State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, a longtime Alibi columnist, penned an article on what it was like to lose the primary election. He faced five challengers in the race to become the Dems’ candidate for lieutenant governor in November. You can read his excellent column tomorrow in the dead-tree edition or here at alibi.com.
Initially, the headline for his piece was going to be: “Campaigning by the Numbers.” But I sent O y P an e-mail that said: Man, that headline is just not grabbing. It doesn't say, "I'm a state senator who ran for lieutenant governor, and here's a look at what the last year of my life was like."
He replied with great alternates, one of which I used. The senator has generously allowed me to share with you some of the headlines we didn’t go with:
We live-blogged with The New Mexico Independent and other reporters around the state last night. Replay.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish rallied a crowd of supporters at the Doubletree. She said her opponent—Susana Martinez, elected by a good margin—is all sizzle and no steak. (Or, for vegetarians, all boil and no bean.) At the end of her speech, the Denish campaign bumped Pat Benetar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," which has very confusing lyrics.
Gauging from Denish's speech, I believe the song was supposed to indicate that she is a "real tough cookie with a long history" in politics. Also, that the Hispanic, Republican ticket she's facing (John Sanchez won the GOP lieutenant governor slot) can do it's best, but Denish will prevail. Brian Colon is the Dems' choice for lieutenant governor.
Either way, we'll have a female guv come November.
Susana Martinez is the district attorney in Doña Ana County. She received a $450,000 contribution last month from Bob Perry of Texas. Perry is a major financier of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. She was endorsed by Sarah Palin, who came to town to stump for her. Martinez' running mate John Sanchez boasts on his site that the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico named him the only candidate that could be fully endorsed. Sanchez writes that he will continue to be a "steady voice for the unborn."
Pat Davis is the first openly gay male candidate for sheriff in the United States. A friend at the Doubletree party pointed out he's also the first candidate for the BernCo sheriff's job from our generation (mid-20s to mid-30s or so). Davis lost his race but not by much. And, as he said, he had strong community support—he raised the second-biggest war chest in the Dems' race and didn't have to mortgage his house to do it. Manny Gonzales, who arrested one of his opponents last week, won.
Carl Trujillo promised late last night he will ask for a recount in his tight race against House Speaker Ben Lujan.
Judge Linda Vanzi retained her position at the Court of Appeals though the campaign trail got muddy leading up to the primary.
Alibi.com is partnering with the New Mexico Independent this evening, and panelists will report from all over the state. The Alibi’s new arts & lit editor, Patricia Sauthoff, will chime in, along with KUNM's Jim Williams, Gwyneth Doland of The New Mexico Independent, reporter Larry Behrens and KNME’s Gene Grant, Kevin McDonald and Tracy Dingmann. Jump on in.
I’ll be stationed at Marble with Pat Davis’ watch party. He’s the first and only openly gay male candidate for any U.S. sheriff’s race.
The Maricopa County sheriff has also endorsed in other races. He put his stamp on: Missouri’s Ed Martin, who’s running for Congress; Sen. John McCain’s opponent J.D. Hayworth; candidate for San Diego sheriff Jay LaSuer; Assembly candidate Etta Waterfield of San Luis Obispo, California; congressional candidate Philip L. Liberatore; and more.
Get yourself down to the polls before 7 p.m. to vote in the primary election today if you’re a registered Republican or Democrat. Find out where to vote and get a sample ballot at the Bernalillo county clerk’s site.
Hard luck for anyone not registered as a Republican or Democrat. New Mexico runs closed primaries. According to Fair Vote, 17 states in the union hold some form of open primary.
There are five Republicans candidates in New Mexico for governor. Read about them and their positions on immigration, and see some of the other races on the ballots for Dems and the GOP in Bernalillo County.
If you’re a registered Republican or Democrat, get yourself down to the polls tomorrow to vote in the primary.
After all the attention on Arizona’s SB 1070 (and the political gains for the state’s Republicans talking about the law), immigration became a hot topic in N.M.’s election.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, the Dems’ contender, said she opposed Arizona’s plan to have law enforcement check the immigration status of anyone violating any law or ordinance in the AZ.
The Republican candidates for governor opine otherwise.
Pete Domenici Jr. says we need a state law similar to Arizona’s to standardize the process in New Mexico.
Allen Weh says he would sign a bill like our neighbor’s if the Legislature in Santa Fe passed one.
Susana Martinez says law enforcement should be allowed to ask for documentation when arresting someone.
Janice Arnold-Jones says we must secure the borders, and she will uphold the law.
