When NM Governor Candidates Attack

By Reid Wilson

The chairman of the Bernalillo Co. GOP is alleging a leading GOP GOV candidate physically assaulted a staffer, according to a string of emails made public by a NM political blog.

In an angry back-and-forth, Bernalillo Co. GOP chair Rick Abraham told Whitney Cheshire that her candidate, ex-NM GOP chair Allen Weh (R), acted inappropriately during an altercation at the state conventions this weekend. Cheshire is Weh's campaign manager.

"Your candidate physically attacked one of my staff members in front of many witnesses and others, including myself, received verbal attacks from your staff," Abraham wrote to Cheshire, according to emails posted by well-respected NM blogger Joe Monahan today.

"My volunteers, staff and/or officers are tried of your 'bully-style' tactics. We will no longer tolerate anymore [sic] verbal or physical abuse by your campaign or candidate and we will notify the authorities if this abuse continues [to] occur," Abraham wrote.

The argument stems from last weekend's convention, when some Weh backers could not get into the party gathering to support their candidate. Cheshire emailed Abraham to seek refunds of the $25 entry fees that delegates paid to be able to vote.

Cheshire did not take kindly to Abraham's suggestion of physical or verbal intimidation.

"[I]f you ever threaten a member of my staff again, either verbally or physically, we won't just threaten to call the police, we will in fact file a criminal complaint against you," Cheshire wrote. "I would suggest, however, that for the next few days, you and ALL PARTIES WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VERBAL ALTERCATIONS take a deep breath and back off. We are tired of being abused by you and the staff on other campaigns and remind you that all of those attacks occurred in public as well."

Abraham was not immediately available to comment. Cheshire, reached at the campaign office, declined to comment and referred Hotline OnCall to the campaign's press secretary, who did not immediately call back.

Weh, a Vietnam vet who runs an air charter company, is running against consultant Doug Turner, Dona Ana Co. DA Susana Martinez, atty Pete Domenici Jr. and state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones in the GOP primary. The winner will face LG Diane Denish (D) in the general.

Read the entire exchange between Cheshire and Abraham here.

On the National Journal’s Hotline political blog …
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/02/when_nm_gov_can.php

Pearce Poll within Margin of Error

Poll commissioned by Pearce has him ahead

By Peter St. Cyr • 2/23/10, 9:48 pm

http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/2010/02/poll-commissioned-by-pearce-has-him-ahead/

Steve Pearce (Photo by Heath Haussamen)

Former Republican Congressman Steve Pearceis touting a poll he commissioned that shows him with a slight lead over incumbent Rep.Harry Teague, D-N.M., in this year’s 2nd Congressional District race.

The poll has Pearce up by 4 percentage points – 48-44 percent. When considering only those surveyed who knew of both candidates, the lead widened to nine points – 51 percent to 42 percent.

The poll was conducted by the Tarrance Group, a Republican polling and research firm. It surveyed 401 likely voters between February 16-18, and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent, so Pearce’s lead is within the margin of error.

“These results prove what I have been hearing from New Mexicans as I travel the 2nd Congressional District,” Pearce said in a prepared statement. “New Mexicans believe the Teague- and the Pelosi-led Congress are on the wrong track, and their big government spending is a problem, not the solution.”

Harry Teague

Despite trailing Pearce, there is still good news for Teague in the poll. According to National Journal’s Hotline On Call blog, Teauge continued to outperform the Democrat generic ballot, meaning that some voters who are turned off by the Democrat brand still feel some connection to the Southern New Mexico incumbent. The generic ballot has the Republican ahead 47 percent to 37 percent.

Democratic Party of New Mexico Executive Director Scott Forrester told NMPolitics.net Tuesday night that he is not surprised that voters recognize Pearce’s name.

“What is surprising is that Steve Pearce’s own poll says he has less support today than he had in the past four elections,” Forrester said. ”He’s barely at 48 percent today, but Congressman Pearce got nearly 60 percent of the vote in his three campaigns for the House, and even though he lost his Senate race by 22.7 percent, he won CD2 with 52 percent of the vote.”

Barela Nowhere on the Radar.

From Joe Monohan's Blog: http://www.joemonahansnewmexico.blogspot.com/

HEINRICH SEAT: NO PLAYING?

