Piñon Post

Election results: MLG gets another term, GOP makes slight gains in state House

39 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, New Mexico Republicans suffered losses in the 2022 midterm election, which was mired by obsessive talk about abortion by Democrats while key issues such as crime and inflation were swept under the rug by leftists. 

In the governor’s race, Democrat scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham won reelection against Republican Mark Ronchetti. Unofficial results as of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday showed Lujan Grisham with 52 percent of the vote, Ronchetti with 46 percent, while Libertarian Karen Bedonie garnered two percent. Ronchetti conceded to Lujan Grisham, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

In the state House, Republicans did not succeed in most attempts at knocking off Democrat incumbents, although Jenifer Jones of Deming is leading incumbent Democrat state Rep. Candie Sweetser of Deming by 49 votes, potentially triggering an automatic recount. 

Another seat the GOP flipped appears to be Albuquerque-based House District 68, currently held by retiring Democrat Rep. Karen Bash. Republican Robert Moss leads Democrat Charlotte Little by 12 votes. In the Sandoval County-based 23rd District, Republican Alan Martinez won over Democrat Ramon Montano, flipping the seat currently held by retiring Democrat Rep. Daymon Ely to the Republican column.

One Republican incumbent lost reelection, Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert of Corrales, who was defeated by Democrat Kathleen Cates. That leaves Republicans with 26 seats in the 70-member chamber if the results hold. This is a slight gain from the current 24 seats held in the state House. 

The losses in the state legislature came after Democrats’ aggressive partisan gerrymandering to benefit far-left Democrats. 

Both Democrat U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury of the First District and Teresa Leger Fernandez of the Third District easily won reelection, while Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell’s seat in the Second District remains too close to call. 

Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson trailed Leger Fernandez 42 percent to 58 percent. Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes trailed Stansbury 44 percent to 56 percent.

All statewide races for secretary of state, state treasurer, state land commissioner, attorney general, and state auditor swung toward Democrats, while all Democrat Court of Appeals and Supreme Court judges won their seats, keeping a 5-0 Democrat majority on the state’s highest court. 

All constitutional amendments and bond issues passed overwhelmingly, one of which will rob billions from the state’s Permanent Fund for socialist “free” daycare programs. 

Other high-profile races, such as Bernalillo County’s sheriff race, where billionaire Michael Bloomberg dunked large sums of cash into to help the Democrat, John Allen, swing in his favor also. 

More information will be added to this article when it becomes available.

Ronchetti holds massive closing rally in ABQ ahead of Election Day

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday night, Mark Ronchetti’s campaign held a final rally before Election Day in Albuquerque as a finale of his “Ronchetti on the Road” tour. During the tour, which began in late October, Ronchetti hit all 33 counties, with stops all across the map.

At the rally. Ronchetti said that the Santa Fe elites “want us to believe the lie that it can’t get better,” but it can get better by electing new leadership.

His team wrote on Twitter, “​​Don’t believe what the elites in Santa Fe tell us. We can have cleaner streets, educate our kids better, and put more money in your pocket.” 

A rival event Democrat Gov. Lujan Grisham had on Thursday appeared only to have a few dozen people in attendance. Ronchetti’s had hundreds, if not at least 1,000.

Photos of the crowds show the magnitude of the support Ronchetti had garnered.

Lujan Grisham, the incumbent governor, has been polling within the margin of error with Ronchetti, with one poll showing him beating her by a single point. He has outraised the governor during three separate reporting periods, proving how strong the “red wave” could be against the embattled, scandal-ridden governor. 

Both candidates, as well as Libertarian Karen Bedonie, will battle it out at the ballot box on Tuesday, with polls opening at 7:00 a.m. and closing at 7:00 p.m. for more information about voting, visit this article.

Reports of voter intimidation in NM: What you need to know for Election Day

Ronchetti once again outraises Lujan Grisham

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

As Election Day nears, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is getting even worse news about her toss-up reelection bid against Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Ronchetti. 

