Hello fellow political junkies!

We are hip deep in election events, rhetoric and childish attack ads, after all, the election itself is 71 days away.

Last week, the Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago. Vice President Kamala Harris finished up the convention by formally accepting the Democratic nomination for president.

In the days prior to the DNC, protesters were out and about in Chicago bringing up memories of the 1968 DNC, also in Chicago, in which Vietnam War protesters clashed with police outside while delegates fought each other inside. The current protesters, much less chaotic than the scene nearly 50 years ago, were protesting for an end to the war in Gaza.

For more on Chicago in 1968, here is a story from the Chicago History Museum.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham spoke at the DNC last week, you can read my story on it here.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland also spoke at the DNC, you can read my colleague Susan Dunlap’s story here.

Haaland served in the U.S. House of Representatives in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District prior to being named Interior Secretary.

Closer to home, the Yvette Herrell campaign welcomed U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, to open a Republican field office that was termed a “battle station” for some reason.

Women’s reproductive rights protesters and representatives from the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium protested outside the event.

Herrell is running to reclaim her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for the state’s 2nd Congressional District.

Read more about this event from my colleague Susan Dunlap here.

In other election news, three New Mexico elected officials were named in a report about election certification for their refusal to do so in recent years. Read more about this in my story here.

Election information

Early/absentee voting begins Oct. 7.

For more information about elections contact your local county clerk’s office which can also help you check on or update your voter registration, a process that can also be done online at NMVote.org. 

To see who the candidates are please visit the New Mexico Secretary of State’s 2024 General Election Contest/Candidate List.

The Election Results 2024 will be posted to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office website after polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. It currently lists the 2024 primary results.

Upcoming interim committee meetings

Interim Water And Natural Resources Committee will meet Aug 26-27 at  New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Fidel Center, Ballroom B and C 801 Leroy Place in Socorro.

Interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee will meet Aug. 26-28 at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Raul and Shari Deju University House 1001 Lopezville Road in Socorro.

Interim Legislative  Science, Technology And Telecommunications Committee will meet Aug. 28-29 at  Joseph A. Fidel Center, Ballrooms B and C New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 1 Olive Lane in Socorro.

Interim Investment and Pension Oversight Committee will meet Aug. 29 at  Taos Tent 7 Thunderbird Road at Taos Ski Valley.

For more information about interim committee meetings, visit nmlegis.gov and click the Committee’s tab at the top of the screen.

Meanwhile on the Hill

The New Mexico congressional delegation welcomed $5.417 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to help New Mexican law enforcement agencies solve crimes, support prosecutors and courts, survivor services and violence prevention.

The funding came from the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bills.

The funding goes to projects across the state including the Trauma Informed Youth Diversion Program in Doña Ana County and the New Mexico Crime Gun Intelligence Center through the New Mexico Department of Justice for Farmington, Gallup, Las Cruces and Roswell.

Tips, subscriptions and more info

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This is one of several newsletters produced by NM Political Report, check them out here. 

-Nicole Maxwell