New Mexico

Piñon Post and United Conservative Movement partner to ‘Pledge to Vote RED NM’

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On Tuesday, Republicans from across New Mexico headed to the polls and chose our GOP nominees to advance to take on the Democrats in November’s General Election. Although some of our favorite candidates may not have made it out of the primary, now is the time, as Republicans to unite around every Republican on the ballot and work to turn New Mexico RED (Remove Every Democrat) in the election.

With President Trump at the top of the ticket, and a strong selection of candidates running for federal, state, and local elected officials, the stakes could not be higher for Republicans, which is why I am proud to partner with Shauna Abney of the United Conservative Movement to unite Republicans in our state behind our great GOP nominees selected Tuesday.

Although Shauna and I differ on a few candidates, we both are putting our party and our state’s future over our personal choices, and signing the “Pledge to Vote RED NM” pledge to show we are united in our fight for our conservative values and a prosperous future for our state. The stakes are too high to not be united going into November, and this is our shot at taking back our state and reclaiming our values!

Sign the pledge and send it to every Republican you know. We must unite to turn our beautiful state of New Mexico RED in November! 

Pledge to Vote Red NM

In massive victory, Yvette Herrell wins GOP nomination for CD-2

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Late on Tuesday night, after a contentious three-way primary between former state Rep. Yvette Herrell, millionaire oil lobbyist Claire Chase, and Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys, it was finally called that Herrell would be the Republican chosen to face-off against first-term Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in November. 

At around 8:35 A.M. on Wednesday, Herrell carried 45% of the vote to Chase’s 32% and Mathys’ 24% with 596/641 precincts partially reporting. The Associated Press and local news outlets have safely called the race for Yvette Herrell.

Over the course of the heated primary, the candidates took shots at each other, mainly over their support for Trump, however, the voters appear to have chosen the “Trumpiest” of all, Yvette Herrell. 

During her time in the New Mexico House of Representatives, Herrell sponsored multiple pro-life bills, as well as championed conservative fiscal and energy policy. 

Herrell’s win marks a rematch between her and Torres Small, who “won” in 2018 after absentee ballots were found out of nowhere and miraculously gave her a win over Herrell after the race was already called for Herrell. A subsequent audit found massive fraud and statistically impossible results.

But Herrell will once again face off against the far-left Democrat to reclaim the seat for Republicans, with President Trump at the top of the ticket.

This is a developing story…

Today is the GOP Primary! Here’s what you need to know before you vote — and why voting matters

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, Opinion, Politics / By

Today is the 2020 Republican primary, and New Mexicans will be heading to the polls to cast their votes for the nominees who will take on the Radical Democrats in November’s General Election. If you haven’t been following the primary too closely, that’s okay — here is some info to know before you vote today!

The Candidates

All three congressional districts have multiple candidates running and depending on your location, you will have a variety of candidates to choose from. If you are unsure what your district is, check your voter registration here. 

In the First Congressional District in the Albuquerque metro area, millennial attorney and fresh Republican face Jared Vander Dussen faces off against perennial candidate Michelle Garcia Holmes, who previously ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor and Albuquerque mayor. Also in the race is Brett Kokinadis, a former Democrat who ran the group, “New Mexico Democrats for Democracy.” The race will test if CD-1 Republicans are ready for energetic, new blood or if they will opt for a more familiar candidate.

In the Second Congressional District race in Southern New Mexico, former state Rep. Yvette Herrell faces off against deep-pocketed millionaire lobbyist and Trump critic Claire Chase, who once called President Trump an “a**hole unworthy of the office,” but now swears she supports the 45th Commander-in-Chief. Also in the race is Las Cruces businessman Chris Mathys, a veteran and former Fresno, California city councilman. The race’s winner will advance to the General Election and face-off against one-term incumbent Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, who votes with far-left Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 94% of the time.

In the Third Congressional District in Northern New Mexico, three Republicans face off for the nomination. Former oil and gas administrator Alexis Martinez Johnson will face small businesswoman Karen Bedonie and former Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya. The race has not been as contentious as the CD-2 race, but it has had its ups and downs.