Ronchetti once again bested Lujan Grisham in fundraising for the third General Election fundraising period by around $80,000. Ronchetti brought in $1,414,005.53, Lujan Grisham raised $1,334,096.93, while Libertarian candidate Karen Bedonie brought in $10,242.74. 

Ronchetti spent $3,562,545.45 during the period, while Lujan Grisham doled out $2,669,831.35. The Republican’s cash on hand is $346,248.08 compared to Lujan Grisham’s at $351,716.53. Bedonie spent $10,616.23 during the period, with $3,042.45 cash on hand. Ronchetti spent most of his money on television advertisements and production costs, as did Lujan Grisham. Other large expenditures included those for postage and mailings. 

This is the third time Ronchetti has outraised the governor. His strong fundraising shows his viability, which is now reflected in many recent polls.

The latest Emerson College poll showed Ronchetti trailing Lujan Grisham by a mere three points, which was within the margin of error. A Trafalgar Group poll released late last month showed Ronchetti leading the governor by 1.1 percent.

The Republican has been blasting Lujan Grisham on the airwaves, in the mail, and in other forms about her constant scandals as chief executive. These include the early release of violent criminals who later ended up committing heinous crimes. 

One case, in particular, that of a twice-released man named Chris Beltran, ended up with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Domonique Gonzales, who he threatened to kill while still behind bars. Despite this, Lujan Grisham’s regime repeatedly released him. 

Another scandal being brought into focus is Lujan Grisham’s $150,000 payout to a former staffer over sexual assault claims that she poured water over his crotch area and then groped his penis through his trousers. 

Early voting continues in New Mexico until this Saturday, November 5, while Election Day is next Tuesday, November 8. 

Far-left legislator tries to lie about abortion, gets smacked with facts

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, far-left state Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Santa Fe) shared a screenshot of a tweet from Piñon Post editor and state representative candidate John Block, claiming his assertions about abortion were untrue.

Block wrote regarding Democrat Gov. Lujan Grisham’s discussion with Kamala Harris during her trip to New Mexico, “That one in the middle is FULL-TERM abortionist Eve Espey, who oversees infanticide at UNM Hospital. She trains future abortionists on how to kill babies up to and AFTER birth,” referring to the woman in the middle of the picture. 

The Republican Party of New Mexico retweeted the post, which spurred McQueen to angrily tweet, “This is obviously a lie, and it’s as dangerous as it is disgusting. The fact that the New Mexico Republican Party would promote this trash is a testament to how low they’ve sunk.”

However, he was quickly fact-checked by Block, who brought receipts with him, including evidence from the official U.S. House of Representatives report showing that babies were, indeed, born alive and left to die at UNM Hospital. 

The report notes how Espey was asked in a deposition, “I’m trying to understand if any of the doctors that were on the fellows program that . . . went to Southwestern Women’s Options, or any of the doctors from the University of New Mexico that were on a fill-in rotation at Planned Parenthood, or any of the doctors at the University of New Mexico reproductive health center, or any of the doctors at the University Hospital ever told you, reported to you, or discussed with you, that an abortion failed and a live birth resulted?”

She responded by acknowledging that babies were born alive and left to die at UNM Hospital, saying, “There are situations in the hospital where a planned abortion, an induction of labor for a fetus, for example, with severe anomalies is born alive.” 

When pressed on what procedures existed to deal with children being born alive and left to die at the hospital, Espey answered “No” to such policies existing, adding, “OB/GYN doctors do not resuscitate neonates.”

Congress referred the evidence to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, which has not acted upon it for prosecution. 

Lujan Grisham is proudly endorsed by Espey, a notorious late-term abortionist who specializes in training future abortionists to kill babies up to and after birth.

