruces

Click for photo album

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

brought her campaign to the doorstep of her opponent on Tuesday afternoon, meeting with voters and local supporters in Las Cruces. The event was held only a few steps from the Dõna Ana County building, where the Republican holds the District Attorney’s seat.

Luis Flores, a young father of two, and a lifelong resident of Las Cruces, took the opportunity to come out to meet Diane Denish. Flores attended the event to express his support for Denish and thank her for her commitment to jobs and public education, and to meet the candidate in person. Flores has been unemployed in the current economic downturn. The 24-year-old Flores was holding the receipt to his voter registration application when he spoke to Denish. He had registered for the first time just prior to the October 5 registration deadline.

Luis Flores and Diane Denish

“I now know how important this is,” Flores said. Flores stated that he had registered specifically for the purpose of voting for Diane Denish. Flores has also returned to school. Flores told Denish that, along with his children, he was also committed to getting a better education for himself. “I have to do it so I can give a better life to my daughter and my son,” he said. Flores had his young daughter with him when he spoke to Denish at the event.

Before speaking with Flores, Diane Denish addressed the Las Cruces crowd and stressed the same themes she had raised in her powerful debate performance on Sunday night; a commitment to jobs, economic development and public schools. “My opponent will take money out of public education. I will stand with New Mexico families,” Denish said.

Denish also reminded voters of the pivotal verbal exchange during the KOAT-TV debate. “On Sunday I asked my opponent if she would be willing to close the tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to avoid paying taxes. You heard her answer. She stands with them. I stand with the businesses and citizens of New Mexico,” Denish said. “It is unfair for New Mexico taxpayers to carry the burden of $70, 80, 90 million dollars of unpaid taxes from out-of-state corporations.”

On the issue of campaign funding, Denish again raised the Republican candidate's source of funding. “My opponent thinks it isn’t fair for me to raise the issue of her Texas connections,” Denish said. “Now we learn that many of those Texas donors are in legal disputes with New Mexico over water and other natural resources.” Denish went on to single out several specific large donations. “She has raised over $800,000 from Texas, including over half a million from one single donor, the largest donation in New Mexico history, from a developer from Houston,” she said. “She’s also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from friends of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, the very people who drove our economy into the state it is in now.”

“Texas policy is bad for New Mexico,” Denish said. “I stand with you. New Mexicans have a clear choice. We have fourteen more days," Denish continued. "Won’t you come out and help me win on November 2?”

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

GOP BernCo Party Chair Rick Abraham Says Obama Shouldn't Visit New Mexico

GOP BernCo Chair Abraham runs from Mary Ellen's questions

When Dem gubernatorial candidate was early voting yesterday morning in Albuquerque, she was by a member of the media whether President Barack Obama had been invited back to New Mexico to support her campaign with a rally. Denish responded by saying, "Well certainly he's been invited. His schedule is still open and in the next 14 days if he says 'I want to come to New Mexico,' we're gonna welcome him here."

Now rumors are flying that President Obama may return to New Mexico sometime next week, perhaps to speak at a Denish rally in Las Vegas in Northern New Mexico. A rally with Obama would certainly rev voter energies up an octave in an emotional build up to this critical election day -- and every Dem I know would be psyched to have him. The Republican Party? Not so much.

GOP Sour Grapes
Responding to an on-camera question from KOB's Stuart Dyson, GOP Chair Rick Abraham expressed sour grapes about the possibility of an Obama visit to New Mexico.

"I know he's been all over the country trying to help, and it's not helping, Abraham said. "But I do know that the people here were pretty upset with the traffic problems it causes, especially when they were just here. It could be an act of desperation. I don't know. Uh, but I certainly see that folks that, uh, that that their lives are interrupted for this -- I mean he was just here a couple weeks ago. Biden came out just a couple weeks ago. At some point, I mean, enough's enough. Let the people get back to work," Abraham grumbled.

Heartening, isn't it, that a supposed Republican leader views a presidential visit and citizens participating in the democratic process as worthless drags on Albuquerque's traffic flows? The right winger doth protest too much, methinks. He knows damned well that such visits and voter rallies can only hurt his beloved right wing candidates and their group suck up to big corporate interests. It really has nothing to do with traffic at all.

How do we know?

How About When Bush Visited?
Our faithful video correspondent, Mary Ellen Broderick, was at Monday's early voting event and recorded not only the part of the interview of Abraham by Stuart Dyson that was aired on KOB-TV, but his responses to some other questions she asked him (see video). Like whether he felt the same way about disturbances caused by visits to New Mexico by ex-President Bush. No answer (he begins to flee).