Rep. Heinrich

With the change in the political climate, the New Mexico governor's office appears to be more in play for the Republicans than six months ago, but what about the ABQ congressional race? Given that climate change should one also expect a closer contest between Dem incumbent Martin Heinrich and GOP challenger Jon Barela? Perhaps. But national political handicapper Stu Rothenberg doesn't even list the ABQ contest among the 74 House races he sees as being in play in 2010.

When Republican Heather Wilson held the seat, the race was always listed as a race to watch. But the district's registration is majority Democrat. Now that the Dems have one of their own in the seat after a 40 year drought, it may be more difficult for Barela and the R's to assemble the old coalition of D's and R's that kept the seat in their column. Heinrich not making any major screw-ups isn't helping them either.

GOP Transparency?

RELEASE: Will Domenici Jr. Keep His Promise to File Monthly Finance Reports?

Weh and Turner Still Considering Whether to Run Transparent Campaigns?

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – More than a month after Pete Domenici Jr.’s campaign said that disclosing its campaign donors monthly “is just no problem” because “we want more transparency into campaign contributions,” the campaign continues to run in the dark, failing to disclose it’s donors or campaign expenditures. GOP candidate Allen Weh is still “considering” disclosing his campaign contributions andDoug Turner has said “maybe” to running an open and transparent campaign.

“The Republican candidates for Governor like to talk about openness and transparency, but when given an opportunity to walk the walk, the majority of GOP candidates continue to run their campaigns in the dark,” said Scott Forrester, DPNM Executive Director. “Everyone is left wondering what these candidates are hiding?”

The Facts:

Domenici Jr. Campaign Promised Bi-Weekly Or Monthly Finance Reporting. According to Pete St. Cyr, “After we originally published our blog we received an email from campaign coordinator Doug Antoon, who clarified the campaign’s plan for financial reporting. ‘I would like to shoot for semi-monthly or bi-weekly if we can handle the paperwork and have the people available to post everything on that timetable. But monthly is just no problem,’ Antoon wrote. ‘We want more transparency into campaign contributions, not less.’” [Blog, What’s the word with Pete St. Cyr, 1/17/10]

January 2010: Weh Campaign Said He Was “Considering” Voluntarily Releasing Campaign Finance Reports. According to the Heath Haussamen blog, “Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh says he may join other candidates who have chosen to voluntarily release campaign finance reports this month. ‘We’re considering it,’ Weh spokesman Christopher Sanchez wrote this morning in an e-mail. He had no further comment. Weh joins Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner in not giving a definite answer (Turner said ‘maybe’ earlier this week) to the question I’ve been asking about whether gubernatorial candidates would voluntarily release a finance report this month for the fourth quarter of 2009. Weh is the last gubernatorial candidate to provide some kind of answer.” [The New Mexican Independent, 1/21/10]

Turner Said “Maybe” To Reporting Campaign Finance Early. According to the Heath Haussamen blog, “Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner doesn’t have plans to release a campaign finance report to the public until the next one is required on April 12 – but he’s also not entirely closing the door on doing it sooner. ‘I would imagine we’ll report in April when it’s appropriate,’ Turner told NMPolitics.net’s Peter St. Cyr…Turner was speaking at a tax protest outside the Roundhouse that he held with former Gov. Gary Johnson. ‘Maybe we’ll do it earlier,’ Turner said of releasing a finance report.” [Blog, Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics, 1/19/10]

Turner Said He Had No Resistance To Reporting Campaign Finance Early; Said He Would Self-Fund Significant Part Of Campaign. According to Heath Haussamen’s blog, “Meanwhile, three other gubernatorial candidates — Democrat Diane Denish and Republicans Susana Martinez and Janice Arnold-Jones — have already gone beyond what the law requires in terms of campaign finance transparency, and Republican candidate Pete Domenici Jr. says he plans to join them. ‘We don’t have any resistance to that,’ Turner said of releasing reports more often than the law requires. ‘It’s just that we haven’t been focusing on following every single campaign on, you know, who’s proving that they’re more transparent than the other.’ ‘I have started off this campaign acknowledging from the beginning that I’m self-funding a significant portion of it, and I will continue to self-fund significant portions of it even while I’m raising money,’ Turner said. ‘I’m raising money from oil and gas industry. I’m raising money from businesses that care about the future of this state. And when we report, we’re going to report and everyone will know about it.’” [Blog, Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics, 1/19/10]

Democrats Urged to Work Together

County Democrats urged to work together

By Tom Sharpe | The New Mexican
Posted: 2/20/2010, 8:00 PM Mountain time

Santa Fe County Democrats who gathered for a combined ward and county convention on Saturday warned each other that Republicans will be coming after them this year.