The United States Senate race is a big one — and in recent months it has turned increasingly heated. Former college professor and Trump Administration official Dr. Gavin Clarkson faces off against pro-life leader Elisa Martinez and former television weatherman Mark Ronchetti. Clarkson and Martinez have years of conservative credentials in their respective fields, while Ronchetti has no previous Republican Party support to speak of and has never voted in a primary election. Ronchetti also has been a staunch critic of President Trump, just in 2019 claiming the President made him leave the Republican Party, calling Trump “the Orange One,” who has taken a “part of his soul” that he’s “not getting back.” Voters will decide whether they want a proven pro-Trump conservative or a fair-weather NeverTrumper.

There are not many state legislative seats with contested primaries, but two Senate seats in New Mexico’s 19th and 41st districts have Republican incumbents being challenged by state representatives vacating their House seats to make a run for the upper chamber.

Rep. Gregg Schmedes, arguably one of the most vocal conservatives in the state, is challenging incumbent Jim White for Senate District 19 in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Santa Fe, and Torrance Counties. Schmedes won his House seat in 2018 and has been outspoken on just about every issue important to conservative voters. 

Senator Jim White has been around a long time, having served in the House and the Senate. He was elected to his Senate seat in 2016. White has one of the least conservative voting records of any Republican in the state—voting for both of Democrat Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s disastrous budgets, and for the anti-business, job-killing New Mexico “Green New Deal” in 2019. 

Rep. David Gallegos is challenging incumbent Gregg Fulfer for Senate District 41 in Eddy and Lea Counties. This is actually Fulfer’s first time running for office, as he received his seat by appointment when his father-in-law, Carrol Leavell, retired after 22 years in the legislature. 

David Gallegos has been a State Representative for District 61 for 8 years. Gallegos is a somewhat soft-spoken gentleman but isn’t short on conservative spiritedness. He can usually be seen whenever there is a pro-life or 2nd Amendment rally in Santa Fe, and even organizes the concealed carry trainings for other legislators at the statehouse. 

Where do I vote and who will be on my ballot?

Voting begins at 7:00 A.M. this morning, and polls close at 7:00 P.M. this evening. You can find your polling location here. If you ordered an absentee ballot, PLEASE DO NOT DROP IT IN THE MAIL. Deliver your ballot directly to a polling location. 

If you are unaware of all the choices that will be on your ballot, you can see your sample ballot by checking your voter registration here. 

FIND YOUR POLLING LOCATION
see your sample ballot

Why Voting in the Primary Matters

This election is a turning point for New Mexico, and the Republicans we vote for today will advance to the General Election. In simple terms, the stronger the candidates we choose in the primary are, the better their chance of winning in November. We must choose the most electable candidates who can bring conservatives together and give Democrats a run for their money in the General Election.

If we lose in the General Election to the Radical Democrats and don’t clinch a Republican majority in the New Mexico House or Senate, we will have a rough time since Democrats will no doubt gerrymander legislative seats to make them less competitive and harder for Republicans to ever win again. Since this is a census year, this will impact the candidates we choose this election. Our votes we make today will mean political life or death for our legislature — the governing body of our state and the only body that can hold an out-of-control governor accountable. 

Your vote today means a contribution to the future of our state, and will help lead us into a strong General Election. With President Trump at the top of the ticket — he needs us now more than ever to show up and vote for him and candidates who support him. It’s one of our last chances to make a difference for New Mexico.

Keller appears to stand by rioters, cries ‘racism’ — Mob sets Albuquerque ON FIRE, shoots at police

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On Sunday, Democrat Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller attended a rally supposedly in support of a Minneapolis man who died in police custody, George Floyd, decrying the man’s death and standing by the protesters across the country burning down cities and injuring people defending their businesses from looters. A black Federal Protective Service officer, Patrick Underwood, was murdered by Antifa rioters in Oakland, California over the weekend. 

