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Speaker Johnson visits NM with major boost for Cunningham

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson made a high-profile stop in New Mexico Wednesday to rally support for Republican congressional nominee Greg Cunningham, highlighting one of the GOP’s biggest opportunities to expand its narrow House majority this November.

And Johnson arrived with a message from President Donald Trump himself.

The Louisiana Republican said he spoke with Trump by phone Wednesday morning before traveling to Albuquerque and told the president where he was headed.

“He loves the state of New Mexico,” Johnson said of Trump. “He loves the people. He loves this candidate.”

Johnson said Trump agreed Cunningham is “straight out of central casting,” adding, “He’s going to be perfect for this district,” according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Cunningham, a Marine Corps combat veteran, retired Albuquerque police detective, and small-business owner, is challenging two-term Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.

The race has quickly emerged as one of Republicans’ most important pickup opportunities in the country.

Trump carried the district in 2024 even as Vasquez narrowly survived reelection, giving Republicans confidence that voters who backed Trump could also send Cunningham to Washington this year.

“That’s what makes this district, puts it in play,” Johnson said, according to KOB.

Johnson said Republicans see New Mexico’s 2nd District as one of a small number of seats that could ultimately determine control of the U.S. House.

The Cook Political Report currently rates the race “Lean Democratic,” but Johnson argued national handicappers are underestimating Cunningham and the enthusiasm Republicans are seeing on the ground.

Before the press conference, Johnson attended a fundraiser for Cunningham that he said drew approximately 375 people — the largest crowd he had seen during his August campaign tour across dozens of congressional districts.

“We just had the largest crowd of the entire month of August that I’ve seen anywhere in America,” Johnson said.

KOAT reported Johnson also described the amount raised at the event as “extraordinary,” although he did not disclose a total.

The gathering also included state Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis), the Republican nominee challenging far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Zamora’s appearance underscored Republicans’ broader effort to compete for congressional seats across New Mexico as the party works to protect and potentially grow its House majority.

After the fundraiser, Johnson joined Cunningham and law enforcement leaders for a press conference at Rio Bravo Brewing Co. in Albuquerque.

The speaker repeatedly emphasized Cunningham’s background in law enforcement and military service, contrasting it with Vasquez’s record in Washington.

“The incumbent in this district has had a shameful record,” Johnson said, according to KOB. “He voted against the tax cuts for hard working New Mexican families. He voted against border security measures over and over.”

Johnson also argued the Democrat Party is continuing to move further left, warning that Vasquez would ultimately fall in line with the party’s socialist wing if Democrats regain control of Congress.

“He will follow the DSA, the Democrat Socialists of America, takeover of the party,” Johnson said. “He won’t be able to stand up to the base.”

Johnson framed November’s election as a straightforward choice.

“The president won this district,” he said. “They are for common sense. They are not for crazy, and they’re going to get an opportunity in this election to vote for common sense.”

Cunningham, meanwhile, focused heavily on public safety and his 22 years serving as an Albuquerque police officer.

“I am not a politician that is telling police officers and detectives that I like them or I will listen to them,” Cunningham said. “I am one of them.”

“I have worked these streets. I’ve been in these alleys. I’ve gone through these doors,” he continued. “I know what these men and women need, and I am committed to getting that to them once we get elected to Congress.”

Cunningham was joined by law enforcement figures including Eddy County Sheriff Matt Hutchinson and members of the New Mexico Fraternal Order of Police.

Former New Mexico Fraternal Order of Police President Bob Martinez also took direct aim at Vasquez’s past record on policing.

“Congressman Vasquez talks a good line, but he basically was for defunding the police,” Martinez told the New Mexican, referring to Vasquez’s previous comments supporting the defund-the-police movement.

“He did not support the police,” Martinez added. “Now that it’s time to get reelected, he’s suddenly on board. But the fact of the matter is history speaks for itself.”

Vasquez responded by attacking Johnson and attempting to paint Cunningham as too closely aligned with Trump.

“My opponent since day one has said that he wants to be the representative of this district because he has Donald Trump’s approval,” Vasquez told KOAT. “Mike Johnson is here to validate that,” not mentioning that the President won the Second Congressional District.

A small group of left-wing protesters also gathered outside the event, staging a sad collection of assorted anti-Trump and anti-Johnson demonstrations while Cunningham and Johnson spoke inside.

Cunningham appeared completely unfazed.

“I’ve raised six children, have nine grandchildren, so I’m actually used to talking over stuff like this,” he joked.

The far bigger story Wednesday was happening inside: the Speaker of the House personally traveled to New Mexico, Trump sent his enthusiastic support, hundreds packed a Cunningham fundraiser, and national Republicans made unmistakably clear that they believe Vasquez’s seat is winnable.

Republicans are already preparing to spend millions in the Albuquerque and Las Cruces media markets as they target the district, while Cunningham has demonstrated growing fundraising strength.

With control of Congress potentially coming down to only a handful of races, New Mexico could find itself at the center of the national battle for the House.

Johnson believes Cunningham can deliver one of those decisive victories.

Cunningham sounded equally confident.

“I look forward to seeing you all in January,” he told supporters, “at the swearing-in ceremony.”

Speaker Johnson visits NM with major boost for Cunningham Read More »

‘I think it is BS’: NM Dems rage over Trump Supreme Court victory

9 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s office is sounding the alarm after the U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a key victory in his push to tighten mail-in voting rules ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

In a statement posted online Tuesday, Toulouse Oliver’s office claimed the Supreme Court’s decision “creates unnecessary chaos and unsubstantiated doubt in our democratic process” just as voters begin making plans to participate in November’s elections.

The reaction followed Monday’s 6-3 Supreme Court order lifting a lower-court injunction that had blocked portions of Trump’s March 2026 executive order in 23 Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C. The unsigned emergency order split along ideological lines, with the Court’s three liberal justices dissenting.

