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.
New Mexico is the site of one of the country’s most competitive Senate races, according to Politico. The site’s monthly ranking shows New Mexico as the eighth most competitive race because of the candidacies of Democrat Rep. Martin Heinrich and Republican former Rep. Heather Wilson.
Politico says of next year’s New Mexico Senate race:
With the exception of Tim Kaine, Rep. Martin Heinrich’s vault into the open seat Senate contest marked the biggest recruiting victory for Democrats over the past month. With former Rep. Heather Wilson also in, both parties have formidable forces to replace Sen. Jeff Bingaman. But primaries loom: Lt. Gov. John Sanchez has done the D.C. rounds and Rep. Steve Pearce hasn’t ruled out a tea party-fueled campaign and clearly wants to be a resonant voice in the nominating process. On the Democratic side, there’s some talk about the opportunity to put forth a fresh Hispanic face. That puts Rep. Ben Ray Lujan in a pickle. A former aide says the seventh-generation New Mexican is “really torn on the race.” Democrats privately worry a Heinrich-Lujan primary could rip open up some racial fault lines and tear apart the party.
Who Won March: Heinrich
Latest Poll: Heinrich 50%, Wilson 39% (Public Policy Polling, 2/4-2/6, 545 New Mexico voters)
Last month, the Politico ranking had New Mexico ninth. However, both Republicans and Democrats recruited top-tier candidates in the month. And a few second-tier candidates remain in the fringes of the race.
There has been little polling in the race, as the post shows, but both parties may have multiple potential top-tier candidates still on the sidelines, waiting to decide.
At this same time in the 2008 cycle, the April the year before the election, The Fix coincidentally had New Mexico ranked in the same spot. This was before then-Sen. Pete Domenici announced he would not seek re-election. Eventually, Democrats easily won the seat.
This time, Sen. Jeff Bingaman has already announced his retirement.
