I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Kenneth Gomez made history Tuesday by getting more votes than any other gubernatorial write-in candidate in the state’s history. Gomez received 1971 votes, or 0.3 percent of the vote according to the office of the Secretary of State as of 4:46 a.m.
Of course, there have only been two other write-in candidates for governor in the state’s industry.
The previous record was set with 788 votes by Libertarian candidate Joseph E. Knight in 1990. Also in 1990, Santa Fe artist and eccentric Thomas Macaione received 192 votes.
Gomez ran as a tea party candidate and was aided by a mailer from a Democratic organization that reminded voters of the tea party candidate.
In 2000, Daniel Pearlman attempted to get on the ballot as write-in candidate but the state Bureau of Elections rejected his attempt, saying that state election law has no provision for write-in candidates for governor. Pearlman sued the state but lost his lawsuit and never appeared on the ballot as a write-in candidate.
So far, only fringe candidates have dipped their toes in the write-in waters in New Mexico’s gubernatorial race, but in one other race New Mexico was the site of a rare successful write-in candidacy.
In the 2nd Congressional District, Joe Skeen was elected to office in 1980 as a write-in candidate after the death of incumbent Democrat Harold Runnels.
The New York Times wrote on November 7, 1980, accessed via Lexis:
Joe Skeen, a sheep rancher, became the first major candidate to win a New Mexico election on a write-in vote, according to Republican leaders. He was elected Tuesday to the House of Representatives from the 2d Congressional District, defeating David King, nephew of Gov. Bruce King, by about 5,000 votes. Only Mr. King’s name appeared on the ballot. Mr. Skeen also outpolled another write-in candidate, Dorothy Runnels, the widow of Representative Harold Runnels, who died Aug. 5.
This year, it appears that in Alaska, Republican Lisa Murkowski may win re-election as a write-in candidate after losing in the primary to Republican Joe Miller. This would be the first successful write-in candidacy for Senate since Strom Thurmond in 1954.