The ruling is not the final word on the legality of Trump’s executive order. Instead, the Supreme Court concluded that the states challenging it had sued prematurely because the executive order itself had not yet caused them the concrete injuries they alleged.

That procedural distinction nevertheless amounted to a significant victory for Trump as election deadlines rapidly approach. Breitbart News noted that some states are preparing to begin sending ballots to voters in early September, giving the legal battle heightened urgency heading into the midterms.

Trump signed the executive order in March as part of what his administration has described as an effort to strengthen election integrity and prevent ineligible voters from participating in federal elections.

Among other provisions, the order directs the Department of Homeland Security, working with the Social Security Administration, to compile state-specific lists of confirmed U.S. citizens of voting age. It also directs the Justice Department to prioritize investigations and prosecutions, under applicable federal law, involving officials or others who distribute federal ballots to ineligible voters.

The order also instructed the U.S. Postal Service to begin rulemaking governing mail and absentee ballots. The administration’s proposal calls for official election-mail envelopes with unique barcodes and would require states to enroll mail-ballot recipients on state-specific participation lists before USPS transmits their ballots.

The Postal Service published its new requirements last week as the Supreme Court considered the administration’s request. The White House has defended the order as a straightforward election-security measure.

“President Trump is taking decisive action to prevent non-citizens from voting in Federal elections and to protect the security of mail-in and absentee ballots,” the White House said in its March fact sheet announcing the order.

The Supreme Court, however, made clear Monday that it was not yet blessing every eventual action the administration might take under the order.

“The Court’s disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful,” the Court wrote. “On that score, time will tell.”

But the majority concluded the states had not shown the executive order itself had caused the injuries necessary for the Massachusetts federal court to intervene at this stage.

Toulouse Oliver’s office seized on the Supreme Court’s warning about future implementation while blasting the result.

“In an unsigned, emergency order issued Monday, the justices agreed states had not yet been harmed by President Donald Trump’s March 2026 executive order and therefore the case was not successful in blocking the order,” the office wrote.

Then came the promise of another courtroom battle.

“The Secretary of State’s Office has been working closely with the New Mexico Department of Justice in preparation of such a ruling and will challenge the executive order anew,” the statement continued. “Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver will always fight on behalf of the rights of all of New Mexico’s voters and remains committed to ensuring that every eligible voter has the information and ability to participate in the election this year.”

Her office stressed that the Supreme Court decision does not presently change how New Mexicans may vote in November and encouraged voters to consult the Secretary of State’s website and NMVote.org for current information.

The office also emphasized that other portions of Trump’s plan remain blocked through separate litigation — an important caveat because Monday’s Supreme Court order addressed only the injunction before it.

Toulouse Oliver was hardly the only New Mexico Democrat furious over the decision.

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández posted a video calling the ruling “a really bad decision” and accusing Trump of attempting to interfere with mail-in voting.

“The Supreme Court did not make a final decision,” Leger Fernández said. “They did not decide that Trump has any legal authority to have a say in our federal elections. He does not. That is reserved to the states and to Congress.”

She then went considerably further.

“I think it is BS what the Supreme Court has done,” Leger Fernández declared.

“But let me tell you what we are going to do is we are going to continue to bring those legal cases and those battles,” she added.

Leger Fernández urged Americans to vote by mail, absentee ballot, early voting, or in person on Election Day.

“We are not going to let Trump suppress our vote,” she said. “We’re not going to let Trump make us despair and think that our vote doesn’t matter.”

Similar outrage erupted among Democrat officials elsewhere.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed additional litigation and accused the Trump administration of advancing “Orwellian rules,” while New York Attorney General Letitia James described the Supreme Court action as a setback and likewise promised continued legal challenges.

The White House, meanwhile, celebrated the result. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis called Trump’s policies “commonsense measures that protect the security of mail-in ballots and ensure only Americans are electing American leaders.”

Even after Monday’s Supreme Court victory, however, the fight is not finished.

A separate injunction obtained in litigation involving voting-rights groups still blocks implementation of portions of the Postal Service rules, meaning Monday’s ruling does not automatically change mail-voting procedures nationwide. Reuters reported Tuesday that U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani criticized USPS over its rulemaking but declined to impose another block for the time being, while the separate injunction remains in force.

The new Postal Service rule includes requirements involving voter lists, ballot-envelope markings, and unique barcodes designed to allow election mail to be tracked. Those requirements are themselves now the subject of continuing litigation.

The Associated Press reported that the Supreme Court ruling may therefore produce no immediate change in the way Americans cast ballots this November, particularly with election deadlines approaching so quickly. What it unquestionably did was remove one major legal obstacle confronting Trump’s executive order and open another round in the broader court fight over presidential authority, state election administration, and mail voting.

For the Trump administration, Monday was a significant legal victory: the Supreme Court rejected the states’ attempt to keep the challenged provisions blocked on the theory presented to the courts so far.

For Toulouse Oliver and other Democrat officials, it triggered promises of yet more litigation.

New Mexico’s secretary of state says the ruling has created “unnecessary chaos.” Leger Fernández is calling what the Supreme Court did “BS.” Democrat officials in other states are rushing back to court.

And with ballots beginning to go out in parts of the country within weeks, the battle over Trump’s mail-voting and citizenship-verification order is nowhere near finished.

‘I think it is BS’: NM Dems rage over Trump Supreme Court victory Read More »

Defying Trump, NM Dems double down on taxpayer-funded child sex-changes

17 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico, which is run by far-left Democrats in every place of state power, plans to keep paying for transgender-related medical services for minors even after the Trump administration’s new federal rule cuts off Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program funding for such treatments.

The move means New Mexico taxpayers will be forced to continue footing the bill for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, sex-change counseling, speech therapy, body hair removal, and other gender-transition services for minors after federal dollars are pulled.