Libertarian candidate Bedonie: GOP’s Ronchetti ‘cannot win with me in the way’

32 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Sunday night, a video began circulating showing a Republican-turned-Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Karen Bedonie saying her Republican rival Mark Ronchetti “cannot win” with her in the race. Both are running to unseat Democrat first-term Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

In the video shared on Twitter, Bedonie says, “The only comfort I find in this race is that man (Mark Ronchetti) cannot win with me in the way. That man cannot win this race. He will never be governor as long as I am alive and well and in this race. 

The snippet appears to be taken from a previous live stream Bedonie made, where she claimed around the 22:30 mark, “It’s amazing some of the phone calls that come in. Like, what does it take for a person to really hate somebody to call the campaign and to yell at our campaign team and telling them that Karen’s gonna split the vote? How crazy are you really thinking this is because it’s impossible to split a vote that was never his? Ronchetti is not a conservative, he’s not a New Mexican. The only comfort I find in this race is that man (Mark Ronchetti) cannot win with me in the way. That man cannot win this race. He will never be governor as long as I am alive and well and in this race”

She then added, “MLG — she is sweatin’ it because you know what? She’s gonna have to literally try and hope — and I don’t even know if that woman knows how to pray — that we don’t beat her, but I think we’re gonna beat her because we’re looking at 85% of Democrats that can’t stand her. We were in the belly of the beat of the Democrats. The People — not the party — the people. And they were excited. They took pictures with us. They talked to us. People say, ‘Oh, the Democrats and Libertarians are merging. No! It’s not about party.”  

The original full video from Bedonie can be viewed here.

Many New Mexicans responded with shock after watching Bedonie’s remarks. One person wrote, “Infuriating! Imagine being so bitter & making New Mexicans have to deal with MLG for another 4 yrs.” 

Another person chimed in, “Well at least she comes out and admits it. She’s full on admitting she’s trying to screw over New Mexicans. [Michelle Lujan Grisham] won’t even admit that.”

One commenter wrote, “I’ve been really nice. I literally haven’t said a thing. But this is f****d up and egotistical and you KNOW IT!!! you know it!!!! I feel disgust tbh.” 

Bedonie told the Piñon Post in an interview following the video being posted on Twitter, “In regards to this whole thing, I think the Republicans were looking for a doorway to attack me on because we are so clean. They took it out of context, and they chopped it up just like they did to Trump.” She added, “It’s out of context. I will stand by my words. Ronchetti can’t win. Ronchetti can’t save New Mexico without McClesky pulling the strings.”

“I can’t split something that was never his. He never had the vote.”

As of publication, Bedonie’s remarks in the video have reached around 5,000 views on Twitter. Others have shared it via Facebook and other social media platforms.

Bedonie released a 35-minute video explanation on Monday, saying what she meant was she believed Ronchetti was splitting the vote. Watch her full response here.

Dems cry ‘racism’ over mailer hitting them for voting to let pedos touch kids

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Thursday, Democrats freaked out over a mailer sent by the Republican Party of New Mexico hitting state Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Bernalillo) over her vote against an amendment to ban sex offenders from getting licenses and being able to cut children’s hair. 

The mailer features a photo of a boy getting his hair cut by a person who is filtered in grayscale reading, “Your state representative Elizabeth Thomson voted to allow convicted sex offenders to receive professional licenses for activities such as cutting hair or working as a nail technician — leaving unsuspecting women and children vulnerable to predators.”

It asks, “Do you want a sex offender cutting your or your child’s hair?”

On the other side, it shows a grayscale picture of Thomson with the words, “Rep. Thomson voted to let violent criminal offenders and sex offenders over the age of 65 out of prison.”

Instead of refuting the claims that Thomson voted against an amendment to ban pedophiles from cutting kids’ hair, the Democrats rolled out so-called “civil rights” activists to cry “racist” about the grayscale image.

“These images leave scars,” the Rev. Charles E. Becknell cried to the Santa Fe New Mexican, adding, “[W]e need to demonstrate to our fellow New Mexicans this is not acceptable.”