Like what he feels about Susana Martinez siding with corporations more than families in New Mexico. "Talk to Susana's camp," Abraham say, opening the door to his shiny new Cadillac and proceeding to brag about his car. These well-off right wingers are something else again, aren't they? Looking out for New Mexico's working families my ass.

Let's hope President Obama makes another New Mexico visit -- not only bump up the Dem vote -- but jto irk the likes of Repub Rick Abraham and his phony populists. Obama was in Albuquerque on September 28th for an economic discussion with folks at a South Valley home, and VP Joe Biden   Albuquerque briefly on September 30th to raise funds for the Denish campaign. Also, former President Bill Clinton spoke at a rally on the Espanola Plaza last Friday. As we all know, this election is all about Dem turnout -- and Dems are ready to go all out to make sure our voters come out in droves. We'll welcome every visit we can get -- and Rick Abraham and his anti-democratic cronies be damned.

Guest Blog by Steven Brockett: Potestas and the New Mexico Governor's Race

This is a guest blog by Steven Brockett, former mayor of Alamogordo.

Never underestimate the power of a mad electorate. Even short-sighted Democrats.

This anger often times translates to voters making mistakes on Election Day. If you believe the latest polls, a significant number of Democrats will cross over and support Republican Susana Martinez on Nov. 2, and she will be sworn in as our new governor in January. But I ask you to ponder this: Do we have a clue how she will address the multitude of challenges that face New Mexico? Has she posited with the public any plans, goals or long-range strategies? I say no. Hell no.

The Martinez team has wisely managed to offer one simple message that has resonated with voters, both Republican and Democrat: A Denish Administration will be an extension of Bill Richardson, along with the continued atmosphere of pay-to-play that will guarantee big campaign supporters substantial government contracts that will be theirs for the taking. This, in essence, is the Martinez message. Period. Unfortunately for all of us, many Democrats are buying this load of crap, hook-line and sinker.

Diane’s biggest challenge has been how to adequately inform the public about her stated plans. Many proposals explained on her website are far too complex to translate to an effective 30-second or one minute TV commercial. But her plans are there for the reading. It’s one thing to claim, “I will cut government expenses” without outlining specifically how this will be accomplished. It’s another to outline the details, as Denish has attempted to do. Unfortunately, most Democrats this year have opted to receive their information from TV.

The Romans had two conceptions of power that accurately define this year’s gubernatorial election. One is “potestas,” which is the way one gains political office. Its philosophy is that once elected the candidate owns the power to execute duties of the office. The second concept is “auctoritas,” which delves into one’s fitness to rule. Accompanying auctoritas are several considerations, including respect from political peers, respect from the constituency, respect from the legislature, and respect for the truth.

Successful leaders in our history have managed to combine both potestas and auctoritas. To paraphrase Dr. Adam Galinsky, it’s not enough to be the boss; you have to deserve to be the boss. Anybody can win an election, I’m a case in point (2006, Alamogordo City Commissioner; 2008, Mayor of Alamogordo). To lead one must also possess guts, ideas and vision. There’s no denying that Susana has a fire in her belly that many translate to intestinal fortitude. What I see is a life-long prosecutor who possesses the manners of a pit bull and barks only one message several different ways: Richardson-Denish, Richardson-is-Denish, Richardson-owns-Denish. Baloney!

I ask my fellow Democrats to keep in mind that Bill Richardson will become the EX-governor in January 2011. What he will do, or what will become of him, is of no interest to me, and it shouldn’t be of any interest to you, the voter. I ask you to turn off the damn TV and start evaluating what we might potentially get if Ms. Martinez becomes governor. Her list of plans belongs next to your Archie and Jughead comic book next to your toilet.

This campaign is by no means over. Diane Denish, Brian Colon and their staffers are working diligently to represent all New Mexicans with legitimate plans and possible solutions that will positively affect business development, education, discrimination and ethics in government. Don’t shortchange yourself.

All of us have a stake in this election, including working families who are just asking for a level playing field. Of course, others have a stake in this election as well, including rich oil fat cats, Sarah Palin and at least one multi-millionaire from Texas who has the unusual hobby of giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican office seekers. Yes, they have a stake, and a Martinez victory will reveal what they stand to gain. Perhaps by then Susana will figure out how she plans to govern and address important issues.

This is a guest blog by Steven Brockett, former mayor of Alamogordo. If you'd like to submit a piece for consideration as a guest blog, contact me by clicking on the Email Me link at the upper left-hand corner of the page.