According to The Guardian, the Trump administration finalized the rule on Aug. 13, with the change set to take effect Oct. 13. The rule ends federal Medicaid and CHIP support for the procedures and services commonly described by left-wing activists as “gender-affirming care.”

But New Mexico is apparently not backing down.

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s New Mexico Health Care Authority “is planning to continue covering these services using state funds,” agency spokesman Timothy Fowler wrote in an email to the Santa Fe New Mexican, according to The Guardian.

That means the state is preparing to defy the federal shift by backfilling the money with state funds, keeping New Mexico on track as one of the Southwest’s most aggressive havens for transgender medical interventions on minors.

New Mexico already has a massive Medicaid and CHIP population. The Guardian reported that, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, New Mexico has the second-highest percentage of residents enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, with 41.4% of the state’s population on the programs. The outlet also cited KFF data showing 61% of New Mexico children are insured through Medicaid or CHIP.

That makes the Trump administration’s rule especially significant in New Mexico — and makes the state’s decision to keep paying with state money even more consequential for taxpayers.

The funding fight comes as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and legislative Democrats have worked to make New Mexico a refuge for abortion and transgender procedures while neighboring states move in the opposite direction.

In 2023, Democrats passed the so-called “Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act,” a law designed to shield abortion and transgender-related services from local restrictions. Since then, New Mexico has been promoted by the left as a destination for families seeking access to these services as other states enact protections for children.

The Guardian reported that families have relocated to New Mexico as protections for transgender-identifying youth have disappeared in neighboring states. The outlet also cited the Williams Institute at UCLA, which estimates that 4,800 transgender-identifying teenagers ages 13 to 17 live in New Mexico.

The same report described the services at issue as including “medical, social and psychological services,” such as puberty blockers, hormones including estrogen and testosterone, speech therapy, body hair removal and counseling.

Many New Mexicans argue those are not harmless political talking points, but life-altering interventions being pushed on children who are not old enough to vote, buy alcohol, or sign major legal contracts.

Far-left supporters claim the services are necessary. The Guardian wrote that major medical organizations support such care as medically necessary and lifesaving.

But the Trump administration’s rule represents a direct challenge to using federal taxpayer dollars for those services, especially when children are involved. New Mexico’s response is to shift the cost to state taxpayers instead.

The state has used this same playbook before.

Earlier this year, New Mexico announced it would use state money to cover the cost of expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits for residents who purchase insurance on the state marketplace. At the time, Lujan Grisham defended the move as a response to Washington.

“We created the Health Care Affordability Fund for moments like this – when Washington fails to protect working families and the most vulnerable among us,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

Now, the same state-first spending approach is being applied to transgender medical services for minors.

The difference is that this time, the issue is not just insurance premiums. It is whether New Mexico taxpayers should be required to fund sex-change-related interventions for children after the federal government has said Medicaid and CHIP dollars will no longer pay for them.

New Jersey also recently moved to fund such services through a new shield law, according to The Guardian.

But New Mexico’s situation is especially stark because so many children in the state are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. If the state continues covering the services with state-only dollars, the cost and controversy will remain squarely on New Mexico taxpayers.

Democrats will call it “health care.”

Parents and taxpayers may see something very different: a state government determined to keep New Mexico open for experimental and irreversible gender-transition interventions on minors, no matter what the federal government says.

Defying Trump, NM Dems double down on taxpayer-funded child sex-changes Read More »

Dem blames alcohol after alleged Chicago hotel streaking incident

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico House Rep. Joseph Hernandez has broken his silence after a police report and eyewitness accounts described a bizarre late-night disturbance at a Chicago hotel involving allegations of public nudity, banging on guest doors, and a police escort off the property.

Hernandez, a Shiprock Democrat who represents House District 4, posted a public apology on social media after the Albuquerque Journal reported new details about the July 29 incident at the Holiday Inn at Wolf Point in Chicago.

“I want to sincerely apologize to my family and my community for my behavior during a recent stay in Chicago,” Hernandez wrote. “My conduct was not reflective of my role as a state representative or my duty to you – my constituents, and I accept full responsibility for my actions.”

The apology came after the Journal reported that a heavily redacted Chicago Police Department incident report described a roughly two-hour incident that began around 2:30 a.m. on the hotel’s 17th floor, where Hernandez was reportedly staying.

According to the Journal, someone called emergency services about a man “running around naked” and “banging and knocking on other guests’ doors.”

The name in the police report was redacted, but the Journal reported that identifying details appeared to match Hernandez. Two eyewitnesses also told the newspaper they were certain the man involved in the alleged disturbance was the New Mexico Democrat.

When shown another photo of Hernandez and asked to rate their certainty that the man was the state representative, one witness reportedly said “10.” The other responded, “If not an 11.”

The Journal previously reported that Hernandez checked into room 1745 on the 17th floor using a government discount code on July 26 and checked out the morning of July 29, the same day as the incident.

Chicago police officers reportedly responded around 2:44 a.m. and found the man “fully clothed” and standing with hotel security. The incident report described the man as 5-foot-6, 280 pounds, with short black hair, a light-brown complexion, and a 1987 birth date.

According to the Journal’s summary of the report, the man pulled up photos of himself on his phone and was “demanding” officers “know who he is,” while insisting he be allowed to return to his room.

Hotel staff refused. The Journal reported that staff told officers the man’s reservation had been “cancelled due to” his behavior and for breaking hotel rules.

Police then escorted the man to his room to collect his belongings before escorting him off the property. The report said officers told him he had been “formally trespassed from the property” and waited while he ordered a rideshare to another hotel.

Hernandez initially gave the Journal a much narrower explanation, calling the episode a “negative experience” with hotel security.

“During my recent stay in Chicago, I had a negative experience with a hotel security guard that resulted in a visit from Chicago Police,” Hernandez said in his earlier statement. “The situation was resolved quickly as I relocated to a new hotel, where I stayed for the remainder of my trip.”

But after the police report and eyewitness accounts became public, Hernandez’s tone changed dramatically.

