Renato Costa

NM Dems fundraise off of summer temps, blame ‘MAGA extremists’

15 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, the Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) sent out a fundraising ask, requesting donations because of summer temperatures in New Mexico, claiming “climate change” is the cause.

“Yesterday, New Mexicans endured what was the hottest day of the year– at least so far. Globally, the earth is experiencing its hottest year on record indicating that climate change is showing no signs of slowing down. Increased temperatures are also straining states’ power grids, resulting in heat-related injuries and deaths across the nation,” it wrote.

“Republicans everywhere are pushing for the ‘depoliticization’ of climate, even going so far as to claiming that scientists are being paid to make false claims or coming up with their own bogus science to ‘disprove’ the consensus,” the email continued.

“Time and time again, we’re only seeing Democrats step up to the plate to protect the climate. If we’re going to have any real chance of curbing climate change and protecting earth’s species and delicate ecosystems, we need to continue electing climate champions who will be proactive in advocating for pro-climate policies that will save our planet.”

It is unclear exactly what specifically via their anti-energy policies would “save our planet,” but paying higher taxes and forcing New Mexicans to adopt unreliable energy sources, such as solar and wind, are not proven to drop Earth’s temperature by a single degree.

Furthermore, the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth happened over 100 years ago, when oil, gas, coal, and other fossil fuels were hardly used at their current capacity, brought forth by new technologies. 

But the Democrats wrote to their subscribers in an attempt to solicit donations, “Can you chip in to continue electing Democrats who will fight against climate change, as opposed to climate-denying, MAGA extremist GOP politicians who don’t take it seriously?” 

New Mexico Democrat politicians have also been making these melodramatic clarion calls, claiming because summer is hot that, “climate change” is just shy of roasting people alive.  

Far-left U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich bemoaned, “We are all paying the price of Republican inaction on climate change.”

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, another far-leftist, wrote, “This summer is a scorcher! Friendly reminder that climate change is real and we are feeling the effects of global warming in REAL TIME. When @theestallion mentioned ‘hot girl summer,’ I don’t think this is what she meant,” referencing a song.

Despite the rhetoric, back in 1913, temperatures peaked, leaving Democrats defenseless against cold, hard facts that disprove their “climate change” hysteria. 

Democrats whine about ‘climate change’ because summer is hot

NM Dems fundraise off of summer temps, blame ‘MAGA extremists’ Read More »

Heinrich spent over $21K in donor cash on ‘security upgrades’ at his ‘residence’

14 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to Martin Heinrich’s report submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) from April 1 through June 30, he raised $1,492,673.01 while spending $579,141.56. 

Large contributions include $6,600 from San-Francisco-based Meritage Group LP, $5,000 from Facebook Inc. PAC, $6,000 from Google’s PAC, $3,300 from marijuana company PurLife’s CEO Darren White, $4,000 from retired U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s campaign committee, among tens of thousands from the eco-left energy sector such as The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and Environment America Inc. Voter Action. 

His largest expenditures for the fundraising period went to the fundraising firm “Authentic Campaigns,” which received at least $119,500. Other large recipients include the fundraising firm Fulkerson, Kennedy, and Company ($144,461.29) and FDM Connects LLC fundraising consulting company ($57,924.3).

Heinrich also hired Adam Schiff aide Brad Elkins, paying the far-left staffer who previously worked for the abortion up-to-birth group EMILY’s List $28,517. He paid far-left Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez’s fundraiser Kyra Ellis-Moore $19,528.88. 

An interesting tidbit from Heinrich’s previous report is that he spent $13,804.25 on “security upgrades at the residence” through “Jillian Homes Realty” on January 13, 2023, and spent $7,374.15 at the Arizona-based Safe Haven Defense LLC for the same purpose on January 30, 2023.

During the fundraising period ending in June, Heinrich spent $17,305.29 on mileage, meals, and travel, spending big at places such as the Albuquerque Hilton Garden Inn, San Francisco Grand Hyatt, Chicago AC Marriott, Bellevue, and Washington’s Hyatt Regency, among other expenditures. 

He spent $4,652.78 during the period on legal fees, $7,000 on polling from Public Policy Polling, and $13,413.63 on videography and photography.

Heinrich spent over $21K in donor cash on ‘security upgrades’ at his ‘residence’ Read More »

Someone files ‘Breaking Bad’ character to run for New Mexico congressional seat

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing, the main character from AMX/FX’s hit show Breaking Bad, filmed and set in New Mexico, is running for Congress as a Republican in the state’s Second Congressional District.