The socialist George Soros-funded group ProgressNow New Mexico claimed on Twitter, “What message are we supposed to take away from the @NewMexicoGOP intentionally darkening the skin of the stylist in this photo while having a (fully false) discourse about formally incarcerated people?” The group appeared to defend the convicted pedophiles as “formally incarcerated people.”

State Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) wrote, “The mailer shows a child who is afraid—and the whole background is black and white. You know what else is black and white? The FACT that the democrats voted to let pedophiles cut kids’ hair. I presented the amendment to stop sex offenders from touching your child, dems disagreed.”

The Piñon Post’s John Block wrote, “It’s great how the more people share pics of this mailer erroneously claiming it’s “racist,” the more people know how the Democrats voted to let sex offenders near kids. Also note how no Democrats are refuting that they voted against letting pedophiles near kids. Just saying…” 

The Republican Party of New Mexico shared a quote from New Mexico House GOP Whip Rod Montoya (R-Farmington), writing, “A shadowy, gray figure is not a racial category. What this mailer does depict is the danger in which Democrats voted to put our children. When we voted on this bill, Republicans offered an amendment to restrict sex offenders from being able to obtain professional licenses. The House Democrats voted against that amendment. Charges of racism are simply a smokescreen to distract attention from progressives’ voting records which put the interests of convicted criminals over the safety of law-abiding New Mexicans.”

Mayor doubles down on pro-abortion rhetoric, attacks Otero County

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On Tuesday, the Alamogordo City Commission met to discuss the failure of the pro-abortion petition aiming at dismantling the city’s Sanctuary City for the Unborn resolution passed last month via a special election. The City Clerk reported that the petitioners only gathered 507 of the required 589 signatures, meaning their petition, which did not follow proper protocol in filing, was tossed out.

During the meeting, Mayor Susan Payne, who voted against the pro-life resolution and signed the pro-abortion petition that called the Commission “extremist,” doubled down on her opposition to the Sanctuary for the Unborn resolution. 

Despite insisting on being “100 percent pro-life,” she claimed, “I will maintain with pride my stance that this is not a function of city government.”

She then said she would like to go back and change her vote on a previous resolution applauding Otero County for its pro-life resolution, which she sponsored, saying, “I voted ‘yes’ on the second resolution, and quite honestly, I shouldn’t have done that either. I wasn’t really voting for or against life. I was voting to support our county, which has got its own issues right now. So my plan is actually probably to bring that resolution … that second resolution for us to revisit it. I can’t do anything about the first one.” 

She then, on a subsequent Facebook comment on an article about the petition’s failure, bashed Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, who supported the City’s pro-life resolution, as a “grandstanding local politician.” 

At the special August meeting she called on consideration of the pro-life resolution, Payne said regarding her “no” vote to declare Alamogordo a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, “This is a very controversial subject, and I’m going to be honest with you. It might make some people mad at me, and you know what? If you can’t respect the way I feel, that’s kinda your deal. But this is a very controversial subject, and one I have said all along I did not believe was a function of city government. And I still believe that. I believe that very strongly.”

An independent analysis of the pro-abortion petition obtained via an IPRA request found that the signers only had 502 apparently valid signatures — 87 shy of the necessary threshold to call for a costly special election. These included 48 invalidated signatures due to the lack of an address, extremely illegible entries, or duplicate signatures, and 86 signers who were not registered voters.

Alamogordo’s pro-life resolution sponsored by conservative Commissioner Karl Melton of District Three stands intact despite pro-abortion efforts to kill it. 

Feel free to reach out to Mayor Susan Payne to give her your thoughts: spayne@ci.alamogordo.nm.us

Petition to strip Alamogordo’s pro-life sanctuary resolution fails miserably

Judge removes Couy Griffin from office, citing Civil War

26 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, it was announced that state District Court Judge Francis Mathew had made a ruling barring Otero County District Two Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding public office.

