2016 elections

Martinez won’t endorse after Rubio drops out

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After the failure of her preferred candidate, New Mexico’s governor is staying neutral in presidential race for now. Susana Martinez endorsed Marco Rubio earlier this month. Less than two weeks later, the Florida Senator was blown out in his home state by businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump. After the big loss, Rubio dropped out of the race, ending a disappointing presidential race by winning just one state and two territories. In New Mexico, the attention turned to who Martinez would endorse.

Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson, again: ‘Trump’s a p***y’

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Gary Johnson can’t stop insulting Donald Trump and using a vulgar, misogynistic attack against him. Johnson is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for president while Trump is the Republican Party frontrunner. Last week, we reported that Johnson insulted Trump at a Libertarian Party debate. “Donald Trump’s a pussy,” Johnson said at that debate. While at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, Johnson was asked about the insult by NowThis, an online news source, and admitted it was “kind of a misfire on my part” to insult Trump using that word.

2016 elections

Martinez endorses Rubio

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Gov. Susana Martinez is getting off of the sideline and will endorse Florida Senator Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination. Politico first reported the news and reported that Martinez will go on the campaign trail for Rubio in Kansas and Florida this week. The conventional wisdom is that Rubio, who is currently in third place in delegates in the Republican race, must win Florida to have any chance at winning the nomination. Rubio has won just one of the fifteen states that have held caucuses or primaries so far. “Marco Rubio is a compelling leader who can unite the country around conservative principles that will improve the lives of all Americans,” she said in a statement according to the Washington D.C. website.

Gary Johnson

[VIDEO] Gary Johnson: ‘Donald Trump’s a p***y’

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A former New Mexico governor who is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination insulted Donald Trump using a vulgar insult, one that Trump himself used last month in reference to Texas Senator Ted Cruz. After bragging about climbing the tallest mountain on each continent, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said, to applause, “Donald Trump’s a pussy.” Johnson dropped the vulgar word as one of five candidates speaking at the second part of a Libertarian Party presidential debate in Biloxi, Mississippi this past Saturday night. His fellow Libertarian Party presidential hopeful John McAfee—the guy who developed the anti-virus program that bears his name—chimed in, “Hear, hear!” The debate wasn’t as glamorous as the presidential debates for the Democratic or Republican parties that appear on national cable channels and broadcast networks.

Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends: Luján endorses Clinton, no Martinez endorsement yet

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—All of New Mexico’s congressional Democrats are on Team Hillary. Ben Ray Luján, the last holdout, announced his support for Hillary Clinton. Luján said in a statement that the former Secretary of State “embodies New Mexico values.”

“She puts people first and will roll up her sleeves to change their lives for the better,” he added. “Her record of advocating on behalf of women, children and families, investing in science and supporting our national labs, and fighting to protect our land, water and air will make a real difference in New Mexico and across the country.”

Luján is also the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, giving him an increased national profile among Democrats. —Speaking of endorsements, you may have heard that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump (yes, each word is a link to a different news story on the event).

2016 elections

Poll: Cruz, Trump neck and neck, Rubio behind

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A poll shows Ted Cruz holds the narrowest of leads over Donald Trump among Republicans in New Mexico, with Rubio the only other candidate in double-digits. The poll conducted by Research & Polling for the Albuquerque Journal found Cruz has support of 25 percent, Trump with 24 percent, Rubio with 19 percent and other candidates below ten percent among likely voters. New Mexico’s primary elections take place in early June, likely long after a candidate will have won the primary for both Democrats and Republicans. The three candidates leading in New Mexico are also the top three candidates among national Republicans in public polling. Because of the late primary date, New Mexico has seen just about no campaigning from presidential campaigns.

2016 elections

Hispanic Chamber wants Susana for VP

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The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce wants Republicans to put Susana Martinez on the presidential ticket this fall. The organization made the announcement on Friday, just days before the Iowa caucuses, which kick off the road to the presidential nomination. Right now, the frontrunner for Republicans is businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump. Trump kicked off his campaign by angering Hispanics with his comments about Mexicans. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.

Congress & Federal Issues

Udall, Dems spar with Cruz over climate change

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U.S. Senator Tom Udall, freshly back from Paris where he participated in a United Nations conference related to climate change, was one of several Democratic Senators in a high profile stand-off against Texas U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz on climate change. Cruz chairs the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, which funds science programs that look at the effects of climate change, including funding for NASA. Cruz also says that the threat of climate change is ginned up by “liberal politicians who want government power over the economy” as he recently said on NPR. In the past, he said, “Climate change is not science, it’s religion.” Udall has a different view of things.

Featured

Udall weighs in on Syria refugees: ‘We are not at war against a religion’

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Senator Tom Udall weighed in on the hot-button topic of how the United States should deal with refugees from Syria, saying they should take a balanced approach. Udall also urged focus on who the U.S. is fighting. “We are not at war against a religion; we’re fighting radical extremist thugs who are driven by violence and hatred,” Udall said in a statement sent on Tuesday afternoon. “Knee-jerk, fear-driven policies that would deny help to desperate children and innocent families are contrary to America’s history and values and have no place in a must-pass bill to keep our government operating.” Martin Heinrich, the other U.S. Senator from New Mexico, spoke about the issue earlier on Tuesday.

Martin Heinrich

Heinrich: Assuming all Syrian refugees a threat is ‘rejection of American values’

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U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich said that those who assume the refugees fleeing from Syria are a threat “is a rejection of American values and represents giving in to our worst ethnic and religious prejudices.” Heinrich made the remarks in a statement sent to media on Tuesday morning in which he also acknowledged the need for “the highest levels of vetting and scrutiny” for potential refugees from the Middle Eastern country. Related Story: Udall weighs in on Syria refugees: ‘We are not at war against a religion’
A majority of governors, including New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, have expressed concern about Syrian refugees and said they will not accept any refugees fleeing the war-torn country. Of course, governors have very little say in refusing refugees. President Barack Obama’s administration has said they would accept 10,000 of the more than four million refugees from Syria.