But Keller appeared to support the lawless mob of protesters, saying in a speech on Sunday, “We stand with those calling for Justice. ‘I can’t breathe’ in so many ways is not just — it’s not just one more black man’s words. It is a cadence of suffering over oppression of racism that has gripped our country since our founding.” 

In a subsequent tweet, Keller wrote, “In this city, we believe that #BLACKLIVESMATTER. We are working hard to build an equitable city but we must do better. We see you. We hear you. We stand with you.” 

Sunday night, violent rioters “fired shots at police, broke windows at several buildings and set multiple fires,” according to reports by the Albuquerque Journal. 

Reports note that rioters shot at law enforcement in front of the historic Kimo Theater, threw Molotov cocktails at them, and started fires in the streets and in trashcans. 

UFC champ Jon “Bones” was present at the riots to break up the violence, taking spray cans away from Antifa terrorists, demanding, “Give me the spray can, give me the spray can.” 

He wrote in an Instagram post, “As a young black man, trust me, I’m frustrated as well. But this is not the way, we are starting to make a bad situation worse. If you really got love for your city (505), protect your s—.”

Haaland claims President Trump is glorifying police brutality after he calls for end to violent protests

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On Friday, socialist Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) took to Twitter to bash President Trump after he called for peace in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following violent protests in the street. The demonstrations, which include burning down and looting local businesses, appear to have started in response to claims of police brutality resulting in the death of George Floyd.

President Trump wrote on Twitter Friday morning, “I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right. These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!” 

Twitter later hid the tweet, claiming it was “glorifying violence.” Now, Halland is jumping on the bandwagon to hit Trump for wanting to end the senseless violence from rioters and looters in the streets. On Twitter, she wrote, “This is horrific. A President should never glorify police brutality. To our black community, know that I see you and you can count on me to stand up for justice.”

However, the President did not glorify violence. In reality, he sided with George Floyd and called for an end to the thuggish ravaging of the Minneapolis community. But this is not the first time Haaland has propped up violent protesters hurting people and property.

In August 2019, Haaland called a mob of violent “Antifa” domestic terrorists rioting in Portland, Oregon “peaceful protesters” despite 13 far-left rioters being arrested. During the protests, a young girl was maced while others had hammers thrown at them. 

After Haaland’s statement on Portland, The Republican Party of New Mexico Haaland called her out, with Chairman Steve Pearce writing, “Rep. Deb Haaland’s comments calling Antifa ‘peaceful protestors’ are reprehensible, and our Federal delegation should disavow Haaland’s irresponsible and incorrect statement that goes against our American values.”

MLG, Haaland, Luján team up to lead ‘organizing training’ for Biden

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Saturday, New Mexico’s Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (CD-3), and Rep. Deb Haaland (CD-1) will team up for an “organizing training” for the presumptive Democrat nominee for President, Joe Biden. 

The online event says it will be hosted in Pojoaque and will be run through a Zoom meeting.

The news comes as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is being considered as a potential vice-presidential running mate by the Biden campaign. 

Lujan Grisham has lauded the former vice president, saying, “you want a vice president who was much like former vice president Biden. He knew how to govern, he had done a ton of work as a senator and in local government as well, and I think those are incredible attributes.” 

The entire New Mexico congressional Delegation has endorsed Joe Biden, with the exception of Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02), who is trying to toe the line as she has a tough election to keep her seat in the conservative-leaning district she currently represents.


New Mexico’s 2020 Democrat and Republican primaries will take place on June 2nd, where both parties will choose their nominees for the General Election, including putting a rubber stamp on Ben Ray Luján and Joe Biden as they run with no lasting competition in their respective races. 

In crippling blow to Dems and RINOs, Trump stands by cowboys slandered by fake news lies

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Early Thursday morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to show his support for New Mexico-grown group, Cowboys for Trump (C4T) as they are battling fake news lies from the leftist media, socialist Democrats, and RINOs (Republicans in Name Only). 