In his new apology, Hernandez acknowledged that alcohol played a role in what he described as a “regrettable lapse in judgment.”

“I take this situation very seriously and am seeking professional help to address my challenges with alcohol that ultimately led to this regrettable lapse in judgement,” Hernandez wrote. “I am truly sorry for disappointing all those who put their faith in me, and I am committed to making meaningful changes to recover my health, regain your trust, and uphold the high standards you deserve from your elected representative.”

The statement was signed, “Joseph Franklin Hernandez, NM State Rep. HD-4, Shiprock, New Mexico.”

Screenshot: Hernandez’s Facebook page, taken Monday, August 24, 2026.

While Hernandez apologized for his conduct and accepted responsibility, he did not specifically address the most explosive allegations in the Journal’s report, including the claim that he was running around naked, banging on guest doors, or that witnesses identified him as the man involved.

The Journal reported that no charges appear to have been filed in connection with the incident. The original dispatch was reportedly classified as a “sex offense call,” though the final reporting code was “criminal trespass.”

One witness also claimed Hernandez “pushed” them near an elevator while they attempted to get him back to his room. That same witness reportedly said Hernandez later accused security and the hotel of racial bias after police arrived.

The incident has already become a political problem for Hernandez, who is running for reelection in House District 4. He faces Republican Heather Ellison, a Navajo educator, in November.

Ellison previously called on Hernandez to be transparent about what happened in Chicago.

“Legislators are held to a certain ethical standard, and they have a responsibility to be transparent, especially when spending taxpayer dollars,” Ellison said. “This incident is certainly concerning, and I call upon Representative Hernandez to tell the truth and take accountability for what happened.”

Hernandez has now apologized and admitted alcohol was involved.

But for voters, the unanswered questions remain: what exactly happened inside that Chicago hotel, why did his original statement leave out so many details, and were taxpayer-related travel benefits involved in the trip? Also, to what extent is Hernandez’s alleged alcoholism affecting his job performance, including official acts while voting and serving during the legislative session at the Roundhouse?

For a lawmaker who first described the incident as a brief “negative experience,” the latest apology confirms the episode was serious enough to demand public accountability.

And the details now on the record are far stranger than voters were first told.

Dem blames alcohol after alleged Chicago hotel streaking incident Read More »

Witnesses say Dem rep was ‘running around naked’ at hotel

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A newly released Chicago police incident report is raising more questions about New Mexico House Rep. Joseph Hernandez’s brief explanation of a late-night hotel encounter that reportedly involved a disturbance, public nudity allegations, and a police escort off the property.

Hernandez, a Shiprock Democrat, previously described the episode as a “negative experience” with hotel security that ended with him moving to another hotel.

But according to the Albuquerque Journal, a heavily redacted Chicago Police Department incident report and two eyewitness accounts paint a far more serious picture of what unfolded early July 29 at the Holiday Inn at Wolf Point in Chicago.

The incident reportedly began around 2:30 a.m. on the hotel’s 17th floor, where Hernandez was staying. The Journal reported that someone called emergency services about a man “running around naked” and “banging and knocking on other guests’ doors.”

The name of the individual in the police report was redacted, but the Journal reported that the descriptors appeared to match Hernandez. Two eyewitnesses also told the newspaper they were certain the man involved in the disturbance was the New Mexico lawmaker.

According to a travel log obtained by the Journal, Hernandez checked into room 1745 on July 26 using a government discount code and checked out the morning of July 29, the same day as the incident.

Chicago police officers reportedly arrived around 2:44 a.m. and found the man “fully clothed” with security. The report described the individual as 5-foot-6, 280 pounds, with short black hair and a light-brown complexion, and a 1987 birth date.

The report also said the man pulled up photos of himself on his phone while “demanding” that officers “know who he is,” and insisted he should be allowed back into his room.

Hotel staff apparently disagreed. According to the Journal’s summary of the report, the hotel told officers the man’s reservation had been “cancelled due to” his behavior and for breaking hotel rules.

Police then escorted him to his room to collect his belongings before escorting him out of the hotel. The report said officers explained he had been “formally trespassed from the property” and waited while he ordered a rideshare to another hotel.

Hernandez’s earlier statement did not mention the nudity allegations, banging on doors, or being formally trespassed.

“During my recent stay in Chicago, I had a negative experience with a hotel security guard that resulted in a visit from Chicago Police,” Hernandez said in the statement. “The situation was resolved quickly as I relocated to a new hotel, where I stayed for the remainder of my trip.”

The Journal reported that Hernandez has declined multiple requests to explain what happened and why the incident escalated. When reached by phone July 31, he reportedly referenced “a security guard,” then claimed he was losing signal, despite no apparent interference on the call. He said he would be available later but did not answer again or respond to follow-up requests.

The incident occurred while legislators from across the country were in Chicago for the National Conference of State Legislatures summit. The Journal reported that Hernandez had not filed travel receipts related to the trip as of Aug. 14, according to the Legislative Council Service.

The two eyewitnesses, who spoke anonymously to protect their employment, told the Journal that hotel staff and security searched the man’s name online and were surprised when the search led them to Hernandez’s page on the New Mexico Legislature website.

When shown another photo of Hernandez and asked to rate their certainty that the man involved was the lawmaker, one witness said “10.” The other said, “If not an 11.”

One witness claimed Hernandez “pushed” them near an elevator while they tried to get him back to his room. That witness also said that once police arrived, Hernandez had put his clothes back on and accused security and the hotel of racial bias.

The Journal reported that the original dispatch was classified as a “sex offense call,” though the Illinois reporting code on the final police report was “criminal trespass.” No charges appear to have been filed, and Hernandez was not listed in Chicago First Municipal District court records.

The witnesses also claimed security had been called on a different night during Hernandez’s stay after he allegedly “passed out” with his shoes off on a couch in the hotel lobby.