Mathews wrote in his ruling that Griffin “became constitutionally disqualified from federal and state positions specified (under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, Section 3) and forfeited his current office as Otero County Commissioner effective Jan. 6, 2021,” adding, “Griffin shall be removed from his position as an Otero County Commissioner effective immediately.”

The judge made many anti-Trump sentiments in the ruling, claiming President Trump on January 6th made “false claims that the election was ‘rigged’ and ‘stolen,’” while claiming that the incursion into the U.S. Capitol constituted an “insurrection” despite not a single person involved being convicted of “insurrection.”

Regardless, Mathews concludes, “The Court concludes that the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol and the surrounding planning, mobilization, and incitement constituted an ‘insurrection’ within the meaning of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

He then compared the January 6th protesters to the Confederates, who lost the Civil War, writing, “The mob ultimately achieved what even the Confederates never did during the Civil War: they breached the Capitol building and seized the Capitol grounds, forcing the Vice President and Congress to halt their constitutional duties and flee to more secure locations.”

“The case law holds that a person ‘engage[s]’ in an insurrection within the meaning of Section Three by ‘[v]oluntarily aiding the [insurrection], by personal service, or by contributions, other than charitable, of anything that [is] useful or necessary’ to the insurrectionists’ cause. Worthy, 63 N.C. at 203; see also Powell, 27 F. Cas. at 607 (defining ‘engage’ as ‘a voluntary effort to assist the Insurrection … and to bring it to a successful termination’ from the insurrectionists’ perspective).” 

“One need not personally commit acts of violence to ‘engag[e] in’ insurrection,” said Mathews.

According to the New York Times, Griffin’s removal is “the first official in more than 100 years to be removed under the Constitution’s bar on insurrectionists holding office.”

Griffin represented himself in the trial, and he does have the opportunity for an appeal.

Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will likely have the opportunity to appoint Griffin’s replacement, which will go against the citizens of the District who elected Griffin — a conservative — to represent them as commissioner.

The lawsuit was filed by residents of Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties, while none are from Otero County.

Leftist NM columnist launches venomous attacks against Herschel Walker

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In a column published on Thursday, far-left Santa Fe New Mexican columnist Milan Simonich launched attacks against Republicans, including Trump-endorsed Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, among others.

Although softly bashing all of them, Simonich launched particularly nasty comments against Walker, who just so happens to be Black.

Simonich wrote in his poisonous opinion piece, “Palin seems like a Jeopardy! champion compared to Walker.”

But Simonich’s venom against Walker was not just in his latest column. He’s been railing against the football star for weeks — in an apparent vendetta of rage for some strange reason.

In another August 23, 2022, column, Simonich launched another racially tinged attack targeting Walker, claiming GOP New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti, who is White, is “is several cuts above Walker, which isn’t hard.”

He added, “A Republican, bumbling Walker is Trump’s handpicked choice in a state the former president lost in 2020,” dubbing him “The worst candidate this year.”

“Lujan Grisham can’t afford to underestimate Ronchetti. For all his generalities, he’s no Herschel Walker,” Simonich concluded.

Why all the low blows against the Republican, who just so happens to be Black? We will let you make your own conclusions on that.

Pro-life win: Alamogordo becomes sanctuary city for the unborn

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On Tuesday, the Alamogordo City Commission held a special meeting to discuss two pro-life resolutions. One, sponsored by City Commissioner Karl Melton of District 3, declared Alamogordo a sanctuary city for the unborn. Another that was said only to be brought forth as a weaker resolution brought forth by Mayor Susan Payne also was considered.

Melton’s resolution was introduced following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which sent the abortion question back to the states by overturning the archaic 1973 pro-abortion Roe v. Wade decision. Because New Mexico allows abortion up-to-birth, the resolution was meant to tell the abortion industry it is not welcome in Alamogordo to kill children in the city. Otero County recently passed a similar resolution declaring itself a pro-life sanctuary.