Last week, Democrats decried statements taken out of context by C4T leader and Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, which they claimed threatened the lives of Democrats. The seven-second, deceptively edited clip left out Griffin’s full statement, in which he immediately explained he was not threatening Democrats physically, but politically. 

Some of the Leftists and RINOs who decried the statements included socialist U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, Democrat New Mexico Speaker of the House of Representatives Brian Egolf, anti-Trump and anti-GOP lawyer A. Blair Dunn, who is representing the Democrat Party of Otero County in a frivolous lawsuit against Griffin, a fake “Republican” group lauded by socialist Democrats, and others. 

Cowboys for Trump’s tweet included a video of Griffin’s full statement with its full context, in response to a fake news leftist article written by The Daily Beast, claiming Griffin wanted “Democrats to die.” That claim is patently false. 

The President’s tweet to C4T reads, “Thank you Cowboys. See you in New Mexico!” The message from the Commander-in-Chief is sure to trigger the many leftist and RINO detractors looking to take down the pro-Trump organization and its leader as they ride across the country in support of the Second Amendment, the Right to Life, and opening up America.

The tweet also gives a signal that the President still has his eye on flipping New Mexico red in November and that he plans to come back for more rallies before the election.

Laura Ingraham blasts MLG violating her own edicts to buy jewelry: ‘Rules for thee but not for me’

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On Wednesday, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham called out New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for breaking her own edict barring “non-essential” businesses from opening by having a high-end Albuquerque jewelry store, Lilly Barrack, sell her expensive jewels.

Later, the Governor’s spokesperson defended Lujan Grisham’s hypocritical conduct, saying, “The store was never ‘opened’ and a good safe process was followed… The governor has, of course in both her personal and professional lives adhered to all of the public health measures the state has enacted for the duration of this pandemic.” 

During Ingraham’s segment, she described Lujan Grisham’s conduct as “fraud,” and blasted her “rules for thee but not for me.” Ingraham also mentioned how the Governor is one of Democrat presumptive nominee for president, Joe Biden’s potential vice presidential picks. 

As well as Fox News’s coverage, national news and political outlets have covered the Governor’s despotic behavior, including the Associated Press, the Daily Wire, the Republican Governors Association, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, the Daily Caller, Dan Bongino, The Blaze, among others. 

MLG slams 29 out of 33 NM sheriffs — says they’re peddling ‘false information’ about gun control

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During an online Facebook interview called “Demanding Women” with Shannon Watts, founder of Michael Bloomberg’s dark money gun control group “Moms Demand Action,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham hit the NRA and the law enforcers pushing back against unconstitutional gun laws, claiming they are putting out “false information.”

During the interview, Lujan Grisham said, “We all have a constitutional right to be safe in our homes and communities,” in her opening statement. She also bashed groups championing the Second Amendment, namely, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which she claimed took massive resources to fight their “scare tactics.” 

“If you’re going up — and we are — against the NRA, then it means that incredible resources and a false, right, effort at not fighting facts, and using social media in a way to do that, which is disappointing to me as an advocate and a politician, and an elected leader. But we know that that exists — and scare tactics that we are ‘taking everybody’s guns away,’ that ‘we are creating a registry to somehow punish you,’ and that we don’t believe in whether you are a constitutional scholar about the Second Amendment that this is a hidden agenda not to deal with gun violence, but just to reduce and restrict peoples’ individual rights. And that’s not true,” Lujan Grisham said. 

When asked about tips she had for elected leaders, Lujan Grisham claimed that they are “intimidated” by the NRA and law enforcers upholding their right to keep and bear arms. She claimed they are peddling “false information,” and using their uniforms to intimidate lawmakers.

“Elected leaders need to be not intimidated by the NRA and by efforts with some law enforcement folks. And they have free speech, every right to talk about their issues. But when you’ve got elected leaders, some sheriffs, some law enforcement folks who also put out false information — I think there’s some trepidation that if it is somebody in a uniform, that they can’t be putting out false information. And I’m not suggesting that that’s purposeful, but the groups that they’re working with — I think leverage them in ways that are completely inappropriate. And as a result, elected leaders have to have confidence that that’s what’s going on and they can maintain their relationships with their firsts responders, that they can also set an agenda that protects everybody else,” said Lujan Grisham.