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján said in an interview, following his address to the convention, that Democrats need to work together "to shed truth on some of the misconceptions and untruths that are being spread. ...

"Opponents of some of the health care reform, they try to scare the American people into believing that there were such things as death panels in the legislation," he said. "They're trying to say that the investments that were in the Recovery Act are not helping New Mexicans."

Luján, who is finishing his first term and expects GOP opposition in November, said that in his travels around Northern New Mexico, he's learned that most people support the Democrats' plans for reforming health care.

"Everyone has told us, 'Please do not give up on taking on the health-insurance companies. Make sure that we're getting rid of this notion that they can exclude care because of pre-existing conditions,' " he said.

Luján said he wants to make sure that coverage is spelled out in plain language so the average consumer can understand what is covered and at what cost. Currently, he said, when coverage is denied, the consumer is not told why.

"That's part of the reform we're working on, so that if you do get that denial, you know exactly why, so it empowers the consumer to refute it or to take them on," he said.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who is unopposed in this year's primary for governor, said she has been impressed with the turnouts at county and ward conventions around the state.

State Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, one of five candidates seeking to replace Denish as lieutenant governor, credited Denish with revitalizing the office.

"It's a tribute ... what she did with what used to be a nothing job," he said. "It didn't lead anywhere. It didn't do anything. She's made it something really valuable in the state. ... She's made this job into a real advocacy for people. She's made it a bully pulpit."

Santa Fe County Democratic Party Chairman Richard Ellenberg said Saturday's convention ran smoothly, and that 186 delegates were elected to attend the state preprimary convention at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino on March 13.

Domenici, Jr. Says Opponent is part of another "demographic"

Audio: Domenici Jr. appears to say Martinez less likely to win GOP primary because “she’s from a different demographic”

For Immediate Release
February 19, 2010

Albuquerque, NM – In an eye-opening interview on KKOB 770AM earlier this week, GOP gubernatorial candidate Pete Domenici Jr. told New Mexicans that he used cocaine (considers it a “recreational drug”) and doesn’t think he can win in 2010, but the audio reveals a new disturbing insinuation.

Host Jim Villanucci asked Domenici Jr. whether he believed District Attorney Susana Martinez is at a disadvantage in the GOP primary because she’s not from the Albuquerque area.

Domenici Jr.’s response: “Well, I will just say she’s from a different demographic than the other four candidates. And I’ll leave it at that.”

In response, DPNM Chairman Javier Gonzales calls on Domenici Jr. to answer a very simple question: “What exactly did Mr. Domenici Jr. mean?”

Domenici, Jr. Admits Drug Use During 1970s-1980s

February 18, 2010

ALBUQUERQUE - Two prominent New Mexico law enforcement officials, Lemuel Martinez and Greg Solano, reacted today to news that Domenici Jr. used illegal drugs and classified cocaine as a recreational drug in recent radio interview.

The text of the letter is pasted below. A short audio clip of the Domenici Jr. interview can be heard here.

February 18, 2010

Dear Citizens of New Mexico:

Last night, a candidate for Governor said something on the radio that deeply disturbed us – and probably many other listeners as well. During an interview on KKOB, Pete Domenici Jr. admitted that he had used cocaine, but what troubled us more was the fact that he called it a “recreational drug.”

Cocaine is not a recreational drug, plain and simple. It’s extremely unfortunate that a candidate for Governor would downplay the harmful nature of such an addictive and deadly drug.

As law enforcement officials on the front lines trying to get drugs like cocaine off our streets, we’re outraged by Pete Domenici Jr.’s careless characterization. Today we call on him to do the right thing and apologize for giving New Mexico children the impression that experimenting with cocaine is acceptable. Needless to say, it’s not.

Furthermore, as law enforcement officials and as concerned citizens, we sincerely hope Mr. Domenici Jr. will be honest with the people of New Mexico and say when he last used cocaine.

Mistakes can be forgiven, and many New Mexico families are facing similar problems, but the people of New Mexico deserve to know the facts.

Sincerely,

Lemuel Martinez, District Attorney, New Mexico's 13th District
Greg Solano, Santa Fe County Sheriff