The report is politically damaging for Hernandez, who is seeking reelection in House District 4. He first took office in 2025 after winning the seat formerly held by retired Democrat Rep. Anthony Allison.

Hernandez will face Republican Heather Ellison in November. Ellison, a Navajo educator, previously called on Hernandez to explain the Chicago incident.

“Legislators are held to a certain ethical standard, and they have a responsibility to be transparent, especially when spending taxpayer dollars,” Ellison said. “This incident is certainly concerning, and I call upon Representative Hernandez to tell the truth and take accountability for what happened.”

House Speaker Javier Martínez told the Journal earlier this month that he planned to ask Hernandez about the incident, but could not say whether an ethics investigation had been or would be opened.

For now, the public still has more questions than answers.

Hernandez called it a “negative experience.” The police report and witnesses describe something much more serious.

Witnesses say Dem rep was ‘running around naked’ at hotel Read More »

NM Dems have panic attack because Hull says he will talk to other governors

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

New Mexico Democrats are sounding the alarm over Republican gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull after he suggested he would work with other governors in the region, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, on policy — a prospect that apparently has the Democratic Party of New Mexico in full fundraising panic.

In a recent DPNM email, Democrats attacked Hull as a “MAGA Mayor” — despite his very middle of the road approach — and claimed he had “revealed his opposition to abortion access in New Mexico.” The party cited a New Mexico Political Report article and accused Hull of saying he would not support New Mexico’s status as a “safe haven” for abortion and would work with Abbott to “prevent Texans from being able to access abortion and reproductive care in New Mexico,” a stretch of a claim. 

The email went further, warning supporters that “there’s no doubt” Hull would try to undo New Mexico’s abortion policies and claiming he would put “patients and providers” at risk. There is likely no chance of such policy, since far-left, pro-abortion Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature.

But the panic says more about Democrats than it does about Hull.

The Democratic email treats any conversation with a neighboring Republican governor as an existential threat, as if Hull merely speaking with Abbott means New Mexico would automatically adopt every Texas policy overnight. That is the political leap Democrats want donors to make: Hull talks to Abbott, therefore New Mexico loses everything. They never claimed this the numerous times current Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has collaborated with the likes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, both Democrats.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham pictured with California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The email also reveals how central abortion has become to Democrats’ 2026 playbook. Rather than defending New Mexico’s extreme abortion regime on the merits, DPNM is trying to scare supporters into donating by claiming Hull would destroy “reproductive freedom” and end New Mexico’s status as an abortion destination.

That “safe haven” status is exactly the problem for pro-life New Mexicans.

New Mexico has the most permissive abortion laws in the country. Guttmacher lists New Mexico as a state where abortion is “not restricted based on gestational duration,” and other abortion-access guides likewise describe abortion as legal throughout pregnancy in the state.

That means New Mexico has no gestational limit — no 15-week limit, no 20-week limit, no viability limit, and no general late-term ban. That is abortion up to birth.

Democrats do not like that phrase, but the policy reality is clear: New Mexico law does not set a gestational cutoff.

The state has also moved aggressively to block local communities from restricting abortion. The New Mexico Supreme Court struck down local abortion restrictions in conservative cities and counties, holding that state law precludes local governments from regulating abortion clinics or limiting abortion access. AP reported the ruling reinforced New Mexico’s position as a state with some of the most liberal abortion laws in the country.

Democrats call that “protecting access.” Conservatives call it wiping out local protections.

DPNM’s email insists New Mexico has “stepped up” to protect patients and providers. But the abortion industry’s record in New Mexico is not spotless.

The most notorious example is Keisha Atkins, a 23-year-old woman who died after a late-term abortion in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Journal reported that UNM Health Sciences Center and Southwestern Women’s Options agreed to pay her estate a combined $1.26 million to settle a wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged providers failed to identify, diagnose and treat signs of sepsis during the abortion process.

Another lawsuit, filed by Nichole Atkins, alleged she went to Southwestern Women’s Options in 2010, signed consent forms related to abortion and fetal tissue use, and later claimed injuries from the abortion that left her unable to bear children. Court-linked complaint materials say she alleged the clinic did not properly disclose its relationship with UNM and did not fully inform her about use of fetal tissue.

A separate case involving Jessica Duran accused Southwestern Women’s Options of deception over fetal tissue and UNM research; New Mexico Alliance for Life reported that a district judge allowed Duran’s claims to proceed after denying a motion to dismiss. There are many others, including those pending.

Those cases are exactly why Democrats’ “safe haven” language deserves scrutiny. Safe for whom?

New Mexico Democrats have built a system with no gestational limit, no parental involvement requirement, taxpayer-funded abortion through Medicaid, strong state protections for abortion providers, and preemption against local pro-life ordinances. The Center for Reproductive Rights notes that New Mexico repealed its pre-Roe ban, repealed parental consent, repealed the physician-only surgical abortion restriction, and in 2026 repealed abortion reporting requirements.

Pro-lifers also point to repeated failed attempts to pass born-alive protections in New Mexico. A 2024 legislative analysis noted federal law recognizes a fetus that survives an abortion as a human being who must be cared for, while New Mexico criminal statutes have been applied to infant deaths after birth. But specific state-level born-alive abortion survivor protections have still not become law.

That is the backdrop Democrats do not want to discuss.

Instead, DPNM is trying to turn Hull’s comments about working with Abbott into a fundraising emergency. The email calls Abbott’s policies “extreme,” labels Hull “anti-choice,” and urges supporters to donate to elect Democrats such as Deb Haaland.

The message is obvious: Democrats know New Mexico’s abortion laws are far outside the mainstream, so they are trying to frame any effort to add limits, transparency, or cooperation with neighboring states as an attack on “healthcare.”

But voters may see it differently.

Many New Mexicans may support some abortion access while still opposing abortion without gestational limits, abortion tourism, taxpayer-funded procedures, lack of parental involvement, and a system where high-profile lawsuits have raised serious questions about patient safety.