A June 16, 2023 filing shows “Walter Hartwell White/ Jesse Bruce Pinkman” had registered a committee for the former to run for the Second District. White’s character, an Albuquerque-based former chemistry teacher from the show, became a meth cook who sold the drug to the cartel to pay for his cancer treatment and ended up becoming a legend in his own right known as “Heisenberg.” Pinkman was White’s partner in crime who worked as his drug dealer in the show.

The filing listed “3828 Piermont Dr” in Albuquerque as the candidate’s address — the filming location of White’s fictitious house on “308 Negro Arroyo Lane” from the television show. The address is not within the Second District, although candidates need not live in the district to run, unlike state legislative candidates who must live in the district they aim to represent.

The committee name, “Gus Associates,” pays homage to the show’s cartel boss Gustavo “Gus” Fring, listing the committee’s filing address as that of the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park in Las Cruces.

Following the fake campaign filing, the FEC wrote in a June 25, 2023 letter to the entity, “It has come to the attention of the Federal Election Commission that you may have failed to include the true, correct, or candidate information under 52 U.S.C. § 30102(e) when you filed FEC Form 2.”

It added, “Furthermore, the Commission requires the filing to be true, correct, and complete. When you filed FEC Form 2, you made the following certification: ‘I certify that I have examined this Statement and to the best of my knowledge and belief it is true, correct and complete.’ The Commission also informed you on that form that: ‘Submission of false, erroneous, or incomplete information may subject the person signing this Statement to the penalties of 52 U.S.C. § 30109.’” 

“It is not known who filed the FEC candidate paperwork for the fictional characters. The FEC said it would crack down on fake candidate filings in 2016 after several fake presidential candidates were listed for the vacant office,” wrote KOAT 7.

Former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell is the sole legitimate Republican candidate in the Second District, while Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez is attempting to run for another term after narrowly beating Herrell in 2022.

Someone files ‘Breaking Bad’ character to run for New Mexico congressional seat Read More »

Redistricting group praises NM Supreme Court’s ruling in gerrymandering case

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

This week, the fully Democrat New Mexico Supreme Court dealt Democrats a shocking blow when it denied Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s appeal for the high court to strike a bipartisan lawsuit challenging the state’s extremely partisan congressional district gerrymander. That means the case can now be heard at the state district court level.

In 2021, the Democrats in the New Mexico Legislature rammed through maps that cut communities of interest in halves or thirds while creating snake-like districts that are clear of a partisan gerrymander. 

During the process, the Democrats gerrymandered the Second Congressional District, which swung the seat from favoring Republicans by 14 points to now favoring Democrats by four points, resulting in New Mexico’s only Republican congresswoman, Yvette Herrell, losing to far-left Democrat Gabe Vasquez, in 2022.

The nonprofit group that was heavily involved in the redistricting process, which the Democrat legislature subverted, Fair Districts New Mexico, applauded the state Supreme Court on its move.

“Some people are declaring yesterday’s decision a victory for New Mexico Republicans, who are challenging in court the state’s redrawn congressional map,” said Hannah Burling co-President of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico and Project Leader of Fair Districts for New Mexico. “But no one knows what the final decision on that question will be. Instead, yesterday’s decision is a victory for voters who believe the courts can – and must – protect voters’ constitutional rights by considering cases alleging partisan gerrymandering.”  

Heather Balas, Vice President of the Election Reformers Network, said, “New Mexico’s court rightly joins a growing number of other state supreme courts in holding what the U.S. Supreme Court once recognized and what every voter knows to be true: that extreme partisan gerrymandering is incompatible with democratic principles and causes constitutional harms. Such cases must be at least heard.” 

Mason Graham, Policy Director for Common Cause New Mexico noted that New Mexicans deserve a fair and transparent process for redistricting. “This process was flawed from the outset. When elected officials from either party meet in secret to manipulate maps and protect their political power, voters lose faith in our institutions and in democracy itself. In that way, gerrymandering harms us all. Ensuring the courts retain the power to protect the interests of voters is an essential safeguard.”

“As New Mexicans we are proud that on the day following Independence Day, the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed the balance of power enshrined in our state constitution and respected by the U.S. Constitution. This is not a win for any political party; this is a victory for all New Mexicans.” 