Doug Turner says technology should be able to help stop illegal immigration, and that the federal government should be responsible for it.
For sample ballots and voter info, go to sos.state.nm.us or call (505) 827-3600. To find your polling location in Bernalillo County, go to bernco.gov or call 468-1291.
First things first, if you’re a registered Democrat or Republican, tomorrow is the last day for early, in-person voting in the primary.
The election will be held Tuesday, June 1, and that evening, you can check in at alibi.com for up-to-the minute coverage. We are teaming up with NewMexicoIndependent.com for a live-blog starting at 7 p.m.
I’ll be reporting from Pat Davis’ watch party at Marble Brewery. (I know, it’s a hard life). Davis is the first openly gay male candidate in a U.S. sheriff’s race.
Live-blog panelists will be stationed all over the place. TheAlibi’s new arts & lit editor, Patricia Sauthoff, will chime in, along with KUNM's Jim Williams, Gwyneth Doland of The New Mexico Independent, reporter Larry Behrens and KNME’s Gene Grant, Kevin McDonald and Tracy Dingmann.
Read some of the Alibi’s primary previews here and here.
For sample ballots and voter info, go to sos.state.nm.us or call (505) 827-3600. To find your polling location in Bernalillo County, go to bernco.gov or call 468-1291.
“You are not the government! The Constitution is the government!”
There are so many clunky propaganda techniques and hideous exclamation point-laden quotes in this speech by William Gheen, head of anti-illegal immigration group ALIPAC. It’s amazing. But if you skip to about 7:15, you’ll reach this scuzzy bit of homophobia:
“Sometimes I wonder what it would take to make a person sell their own country out like that. ... Today, I think Sen. Graham, you need to come forward and tell people about your alternative lifestyle and your homosexuality.”
Yes. The thin veil of an excuse for this “outing” is that a disgusted Gheen doesn’t want Sen. Graham, a conservative from South Carolina, to be manipulated with his secret.
It is beyond me why anyone would buy Gheen’s B.S. Sadly, we all know that no matter how this plays out, just speculating that Graham is gay is enough to make it fact—and somehow relevant fact?—for plenty of voters in his district.
But I guess not all tea partiers are bad. Read Maren Tarro’s excellent feature this week. Our brave reporter went to the tea party protests in Washington, D.C., on tax day wearing a homemade “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Liberal” T-shirt.
So, yeah. Over the weekend, New Hampshire State Rep. Nick Levasseur apparently put a post on his Facebook page slagging anime and by extension the entire nation of Japan. He wrote—and I quote—“anime is a prime example that 2 nukes just wasn’t enough.” First off, two obvious things: 1) He was joking, 2) The joke is in incredibly poor taste. Now, the less obvious point: Why in the hell was an elected official wasting his time—even if it was just a Facebook post—ripping on Japanese animation? Is this what we hired this dork for? Doesn’t he have better things to do with his time? Shouldn’t he be insulting John Boehner instead? I know—because Rush Limbaugh told me—that Democrats hate freedom. But do they also have to hate giant robots, large-breasted schoolgirls in tiny skirts and squeaky-voiced cartoon animals?
The results of a new Harris Poll, conducted March 1 though 8, were released this week. Questions covered people’s varying impressions of President Obama. Needless to say, those who identified themselves as Democrats and those who identified themselves as Republicans didn’t quite see eye-to-eye. Here are some of the fascinating statistics on today’s Republicans:
67 percent believe Obama is a socialist.
61 percent think he wants to take away Americans’ right to own guns.
57 percent are still convinced he’s a Muslim.
A whopping 51 percent say he wants to turn sovereignty of the United States over to some shadowy One World government.
45 percent are convinced he was not born in the United States.
38 percent say the President is “doing many of the things Hitler did.”
And fully 24 percent think he “may be the Antichrist.”
Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill today that will raise the price of cigarettes 75 cents. And if you’re thinking about driving to the res to the avoid the tax, the proverbial man is one step ahead of you. The Legislature made some agreements with the state’s tribal leaders, who will also hike prices 75 cents.
With this increase, New Mexico’s tax on smokes comes to $1.66 per pack, the 18th highest in the United States. The national average is $1.34 per pack.
The measure was sponsored by Reps. Gail Chasey and Danice Picraux and Sens. Dede Feldman and Mary Jane Garcia.
The governor also vetoed the food tax, which would have brought in about $68 million. He’s going to make it up with stimulus money and by dipping into the reserves, among other things, according to this New Mexico Independent article.
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