Hull’s position gives voters a chance to debate whether New Mexico should remain the abortion capital of the Southwest — or whether the state should finally consider protections for unborn babies, mothers, local communities, and taxpayers.

No wonder Democrats are panicking.

NM Dems have panic attack because Hull says he will talk to other governors Read More »

ICE skewers Leger Fernández after detention tour dust-up

18 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is firing back at Democrat U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández after the New Mexico congresswoman claimed she was blocked from speaking with detainees during a tour of the Torrance County Detention Facility.

Leger Fernández, who represents New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District, posted Wednesday that she was at the Torrance County ICE Detention Facility “seeing for myself exactly what is happening inside.”

“I’ll keep you posted on what I find,” she wrote.

But after the visit, Leger Fernández went to KOB and claimed the tour was “very sterile,” accusing ICE and CoreCivic of doing “everything they can” to prevent her from speaking with detainees.

“Core and ICE were so mad, they insulted me in the process about daring to literally say hello to the inmates,” Leger Fernández told KOB, adding that officials were “terrified” of her having conversations with detainees because they were “afraid of what we’ll hear.”

ICE responded with a very different version of events.

“We were glad to host you, Congresswoman,” ICE wrote in a statement posted publicly after her visit. “For those curious, here’s what happened.”

According to ICE, Leger Fernández signed the agency’s Facility Visitation Agreement before the tour, agreeing to follow the rules governing conduct inside ICE facilities. One of those rules, the agency said, is that meetings with detainees must be scheduled ahead of time for the privacy of detainees and the safety of visitors.

ICE said field leadership welcomed the congresswoman and provided a tour specifically tailored to the areas she had requested to see, including visitor check-in, intake, kitchen and food preparation, and medical services.

The problem, according to ICE, began in the kitchen area.

During that portion of the tour, Leger Fernández allegedly asked to speak with certain detainees. ICE said she was reminded that without prior consent from detainees, her request could not be accommodated at that time.

“Instead of accepting this guidance, the Congresswoman began talking and shouting to them from a distance, telling the detainees who she was and attempting to get closer to them,” ICE wrote.

The agency said her behavior disrupted operations and required intervention by facility leadership.

“ICE maintains clear policies about acceptable conduct within its facilities, just like all other federal law enforcement agencies do,” the agency continued. “Those policies are made clear ahead of time to congressional visitors.”

The statement undercut Leger Fernández’s attempt to portray herself as a victim of secrecy and intimidation. ICE says she knew the rules, signed the agreement, received the tour she requested, then tried to bypass the process anyway.

The clash came as New Mexico Democrats and far-left activists are losing their minds over a recent ICE arrest outside La Familia Medical Center in Santa Fe.

KOB reported that a man taking his daughter to a doctor visit was arrested outside the clinic after leaving the facility and entering the public parking lot. The station reported that Leger Fernández said there were eight ICE detentions around Santa Fe that day.

The arrest quickly became a rallying cry for New Mexico’s anti-ICE left, with activists and politicians decrying federal enforcement near a health care facility.

But Source New Mexico reported that a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson described the man arrested, Edgar Chacon-Miranda, as a “criminal illegal alien” whose arrest was part of a “targeted enforcement operation.” DHS said his record included battery against a household member, criminal sexual penetration in the second degree, child abuse, and abandonment of a child. Source New Mexico reported that the charges stemmed from a 2018 case and were dropped because prosecutors failed to proceed within required time limits.

In other words, the case Democrats turned into an anti-ICE spectacle is not nearly as simple as the sob story they blasted across social media.

Leger Fernández still rushed to condemn the enforcement activity, claiming “there is no community in the United States that is safe” and attacking the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Source New Mexico reported that she also promoted legislation to restrict immigration enforcement at “sensitive locations” such as churches, schools, and clinics.

That same posture now appears to have followed her into the detention facility itself.

Rather than wait for scheduled detainee meetings or follow the conduct rules she agreed to, ICE says Leger Fernández tried to engage detainees from a distance and push closer to them during the tour.

CoreCivic, which operates the Torrance County Detention Facility, told KOB that the water at the facility comes from the same Estancia municipal system that serves the surrounding community and that staff drink the same water as those in custody. The company also said the facility operates under federal detention standards with ICE personnel onsite and is subject to regular audits and inspections.

Leger Fernández has said she and Rep. Melanie Stansbury plan to send follow-up questions to ICE about conditions inside the facility.

But ICE’s response makes clear the agency is not letting her frame the visit without pushback.

The bigger picture is obvious: New Mexico Democrats are turning immigration enforcement into political theater at every opportunity. First came the outrage over ICE arresting a man DHS described as a “criminal illegal alien.” Then came Leger Fernández’s dramatic detention-center visit. Then came ICE’s public rebuttal, accusing her of violating the very visitation rules she had signed.

For voters, the question is simple.

Should members of Congress follow the rules inside federal detention facilities, or should they get to disrupt operations for a political stunt?

ICE says Leger Fernández got the tour she requested. What she apparently did not get was permission to turn it into a show.

ICE skewers Leger Fernández after detention tour dust-up Read More »

Haaland ticket goes full anti-ICE after Santa Fe arrest

28 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Democrat lieutenant governor nominee Stephanie Garcia Richard is openly directing immigrants to report federal immigration enforcement activity and seek legal help after a Santa Fe ICE arrest sent New Mexico’s left into a full-scale meltdown.

In a social media post, Garcia Richard wrote, “To our [illegal] immigrant neighbors: you belong here, and Deb and I are not going to stop fighting for you.”

She then pointed viewers to the NM Migra Watch Hotline, listing the number and extension to “report enforcement activity or get legal help.”

