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.
Democrat Ben Ray Lujan will represent New Mexico’s Third Congressional District in the House of Representatives, taking the seat vacated by newly elected U.S. senator Tom Udall. In a three-way race, his closest challenger, Republican Dan East, conceded the race at about 10 p.m. Tuesday night, with most New Mexico precincts reporting.
Lujan held the lead with about 58 percent of the vote at that time.
East , a businessman from Rio Rancho , clearly won four of the 15 counties in the congressional district, but trailed overall at 29.5 percent, while Independent candidate Carol Miller maintained a respectable two-digit percentage in the low teens.
“Together—we did it. Juntos—hemos cumplido,” Lujan told a Santa Fe crowd in his acceptance speech.
“I ran for Congress to make a difference in the lives of the people of New Mexico. Today, I stand before you even more determined to make a difference and to work hard, every day to get our country back on track.”
The Santa Fe native and son of New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan was elected to the Public Regulation Commission in 2004 and has served as its chairman since 2005. He will end his first term on the PRC Dec. 31.
Lujan carried most of the 15 counties in the northern congressional district, including Taos, Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, Mora and Harding.
East led in Roosevelt, Union, San Juan and Curry counties, which in the final election night tally went for Republican John McCain for president. Three of those counties also favored Republican Steve Pearce for U.S. Senate and it was almost a tie between Peace and Democrat Tom Udall in Curry County, with the two at 49.7 percent and 50.3 percent, respectively, with all precincts reporting.
Lujan held steady at 38 percent in Curry, Roosevelt and Union and took 42 percent of the vote in San Juan.
By night’s end, Miller had 13 percent and said she felt “really good” about the numbers, despite the loss. “It’s not easy for an Independent to end up with double digits,” she told the New Mexico Independent, adding that a long-term contribution of her campaign could be that it delivers the message one can wage a good campaign without raising a lot of money. “So far, I have almost 28,558 people who voted for the ideas I put forward,” she said. “I’m feeling really good because it was an uphill battle – completely grassroots.”
The Rio Arriba County resident had the endorsement of three daily newspapers in northern New Mexico — the Taos News, Los Alamos Monitor and Las Vegas Optic – and even received a commendable mention in the Farmington Daily Times, which endorsed East.