The support for sending the case to the lower court to determine the case and the condemnation from all sides of the extreme partisan gerrymander by the New Mexico Democrats in the majority at the Legislature is a testament to the bipartisan groups and officials, such as Democrat Roswell Mayor Tim Jennings, in supporting fair districts. 

Redistricting group praises NM Supreme Court’s ruling in gerrymandering case Read More »

This detail from Heinrich’s pre-Fourth of July tweet screams hypocrisy

31 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Anti-fossil fuels Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich posted on Twitter Saturday a picture of him standing in what is supposed to be a New Mexico backyard with grilling supplies and an outdoor wok-type burner, traditionally used for cooking chicharrones, but one thing stood out in the photo.

The burner was attached to a propane tank. Propane is made through the processing of liquified natural gas. 

The Rio Grande Foundation’s president Paul Gessing wrote, “Gas grill. Love it.”

State Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), the founder and editor of the Piñon Post, wrote, “The dude who wants to ban your gas stoves and ‘electrify everything’ cooks with propane,” adding along with a laughing emoji, “Who’s gonna tell him?” 

Heinrich has made headlines recently for his crusade against all fossil fuel-using products, including gas heaters, stoves, and water heaters.

The senator has adopted the far-left “Electrify Everything” movement of radical eco-leftists attempting to ban appliances, such as stoves, that run on gas. 

The Joe Biden administration has recently been under fire for its proposed attempt to ban gas stoves. The State of New York recently did just that, but going further to ban gas furnaces as well. 

During a 2021 nomination hearing for then-U.S. Energy Secretary Designate Jennifer Granholm, Heinrich pushed for electrifying “everything,” adding in a tweet, “Addressing the climate crisis means we need to focus on full electrification of our building, transportation, and industrial sectors. Thankfully, Secretary of Energy nominee @JenGranholm is on board to help us begin to electrify everything.”

He has since pushed for the electrification of everything from appliances to government buildings, such as some in Las Cruces. 

Now, Heinrich made one big faux pas in his supposed genuine quest to “electrify everything” by forgetting to electrify his Fourth of July cookout as he seeks to swindle the voters of New Mexico into another term in the U.S. Senate.

This detail from Heinrich’s pre-Fourth of July tweet screams hypocrisy Read More »

UNM president fumes after SCOTUS outlaws racist college affirmative action

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard and the Students for Fair Admission v. University of North Carolina cases that brings fairness back to American college admissions by ruling it is unlawful to consider race as the main factor in one’s admission to a U.S. college or university. The racist practice known as “affirmative action” pushes qualified candidates aside and, instead of admitting them, lets potentially less qualified candidates have their places due to various racial attributes.

Leftist University of New Mexico president Garnett Stokes, who assumed the role in 2018, was angered by the Court’s decision, writing on Twitter, “We at @UNM are concerned about the precedent today’s Supreme Court ruling sets for further efforts to curb diversity, accessibility, and social mobility within our institutions and impact access and opportunities for all underrepresented members of our communities.” 

“We know the educational and social benefits of inclusivity and will actively participate in exploring new ways that universities, including ours, can ensure diversity on their campuses,” she continued. “We will be examining the legal implications of the ruling and its possible effects on our practices. We will also continue to champion what we already do: build belonging through inclusivity and ensure our doors, experiences, and culture remain accessible and open to everyone.”

Despite the Supreme Court’s majority opinion clearly stating that “nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” Stokes and others have shown bitterness with the anti-racist ruling.

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez claimed the ruling was made by a “rogue Supreme Court” he claims is “endangering Americans’ fundamental rights, freedoms and protections.” 

He continued, “By rolling back decades of progress toward racial equity in education, we risk repeating a long, dark history of discrimination and exclusion within the very system intended to foster opportunity.” Notice how Martinez stressed the word “equity” and not “equality.”

“To hollow out affirmative action ignores a history of oppression. The playing field has never been level for marginalized communities,” Democrat U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján said.

UNM President Pam Stokes via UNM YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsPn_oVGEUw

During the Black Lives Matter/Antifa riots that plagued the country in 2020, including in Albuquerque, Stokes stood by BLM and said, “Black Lives Matter is more than a social media hashtag. It’s a social movement that compels all of us to listen, stand up, and speak out. It’s a call for positive action to enact meaningful and fundamental change. So, I’m working with my leadership team to take both immediate and long-term action and build upon the efforts we’ve made, and continue to make, to unify our campus, raise and promote different voices, and ensure UNM embodies its foundational principles of strength through diversity, and progress through inclusion.” 