The hotline is not just a generic help line. Share New Mexico describes the NM Migra Watch Hotline as a statewide resource to “report an immigration enforcement action” or seek legal help, including attorney referrals for a friend or family member facing detention or deportation. The listing says calls are answered by New Mexico Dream Team members in Albuquerque. 

That is the kind of resource Garcia Richard, the Democrat Party-selected nominee for lieutenant governor, is now promoting as the Haaland-Garcia Richard ticket tries to position itself against federal immigration enforcement.

Garcia Richard became the Democrat nominee for lieutenant governor after the Democrat Party of New Mexico’s State Central Committee voted to fill the vacancy left by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s withdrawal from the race. Source New Mexico reported that Garcia Richard won after a vote of roughly 500 state party members, receiving 255 votes, or 53% of the 477 ballots cast. 

Her latest video came after federal immigration agents arrested a man outside La Familia Medical Center in Santa Fe. KOB reported that clinic staff said the man had driven his daughter to a doctor’s appointment and was arrested after leaving the facility and entering the public parking lot. The station also reported that Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández said there were eight ICE detentions around Santa Fe that day. Source New Mexico similarly reported that the arrest occurred outside La Familia’s Alto Street clinic and involved a parent with an 11-year-old child. 

DHS had not publicly released details about the man’s immigration case or criminal history in the KOB report.

That did not stop New Mexico Democrats from turning the arrest into a political production.

Garcia Richard claimed in her video that ICE agents in Santa Fe “followed a parent and child from their home to their doctor’s appointment at a clinic, waited for them to finish the appointment, then arrested the parent.”

“This is incredibly unsettling,” she said. “Clinics are where we go for medical care. Churches are where we go to pray. Schools are where we go to learn.”

She then tied the episode directly to House Bill 9, the so-called Immigrant Safety Act, saying fear of enforcement was “the very reason” the Legislature passed the law.

“But now the Trump administration is trying to gut it,” Garcia Richard said. “This is not safe for any of us. To our immigrant families, Deb and I see you. You belong here. And we will use every tool that the state has to keep you safe.”

HB 9 prohibits public bodies from entering into agreements to detain people for federal civil immigration violations and prohibits public property from being used to facilitate detention for federal civil immigration violations, though the bill text says it does not limit law enforcement’s ability to detain individuals or perform brief investigative stops as permitted by state law. 

The U.S. Department of Justice sued New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Attorney General Raúl Torrez, the City of Albuquerque, and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller in May, alleging that HB 9 and Albuquerque’s similar ordinance interfere with federal immigration enforcement authority. 

Haaland also posted a melodramatic video from La Familia Medical Center, writing, “I will not stay silent while ICE terrorizes our communities.”

In the video, Haaland claimed ICE agents “barreled through the parking lot” and arrested the father of an 11-year-old child, leaving the child alone. “I will do whatever I can to keep our community safe,” she said.

But the question for New Mexicans is safe from whom?

Federal immigration agents are tasked with enforcing federal immigration law. ICE’s own public materials describe the agency as managing the immigration enforcement process, including identification, arrest, detention and removal of aliens subject to enforcement. 

Democrats are instead framing federal enforcement itself as the threat.

That posture is now central to the Haaland-Garcia Richard ticket. Rather than asking why someone was targeted by ICE, whether the person had prior immigration violations, or whether federal officers were carrying out a lawful enforcement action, Democratic leaders rushed to condemn ICE and direct immigrants to resources that help report enforcement activity and fight detention or deportation.

The Trump administration also rescinded Biden-era “protected areas” guidance in 2025, ending special limits on immigration enforcement near locations such as schools, hospitals and churches. Reuters reported that the administration rolled back the prior guidance, while Trump border czar Tom Homan said ICE would focus on serious criminals but that anyone without legal status could be subject to arrest.

That makes Garcia Richard’s statement even more revealing.

Her message was not aimed at helping law enforcement or clarifying what happened. It was aimed at telling immigrants that the Haaland-Garcia Richard ticket will use “every tool” of state government to protect them from federal immigration enforcement.

For voters who believe New Mexico should cooperate with federal law, that is a major admission.

The Democratic ticket is not hiding where it stands. Garcia Richard is promoting an ICE-reporting hotline. Haaland is accusing federal agents of terrorizing communities. And both are tying their campaign to a state law the DOJ says obstructs federal immigration enforcement.

The left may be losing its mind over one Santa Fe arrest. But the bigger story is what the Haaland-Garcia Richard ticket just told voters: when ICE comes to New Mexico, Democrats want the state standing in the way.

Haaland ticket goes full anti-ICE after Santa Fe arrest Read More »

NM union treasurer’s bourbon run ends in federal guilty plea

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A former treasurer for a New Mexico labor organization has pleaded guilty in federal court after prosecutors say he used union funds for unauthorized personal expenses and hid the misuse through false and incomplete financial reports.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced that Max Jaramillo, 58, pleaded guilty to embezzlement by an officer of a labor organization.

Jaramillo served as treasurer of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 331, from 2014 through February 2024, according to federal court records cited by the Department of Justice. In that role, he was responsible for safeguarding union money and accurately reporting the labor organization’s financial activities.

Jason Hawke, Unsplash.

Instead, prosecutors say Jaramillo used his position to take union funds for personal spending over a period stretching from January 2015 through November 2023.

Federal authorities said Jaramillo also concealed the misuse by submitting false and incomplete reports both to the U.S. Department of Labor and to the union’s own members.

One example cited by prosecutors was a March 15, 2023, annual report submitted to the Department of Labor. According to DOJ, that report falsely represented and omitted material information about how union funds had been spent.

Among the unauthorized expenses, prosecutors said Jaramillo used $49.98 in union funds on July 1, 2022, to buy himself a bottle of Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

American Postal Workers Union, Washington, DC. Ajay_suresh, Wiki Commons.

The bourbon purchase is only one example identified in the DOJ announcement, but it underscores the allegation at the center of the case: money that was entrusted to a union officer for labor organization purposes was instead used for personal spending.

