Quick Reads

Haaland speaks at DNC about tribal history, encourages ‘sacred’ right of voting

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U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland was the second New Mexican woman to have a prominent spot at the Democratic National Convention this week, and delivered a short speech from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Haaland spoke about her background—as not only a Native American woman, but one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. She weaved in some history of her people. She is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo, and of Native Americans in general. “My people survived centuries of slavery, genocide and brutal assimilation policies,” Haaland said.

Quick Reads

Lujan Grisham contrasts Biden and Trump on environment during DNC speech from northern NM

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered remarks from a solar array in northern New Mexico, which were aired during the virtual Demcoratic National Convention on Wednesday night. Lujan Grisham spoke from the Kit Carson Co-Op’s solar array at Northern New Mexico College in El Rito—though the caption said it was in Albuquerque—about climate change and other environmental issues. And she said there was a clear choice between the two candidates this November. “We know time is running out to save our planet. We have the chance this November to end two existential crises: The Trump presidency and the environmental annihilation he represents,” Lujan Grisham said.

Quick Reads

Lujan Grisham to speak at Democratic National Convention

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Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will speak at the unusual Democratic National Convention next week, where former Vice President Joe Biden will formally accept the Democratic nomination. Lujan Grisham is one of the list of speakers announced, and will speak on Wednesday, the same night as Biden’s as-yet unnamed vice presidential nominee. Lujan Grisham was on the short-list of vice presidential candidates, but said in recent weeks that she hadn’t had recent conversations with the Biden campaign. Biden committed early in the process to nominating a woman to be his running mate. The convention will be held online this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress & Federal Issues

Heinrich asks Obama to declassify info on Russian involvement in elections

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wants the information about the Russian government’s involvement in the recent U.S. election to be declassified. Heinrich and the other Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee wrote a short letter to President Barack Obama asking for the declassification. “We believe there is additional information concerning the Russian Government and the U.S. election that should be declassified and released to the public,” the letter reads. The letter says specifics on the call for declassification were sent “through classified channels.”

In October, the Obama administration said that Russia was responsible for hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails. A private security firm said that Russian hackers were also behind the hacking of John Podesta’s emails.

Steve Pearce

Pearce OK with Trump’s comments on parents of slain soldier

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While many are criticizing Donald Trump’s rhetoric against the parents of a soldier who died in Iraq, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce said the Republican presidential nominee’s comments are politically fair game. The congressman from southern New Mexico, who supports Trump, told KOB that “most of the comments were right on track, talking about the sacrifice, heroism of the son.”

“And then he simply said the father shouldn’t be making a political issue of out of it,” Pearce continued. “That was well within bounds, in my opinion.”

In an email to NM Political Report, Pearce did criticize Trump, and this news outlet for this story. “Everyone who is dragging Captain Kahn’s sacrifice and his family’s grief into the political realm is wrong that includes NM Political Report and candidate Trump,” Pearce said in a statement. Pearce is a veteran who served as a combat pilot in Vietnam.

Elections

Here’s what NM DNC, RNC delegations bragged about

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If you watched the roll call at each the recent Democratic and Republican National Conventions waiting for New Mexico to come up, you probably noticed each state bragging about certain attributes of their state before they announced the vote totals. For example, Idaho’s Republicans bragged about the “world-famous potatoes” that are grown there. Both Democratic and Republican delegations in Minnesota mentioned Prince. New Mexico’s delegation was not immune to the braggadocio that comes with wearing silly hats and waving signs promoting your party’s preferred candidate at these conventions. At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week, Gov. Susana Martinez took the mic to talk about New Mexico.

Democratic National Convention

NM members of Congress speak at DNC

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It wasn’t quite New Mexico Day at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, but two New Mexico elected officials addressed the delegates. Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham, both members of Congress, spoke to the delegates Wednesday afternoon. The speeches came hours ahead of scheduled speeches by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine. Earlier in the week, Democrats at the convention voted to nominate Hillary Clinton as their presidential candidate. Luján represented the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Democratic National Convention

Udall, Haaland announce New Mexico delegation’s votes at DNC

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U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and Democratic Party of New Mexico chairman Deb Haaland teamed up to cast the state’s votes for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as Clinton clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. New Mexico cast 27 votes for Clinton and 16 votes for Sanders. The votes came as a result of a June primary, which Clinton narrowly won, and the votes of super-delegates, who unanimously supported Clinton. Clinton ultimately was nominated by acclamation, at the request of Sanders himself who has fought throughout the convention to unify Democrats against Donald Trump, even as some of his supporters insist they will not back Clinton. Those speaking to announce the votes and the state, however, are firmly on Hillary’s team.

Democratic National Convention

Lujan Grisham makes (brief) DNC appearance

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U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham appeared in a video at the Democratic National Convention Monday. Lujan Grisham’s appearance came as part of a video for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which aired in the afternoon before the primetime speeches by national figures like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and First Lady Michelle Obama. Update: Lujan Grisham announced on her Facebook page that she will speak Wednesday at the DNC. In her brief appearance, Lujan Grisham spoke about why she supported Hillary Clinton for president. “I know Hillary to be a fighter, somebody who gets things done,” Lujan Grisham said.

Democratic National Convention

Luján scheduled to speak at DNC

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Another Democratic elected official from New Mexico will be speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this upcoming week. U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s campaign announced that Luján will speak at the convention. Luján is the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a key position when it comes to electing Democrats to the U.S. House. “This week in Cleveland the American people saw House Republicans put Party ahead of country by officially nominating Donald Trump, whose campaign has been defined by dangerous national security policies, harmful economic proposals, and rhetoric that divides Americans against each other,” Luján said. “These are not the values that I was raised with and these are not the values that will build a brighter future for the people of New Mexico and our nation.