UNM president fumes after SCOTUS outlaws racist college affirmative action Read More »

Longtime GOP state senator shockingly resigns

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On Wednesday, Republican state Sen. Gay Kernan of Hobbs, who has served for 21 years, announced her retirement in a statement.

“After much prayerful consideration, and with the help of my family, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my seat as New Mexico State Senator for District 42, effective August 1, 2023. I have not taken for granted the trust and confidence the voters have placed in me,” she wrote.

Portrait of Sen. Gay Kernan.

“Serving the constituents of Lea, Eddy, and Chaves Counties in the New Mexico Legislature has been a privilege and a tremendous honor. While I will miss my constituents and colleagues, and while transitions can be challenging, I am confident the Lea, Eddy, and Chaves County Commissions will recommend a qualified nominee from which my replacement will be selected.”

KRQE News 13 reported, “Kernan has been serving in the legislature since 2002 when she was appointed by then-Governor Gary Johnson. With a lengthy record of service, Kernan is among the longest-serving senators in New Mexico.”

State Rep. Larry Scott (R-Hobbs) will apply to serve out the remainder of Kernan’s term, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

“I think I have ably represented the interests of my constituents in Southeast New Mexico, particularly when it comes to energy issues,” said Scott, president of Lynx Petroleum Consultants Inc.

“When I decided to run [for another term] three years ago, it was something that I struggled with, trying to figure out whether to run or not run, and I felt like I still had some things that I wanted to accomplish,” Kernan said to the New Mexican. “I’m glad I did, but four years is a long time … and I just really need to kind of reassess and be there for my family.”

On Wednesday, 21-year Republican state Sen. Gay Kernan of Hobbs announced her retirement in a statement.

“After much prayerful consideration, and with the help of my family, I have made the difficult decision to resign from my seat as New Mexico State Senator for District 42, effective August 1, 2023. I have not taken for granted the trust and confidence the voters have placed in me,” she wrote.

“Serving the constituents of Lea, Eddy, and Chaves Counties in the New Mexico Legislature has been a privilege and a tremendous honor. While I will miss my constituents and colleagues, and while transitions can be challenging, I am confident the Lea, Eddy, and Chaves County Commissions will recommend a qualified nominee from which my replacement will be selected.”

KRQE News 13 reported, “Kernan has been serving in the legislature since 2002 when she was appointed by then-Governor Gary Johnson. With a lengthy record of service, Kernan is among the longest-serving senators in New Mexico.”

State Rep. Larry Scott (R-Hobbs) will apply to serve out the remainder of Kernan’s term, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. 

“I think I have ably represented the interests of my constituents in Southeast New Mexico, particularly when it comes to energy issues,” said Scott, president of Lynx Petroleum Consultants Inc. 

“When I decided to run [for another term] three years ago, it was something that I struggled with, trying to figure out whether to run or not run, and I felt like I still had some things that I wanted to accomplish,” Kernan said to the New Mexican. “I’m glad I did, but four years is a long time … and I just really need to kind of reassess and be there for my family.”

Longtime GOP state senator shockingly resigns Read More »

Dems suddenly care about Navajo Nation again after lauding DOI land grab

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Democrats who backed Joe Biden’s U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland encroaching on the Navajo Nation’s sovereignty by putting in place a 10-mile buffer to ban all natural resource extractive activity are now manufacturing outrage over the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on Navajo Nation’s access to the drying Colorado River.

The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the 1868 treaty in question did not include the government’s duty for it to help secure water. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who is from Colorado, sided with the minority, which included all three Democrat-appointed justices.

“The 1868 treaty reserved necessary water to accomplish the purpose of the Navajo Reservation,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion. “But the treaty did not require the United States to take affirmative steps to secure water for the Tribe.”

“Today’s ruling is disappointing and I am encouraged that the ruling was 5-4,” said Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren in a statement. “It is reassuring that four justices understood our case and our arguments. As our lawyers continue to analyze the opinion and determine what it means for this particular lawsuit, I remain undeterred in obtaining quantified water rights for the Navajo Nation in Arizona. The Navajo Nation established a water rights negotiation team earlier this year and we are working very hard to settle our water rights in Arizona.” 

When the DOI snatched the land around Chaco Canyon from the Navajo Nation for supposed “conservation” purposes, Democrats lauded the decision to infringe upon the Navajos’ sovereignty. 