Jaramillo’s guilty plea marks another federal financial fraud case in New Mexico involving abuse of a position of trust. Union treasurers are expected to manage funds on behalf of members, maintain accurate records, and provide honest reporting to federal regulators and the rank-and-file workers whose dues support the organization.

In this case, prosecutors say Jaramillo violated those duties for years.

Jaramillo pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement by an officer of a labor organization. At sentencing, he faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

A sentencing date was not included in the DOJ announcement.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison announced the guilty plea Wednesday.

The case was investigated by the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards, the federal agency responsible for enforcing reporting and disclosure requirements for labor organizations and protecting union funds from misuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.

The DOJ announcement did not specify the total amount of union money Jaramillo admitted to embezzling. It did, however, describe a pattern of unauthorized personal spending and false reporting over nearly nine years.

For union members, the case is a reminder that financial transparency is not a technicality. It is supposed to protect workers from insiders who treat member-backed funds like personal accounts.

Jaramillo now awaits sentencing after admitting in federal court that he embezzled from the labor organization he was entrusted to help manage.

NM union treasurer’s bourbon run ends in federal guilty plea Read More »

Fox report blows up Vasquez’s working-class act

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing fresh scrutiny after a new Fox News Digital report raised serious questions about the New Mexico Democrat’s carefully crafted working-class image.

Vasquez, who represents New Mexico’s competitive 2nd Congressional District, has repeatedly tried to cast himself as a humble, blue-collar candidate who understands families struggling to make ends meet. But the new report says records and social media material reviewed by Fox complicate the story Vasquez has been selling voters.

Fox reported that Vasquez has said he “never had the luxury of financial wealth” and argued during his 2022 campaign that voters were drawn to a candidate who “doesn’t come from wealth” or money.

He has also repeatedly leaned on his mother’s background in Mexico’s maquiladora industry to build that narrative. In an October 2025 La Opinión op-ed, Vasquez wrote that his mother, Hortencia Banuelos, “worked long hours in the maquiladora industry working to make ends meet,” calling her story one of “sacrifice, resilience, and hope.”

But Fox reported that Banuelos’ own professional profile and public records show a more complicated picture. According to the report, she held senior finance roles at GE during much of Vasquez’s childhood, including as a finance manager and comptroller in Mexico from December 1985 to March 1994.

Fox reported that the profile said Banuelos oversaw accounting, finance, payroll, accounts payable, IT, and customs. She was later promoted in 1994 to senior finance analyst at a GE operation in Bloomington, Indiana, where her profile said she analyzed a manufacturing plant with $800 million in revenue and 3,000 employees.

Fox also cited a 2020 Hispanic Executive profile reporting that GE hired Banuelos in Mexico in the 1980s and selected her for a two-year training program geared almost exclusively toward Ivy League graduates before she moved to Indiana.

The professional record, according to Fox, was accompanied by social media screenshots showing a more affluent family lifestyle, including repeated European travel, a three-month stay in France, luxury shopping, and upscale family photos. Fox reported that some photos included Vasquez himself, including one in which he posed with a Corvette.

That is a far cry from the stripped-down “I never had the luxury of financial wealth” image Vasquez has pushed in his public biography.

Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican-aligned super PAC endorsed by House GOP leadership, seized on the report, accusing Vasquez of trying to mislead voters about his background.

“Gabe tells voters he ‘never had the luxury of financial wealth,’ pointing to his mother working long hours in a factory to make ends meet,” CLF said in materials shared with Piñon Post. “But Gabe has never been poor.”

CLF also mocked the contrast between Vasquez’s public image and the lifestyle details highlighted in the report, writing, “Let them eat cake!”

The group also pointed to prior reporting on Vasquez’s personal life, noting that he “even threw himself a fake wedding for $90,000.” Fox reported that Vasquez previously faced scrutiny over a 2018 ceremony with a former fiancée at Akiin Beach Tulum in Mexico, where the Daily Mail reported events can cost between $30,000 and $90,000. Vasquez’s campaign told the Daily Mail the pair “participated in a private commitment ceremony but were never legally married and eventually separated.”

The Fox report is damaging because Vasquez’s political brand depends heavily on authenticity. He has spent years presenting himself as a grounded, working-class Democrat who can speak to southern New Mexico families on affordability, wages, and the cost of living.

But Republicans argue the new reporting shows another example of Vasquez saying one thing while the public record tells a very different story.

Vasquez’s campaign pushed back hard against the criticism of his mother.

“It’s pathetic that as Americans face Trump’s disastrous economy, Republicans attack Gabe’s mom who has worked incredibly hard, starting from the maquiladoras in Mexico, in pursuit of her American Dream,” campaign manager Patricia Socarras Santiago told Fox News Digital. “Gabe is incredibly proud of his mom and will work to ensure everyone can access the American Dream and reverse the impacts of Trump’s tanking economy.”

But that response does not answer the core political problem.

The issue is not whether Vasquez should be proud of his mother. The issue is whether he has presented voters with a selective biography that emphasizes factory struggle while downplaying corporate finance success, elite professional advancement, European travel, luxury shopping, and an upscale family image.

There is nothing wrong with upward mobility. There is nothing wrong with family success. There is nothing wrong with a mother building an impressive career.

The problem comes when a politician uses a carefully curated working-class narrative to connect with voters while leaving out the inconvenient parts that complicate the image.

Fox quoted Republican strategist Colin Reed, who said voters can spot “phony double-talk” more easily than politicians realize.

“It’s far better to be who you are and offer a compelling vision to make voters’ lives better than contort your own biography and background into something it’s not,” Reed said.

For Vasquez, that may be the real danger. The more he asks voters to trust his story, the more damaging it becomes when national reporting raises questions about what he left out.

And in a battleground district where authenticity matters, a polished working-class act can become a liability fast.

Fox report blows up Vasquez’s working-class act Read More »

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