Lujan Grisham was asked about her statements encouraging sheriffs to resign if they do not enforce her unconstitutional gun control laws, Grisham said, “You got to stand your ground, right? Again from the political side, if a sheriff on his or her own time says ‘I really disagree, I’m disappointed. But of course, on my professional arm, I will enforce every law,’ I can respect that, and am completely fine with the First Amendment, right? Free speech. But when you have a first responder or law enforcement individual who says they are not going to enforce the laws, I’ve made clear three things: 1) You should resign because you can’t do your job, and I’ve been unafraid and unabashed about that. 2) You’re creating a liability for your community, and that means that creates liabilities for government in general, including the state, which provides liability protections to local government, and 3) If you’re not going to invest in your required public safety agenda, then I’ll do it using other first responders.”

Lujan Grisham continued to bash gun ownership, claiming, “Gun violence, in fact, is a public emergency, and is an epidemic in this state.” 

In 2019, during the fight against the unconstitutional gun control legislation, Senate Bill 8, 29 out of New Mexico’s 33 sheriffs united against the law, which Lujan Grisham railed against on Twitter. She claimed they were defending domestic abusers and were throwing a “childish pity party” for refusing to enforce the law.

Haaland uses out-of-context clip to attempt removal of Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin

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On Tuesday, Democrat U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-01) shared a 7-second snippet of Cowboys for Trump leader and Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin’s speech over the weekend, where he discussed the need to flip Democrat seats back to Republican in November.

During the speech, Griffin said, “I’ve come to a place where I’ve come to the conclusion that the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat. I don’t say that in the physical sense and I can already see the videos being edited where it says I want to go murder Democrats. No, I say that in the political sense because the Democrat agenda and policy is anti-American right now. Our country is not coming to a place if you love or hate Donald Trump. Our country is coming to a place if you love or hate America because that’s what it’s boiling down to. But as far as Democrats go, you have some great conservative candidates…. The only reason I said the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat — I’m saying it politically speaking, and I’m saying it because we need to have majorities in the House and the Senate. It’s the only way we’re going to put the brakes on an out-of-control governor. Sometimes, you have to hit very rock bottom in order to make a change. It can happen in our own personal lives, it happens in community, but it also happens in government right now.”

Do you love or hate America?

We can already see the videos getting edited.Politically speaking only, what's a good democrat? The democrats will manipulate anything they can to tear America apart.How long will you believe their lies?

Posted by Cowboys For Trump on Tuesday, May 19, 2020

The video shared by left-wing activist and graduate of the Democrat training camp “Emerge NM,” Tracy Perry, heavily edits Griffin’s words, just as Griffin predicted in his speech.

Deb Haaland shared the deceptively edited video, writing on Facebook, “Couy Griffin must resign immediately! Commissioner Griffin was filmed speaking at an event this past weekend. His rhetoric was hateful and plain disgusting. Wishing harm upon anyone is just wrong!”

‪Couy Griffin must resign immediately! Commissioner Griffin was filmed speaking at an event this past weekend. His rhetoric was hateful and plain disgusting. Wishing harm upon anyone is just wrong! ‬

Posted by Deb Haaland for Congress on Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Democrat New Mexico Hosue Speaker Brian Egolf wrote on Twitter, “The County Commissioner’s comment is despicable, indefensible, and un-American.”

Cowboys for Trumps shared the full clip in context on their Facebook page, writing, “We can already see the videos getting edited. Politically speaking only, what’s a good democrat? The democrats will manipulate anything they can to tear America apart. How long will you believe their lies?”

Once again, Democrats are seizing on a benign statement made by a conservative leader and taking it out of context much like what the mainstream media does to President Trump and his words time and time again. Griffing made clear exactly what his statement meant, however, Haaland and left-wing activists won’t pass up an opportunity to try and take down a conservative leader, no matter how low they have to go to do it.

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