Now, they are claiming to care about the tribal nation. 

“This SHAMEFUL decision upends more than a hundred years of legal precedent at the expense of Tribal water rights and the Trust Responsibility,” asserted far-left Democrat Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury (NM-CD-01) in a melodramatic tweet.

Far-left U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wrote, “A 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court just denied the Navajo Nation’s right to life sustaining water. This is an extremely disappointing decision that fails all Tribal Nations.”

However, the radical Democrats previously sent out a joint statement applauding the Chaco Canyon ban, disregarding the tribe’s sovereignty. They wrote at the time, “We applaud this historic step to protect Chaco’s irreplaceable resources for future generations.”

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Hispanic and Latinos’ ‘drift’ away from Dems could mean Vasquez’s downfall

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District could be in for a surprise in his 2024 attempt to seek reelection, as Hispanics and Latinos, who make up 60 percent of the District, are shifting away from the Democrat Party.

Vasquez narrowly won his race in November by a mere 0.7 percent, making him one of the most vulnerable GOP targets in 2024.

According to an Axios-Ipsos Latino Poll, “More Latinos continue to favor the Democratic Party, but their allegiance is drifting. Some Latinos signal growing differences on cultural issues and crime — and give Republicans an edge in handling the economy.”

“Latinos are still more Democratic than Republican by significant margins,” Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson said. “But when you’re talking about elections that are won by a percentage point, small losses can make a difference.”

“The Democratic coalition is complicated in the best of times. The more pieces are in play, the harder it’s going to be for any Democratic candidate to thread the needle.”

This could mean imminent doom for the first-term Vasquez, who faces strong opposition by Republican former Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who has vast support and won the seat over Democrat Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small, a Latina, in 2020. Herrell has national support from U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, along with many top Republicans in New Mexico. 

National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar wrote, “For years, Gabe Vasquez and the Democrat Party have taken Hispanic voters for granted by ignoring the issues that are most important to them.”

She continued, “Under Biden’s failing economy, it’s clear New Mexico Hispanics are realizing Vasquez isn’t the guy for them.”

Hispanic and Latinos’ ‘drift’ away from Dems could mean Vasquez’s downfall Read More »

Far-left group tries to downplay NM’s abysmal child well-being ranking

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

A far-left group called New Mexico Voices for Children, which advocates for things such as abortion up-to-birth, weakened election laws, socialized “free” college, and child mutilation via transgender surgery and puberty blockers, is now trying to downplay the state’s abysmal rankings, most recently being listed 50th once again out of all other states in child well-being.

The group’s executive director Amber Wallin’s op-ed recently appeared in the Las Cruces Sun-News, telling New Mexicans the abysmal rankings “shouldn’t get you down.”

“While these improvements show up in the data, they don’t yet show up in the 50-state rankings. The rankings are based on data, but the various factors behind each indicator go beyond policies implemented by states. Childhood outcomes in a state are also intrinsically tied to its geography, history, assets, systemic inequities, and various other factors that contribute to a nuanced picture of child well-being that cannot be accurately represented by any one number or ranking,” she claimed.

Wallin also touted extreme government-growing programs, claiming they are helping, but the data hasn’t produced their results yet.

She wrote, “Our investments in child care assistance, voter-approved expansion of early childhood services, and child-focused tax policy improvements all received national accolades. These, along with the creation of a statewide paid sick leave policy for all workers, ending of predatory lending, and expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act all help ensure that New Mexico’s families have access to the resources we all need to thrive.”

Although she acknowledged, “This is not to say that there’s no room for improvement,” Wallin’s answer to the 50th ranking, which had multiple categories worsen in the latest “The Kids Count” report on child well-being, is more big government, Critical Race Theory in classrooms, more taxpayer money being flung at “free” daycare, and giving salaries to a legislature that has so far produced nothing but worse results for the state.

She concluded, “For example, we must continue our investments in early childhood. We must mandate that our K-12 curriculum reflects and validates our diverse child population. We must ensure that our Legislature has the resources it needs – including salaries and staff – that allow a broader segment of residents to serve in elected office. We must broaden our revenue base to cushion our budget from oil and gas volatility. We must ensure any new revenue comes from the sectors of our society who can afford to take more responsibility for supporting the services and infrastructure our people and businesses all rely upon. And we must ensure a just transition toward a greater reliance on renewable energy sources.” 

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