Quick Reads
Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce speaks at a press conference September 12, 2023.

State GOP, legislators file suit against MLG over executive orders

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Opponents of the governor’s actions to address gun violence are targeting her executive orders. The Republican Party of New Mexico, all Republican members of both the New Mexico House and Senate, the Libertarian Party of New Mexico and others filed legal action against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Sept. 14. The plaintiffs are asking for the executive orders issued Sept 8 to be withdrawn in a case filed in New Mexico Supreme Court on Sept. 14.

Congress & Federal Issues

Trump arraigned on charges in NY

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Former President Donald Trump turned himself into authorities Tuesday, on charges relating to his paying hush money to adult film performer Stormy Daniels. Trump, 76, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of first degree falsifying business records in New York Supreme Court for allegedly buying off information that could have portrayed him in a negative light. This included allegedly paying Daniels, another woman and a doorman through an intermediary during the 2016 election cycle as a means of keeping Trump’s affairs with the women quiet. Trump allegedly provided the money even though Daniels reportedly had been open about his affair with her in previous years. Court records state that Trump and others were complicit in a scheme that “violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York.

New Mexico Republican Party

Pearce reelected as NM GOP chairman

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Steve Pearce was reelected as the Republican Party of New Mexico state chair Monday night. Pearce was one of four people running, including Albuquerque conservative radio personality and station owner Eddy Aragon. 

The party said that Pearce won by 29 votes, though an earlier tally—which the party said was incomplete because of an error by the vendor—showed Pearce won by just one vote. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve again,” Pearce said in a statement after the vote. “We have accomplished a great deal, but there’s more work to be done. I am very excited to get our Party more unified, to expand its footprint in New Mexico and to make our Party even more inclusive and diverse.

Barack Obama

Reactions from New Mexico officials to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday. She was 87. The vacancy her seat creates will now give Republicans the opportunity to try to place another conservative justice to the bench. President Donald Trump, reacting to two Supreme Court decisions in June that he didn’t like, tweeted that he would have a new list of conservatives to appoint to the bench by September 1. Within just a few hours of the announcement of Ginsburg’s death, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not wait to bring to a vote for a Trump appointee this election year, according to multiple media sources.

Carla Sonntag

Business leader files defamation suit against NM GOP

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The president of a New Mexico business advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the state Republican party for defamation. Carla Sonntag, the president of the New Mexico Business Coalition alleges the Republican Party of New Mexico falsely accused her of attacking party chair Ryan Cangiolosi in a series of anonymous emails to party members ahead of the state party’s election. In December 2016, the state’s Republican Party sent an email to committee members apologizing for a series of anonymous emails disparaging Cangiolosi. In the email, the party blamed Sonntag for sending the emails. “The Republican Party of New Mexico, in consultation with our legal team, has done its investigative research and has uncovered that these emails come from accounts registered to Carla Sonntag and family,” the email from the party read.

tough on crime

GOP leader wants cops added to NM hate crimes list

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Legislators wrestled Wednesday afternoon with the idea of adding cops and law enforcement to the list of protected classes under state hate crime laws. State House Majority Leader Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, is carrying the bill as part of a “tough on crime” package endorsed by Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and the House Republican leadership. One GOP lawmaker expressed his skepticism of the idea in a hearing of Gentry’s bill at the interim Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee. “I believe we’ve got laws already on the books that should take care of this,” state Rep. Rick Little, R-Chaparral, told Gentry at the hearing. “A lot of these things go on the judge’s discretion anyway.”

The committee didn’t vote on whether to endorse the bill or not.