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.
Out-of-state groups have conducted a shadow campaign in the 1st and 2nd Congressional District contests this year, dumping nearly $4 million to sway the outcome of the two races, records show. The tsunami of cash is part of a growing trend nationally in which outside groups swoop in to hot congressional race to run what are usually attack ads, pay for mass mailings or conduct surveys. And it has election and campaign finance reformers concerned.
So far, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) has outspent its Democratic counterpart, pumping $1.25 million into the contest compared to $900,000 from the Democratic Governors Association(DGA), state and federal records show. That edge has helped propel front-runner Republican Susana Martinez toward what increasingly looks like victory on Nov. 2. Martinez has led Lt. Gov. Diane Denish in every independent poll for months and the gap appears to be widening.
The good government group Common Cause will honor University of New Mexico political science professor Lonna Atkeson with its Jack Taylor Award at the group’s annual luncheon Saturday, Oct. 16.
Atkeson earned the award for her “outstanding research expanding our…
About two dozen Democratic legislators face GOP challengers this November. Fewer than 10 Republican lawmakers confront similar prospects, fending off Democratic challengers. It’s a ratio that causes Republican House Minority Whip Keith Gardner to smile. Two years after Democrats rolled to victory, adding to majorities in the state House and the state Senate, signs are pointing to a year that favors the GOP.
Susana Martinez has made corruption a major theme of her campaign for governor, linking high-profile scandals to the “Richardson-Denish administration.” Is linking Denish to the scandals that have rocked New Mexico Democrats, and Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration, a fair reflection of the facts? Two political science professors say no. But planting seeds of doubt about an opponent is a longstanding tradition of political gamesmanship during elections, when campaigns fight over who controls the election-year narrative.
Hundreds of placard-waving Tea Party activists in Albuquerque weren’t sheepish Thursday about sharing ideas on where to trim government fat. Eliminate the federal Department of Education. Reduce foreign aid. Starve the defense budget. Cut back or phase out big domestic spending programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. They all came up as potential cost-savings measures.
Whatever the consequences for Gov. Bill Richardson personally, his withdrawal from the commerce secretary post raises serious questions about how business is done in New Mexico. It’s not the first time that the shadow of corruption has hung over the state, but this story has the potential to be the most damaging because it could involve not just him, but people who worked for Richardson as well.
Gov. Bill Richardson’s withdrawal as U.S. commerce secretary-designate is more than a one-day story. It’s a game changer for New Mexico politics. To better flesh out the immediate impact, NMI talked with both a prominent local pollster and a University of New Mexico political scientist.
Hungry for more political discourse?
Lonna Rae Atkeson, a University of New Mexico professor and Regents’ Lecturer who studies the political process, will answer questions about the election and efforts to improve future elections when she delivers a talk…