“I have brought forward Resolution 2022-38 because my constituents are worried Alamogordo has no resolution or ordinance on the books protecting unborn life. This measure not only affirms life from conception to natural death, but it declares Alamogordo a Sanctuary City for the Unborn,” said Melton.

“As far as I see it, if we do nothing, it is not a question of if but when a facility opens up in Alamogordo. We as a commission will be forced to take action later if we do not take it tonight,” Melton continued. “We can decide to be proactive and announce our opposition to any abortion business moving in city limits tonight, or we can procrastinate, decide to kick the can down the road, and only discuss options after Planned Parenthood has already made its plans to move. These realities are why this resolution is so important today. Our community is fervently pro-life.” 

Many residents showed up to support Melton’s resolution, with pro-life testimony outweighing anti-life sentiments made. An out-of-state-funded dark money group worked to spam commissioners’ inboxes with opposition to the resolution from out of the city and state. However, pro-life testimony outnumbered the efforts of the extremist group.

“My prayer for everyone in this room and in the comment section online is that you receive the consequence and experience of your words you speak in favor for concerning the unborn,” said resident Ben Luna. 

Another woman said, “God has made every one of us for a purpose, and each of the babies that [do] not survive and is aborted was made for a purpose.” She added, “It’s wrong to take the life of that child away.” 

County Commissioner Couy Griffin showed up to the meeting, saying, “Life is the greatest gift that God has ever given us.” Griffin said, “You all have a great honor tonight to stand for life, to defend life, and protect life. But I would stand in great fear if I was a vote taht supported taking life because, again, life is not ours to take. That life is God-orchestrated, God-designed, and God-breathed.” 

Piñon Post’s John Block, the nominee for House District 51, said, “By boldly declaring our city a sanctuary for the unborn, you are not just making an important and necessary statement; you are declaring that those who wish to shed innocent blood are not welcome in our city and do not stand with the values our fervently pro-life community believes in.” 

During the discussion among the commissioners on the resolution, Mayor Susan Payne said, “The biggest thing about this resolution for me, both of these resolutions — first of all, let me make it clear. I brought forth the second resolution as an alternative to the first resolution.” 

“This is a very controversial subject, and I’m going to be honest with you. It might make some people mad at me, and you know what? If you can’t respect the way I feel, that’s kinda your deal. But this is a very controversial subject, and one I have said all along I did not believe was a function of city government. And I still believe that. I believe that very strongly,” Payne said. 

“I’m not gonna like pander to anybody,” claiming, “I am personally pro-life…. But more than pro-life, I am pro-supporting women.” Payne concluded, “I do not believe this is a function of city government, and I agree with the notion that we have so many things to worry about in this city.” 

“Quite frankly, this is not an issue right now.”

Melton replied, “I also have my faith, but when I introduced my resolution, my reason for bringing it forward had nothing to do with my faith; I didn’t invoke religion. Quite simply, I brought it forward because I have heard from constituents that this is what they want, and I am in this role to represent them.” Melton added, “A lot of the controversial issues are the issues that are worth fighting for.”

The Commission passed the sanctuary city for the unborn resolution on a vote of 5-2, with Mayor Payne and Commissioner Sharon McDonald voting against it, while Commissioners Melton, Nick Paul, Stephen Burnett, Josh Rardin, and Mayor Pro-Tem Dusty Wright supported it. Payne’s resolution, merely to support the County’s efforts, was passed by a vote of 6-1, with McDonald being the lone vote against. Payne voted for her own resolution despite claiming it was not a “function of city government.”

To thank the five brave commissioners who supported the sanctuary city for the unborn resolution, you can find their email addresses below:

dwright@ci.alamogordo.nm.us, npaul@ci.alamogordo.nm.us, sburnett@ci.alamogordo.nm.us, kmelton@ci.alamogordo.nm.us, jrardin@ci.alamogordo.nm.us

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