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Pro-energy group sounds the alarm on Biden slowing down oil leasing in NM

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

Joe Biden, in recent weeks leading up to and after the November 8 midterm election, has been sending mixed messages about American gas prices, which have continued to be setting records throughout his time in the White House.

Energy in Depth, a project of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, wrote regarding Biden’s continually changing rhetoric on gas prices, “At a rally in New Mexico earlier this month, [Joe] Biden claimed that there has been no slowdown in leasing in the state – although the facts say otherwise. But while campaigning for Democrats in New York state, President Biden bragged that there will be ‘no more drilling’ under his tenure.”

“These mixed messages have real effects, particularly in states like New Mexico, where a large part of oil and natural gas production takes place on federal lands. In 2021, New Mexico became the second-largest producer of oil in the country, with approximately 54 percent of that production taking place on federal lands. Royalties and other payments from the oil and natural gas industry make up approximately 35 percent of New Mexico’s budget, which funds essential infrastructure, education, and healthcare priorities.”

Biden erroneously claimed at the rally for the reelection of anti-energy Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, “I know we have a lot of leases out here in New Mexico for oil companies. And we haven’t slowed them down at all. They should be drilling more than they’re doing now. If they were drilling more, we’d have more — more relief at the pump. But the oil industry hasn’t met their commitment to invest in America and support the American people.”

But according to an analysis from the group, the Biden regime has significantly slowed down leasing in New Mexico, right in the middle of a global energy crisis. Energy in Depth “took the total number of parcels offered by the Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico during a given Presidential administration and divided it by the number of years each president was in office to get the average number of parcels offered each year – and the results are startling.”

Biden has offered massively lower numbers of parcels for sale than the past two presidential administrations. The group said the Biden administration has offered 90.7 fewer parcels annually than the Barack Obama administration and 93.7 fewer than the Donald J. Trump administration.

“[T]he Obama and Trump administrations held an average of 3.25 and 3.5 lease sales in New Mexico per year, respectively, as President, while the Biden administration has only held or scheduled a total of two sales, with a current average of 0.67 lease sales per year. Even if the Biden administration were to hold three lease sales in 2023, it will have only offered an average of 1.7 lease sales per year in New Mexico – significantly less than the Obama and Trump administrations,” wrote the group.

Under the administration of New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham, many anti-energy bills have passed the state legislature, including the state’s version of the Green New Deal, which will wipe out the energy industry in New Mexico.

Pro-energy group sounds the alarm on Biden slowing down oil leasing in NM Read More »

Rep. Herrell, narrowly defeated by Democrat, files paperwork for 2024

13 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (R-CD-2), who narrowly lost reelection to far-left Democrat Gabe Vasquez, had filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for the 2024 election.

Vasquez’s campaign wrote about the news, “Gabe is preparing to serve New Mexico’s working families in Washington this January, but in the meantime, we need to rebuild our campaign’s funds to prepare for the rematch ahead.”

The campaign claimed Herrell is a “far-right extremist” in an email, despite the Congresswoman not being extremist in the slightest. Vasquez used this type of rhetoric on the campaign trail to attempt to discredit Herrell.

Herrell hinted at another run in a November 17 email, writing:

No doubt, we are heartbroken for New Mexico, especially knowing we lost this seat by LESS THAN 1% in a district that was intentionally re-drawn to take me out of office by a much greater margin. In fact, we had amazing gains in every Democrat county – including Dona Ana County where we took 43% of the vote – which was a five point gain from just two years ago!
I can assure you, it wasn’t for a lack of effort by our amazing campaign team. We knocked over 100,000 doors, made over 75,000 calls and made countless trips throughout the District. Unfortunately, the slim margin did not trigger an automatic re-count of the vote total, and our team could not identify any irregularities that would have warranted requesting one.
After reviewing the outcomes, we can see by our data that voter turn out, by both parties, was lower than anticipated, but sadly, lower in some of the large Republican counties that could possibly have tipped the scale.
It has been my greatest honor serving the people of New Mexico in the capacity as their US Representative in Congress. We were able to deliver solid results for our state – even while serving in the Minority. Our Constituent Services team closed over 2000 cases with a 98% success rate! I could not be more proud of how our team made a difference.
We know our work in Washington was not completed, and hundreds of people from all over the District and colleagues in Washington have asked me to stay in the fight…all options will be on the table – so stay tuned.
Again, thank you for your support, prayers and kindness, and thank you for believing in me the way I believed in myself!

The report from Herrell’s campaign was filed on November 22, 2022, right before the Thanksgiving holiday break.

Herrell won the election in 2020 against Democrat incumbent Rep. Xochitl Torres Small. She lost reelection to Vasquez in the November 2022 election by around a mere 1,000 votes after far-left Democrats in the state legislature gerrymandered New Mexico’s three congressional districts to favor Democrats.

The gerrymandered maps are currently in litigation and could be overturned, returning the Second District from favoring Democrats by four points to the previous map, which had the Second District favoring Republicans by 14 percentage points.

Democrat gerrymandering ends in win for anti-police Gabe Vasquez

Rep. Herrell, narrowly defeated by Democrat, files paperwork for 2024 Read More »

Teacher’s union chief uses tragic death of UNM student to push for gun grabs

35 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Saturday, 19-year-old Brandon Travis was fatally shot by a 21-year-old NMSU student-athlete at around 3 a.m., according to the Albuquerque Police Department.

KOB 4 reports:

During the altercation, both students were shot. The 21-year-old was rushed to a hospital. At this time, we do not know his condition.
State police say Travis had conspired with a 17-year-old female and two other UNM students to lure the 21-year-old to campus and assault him.
Once on campus, Travis confronted the student and shot him. The NMSU student fired back.

The University of New Mexico is a gun-free zone. The University’s policy states that except for small exceptions for peace officers, “no person may use or possess a weapon on any part of campus.”

Despite no solid details available immediately after the shooting, far-left American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten used the death of Travis and others in a recent Colorado shooting to push for more anti-gun bills.

“Hatred and guns are a toxic combination. We must get weapons of war out of our communities and off our streets, and protect our most vulnerable so they can feel safe and live free from the never-ending threat of gun violence,” she wrote in a statement.

“And while these two shootings are the ones we’ve heard about, on any given day in this country, more than 100 lives are lost to gun violence. This madness must stop, and we must commit to expanding and building on the commonsense gun safety reforms of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that a majority of Americans—including gun owners—support, including a ban on high-capacity magazines and military-grade assault rifles.”

She then went on to erroneously claim if more unconstitutional anti-gun laws are passed, more lives will be saved.

She said, “And while these two shootings are the ones we’ve heard about, on any given day in this country, more than 100 lives are lost to gun violence. This madness must stop, and we must commit to expanding and building on the commonsense gun safety reforms of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that a majority of Americans—including gun owners—support, including a ban on high-capacity magazines and military-grade assault rifles.”

Nationally, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are unlikely to get their anti-gun bills across the finish line with a divided Congress as the GOP takes back control in January. In New Mexico’s state legislature, Democrats have already pledged to fund radical anti-gun bills, including one to make people felons if they do not lock up their guns and others to expand “Red Flag” gun grabs.

Teacher’s union chief uses tragic death of UNM student to push for gun grabs Read More »

In shocking move, NM House GOP elects all new leadership

7 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Saturday, the New Mexico House Republicans elected new leaders of the GOP caucus, propelling three new faces to all of the leadership positions.

In a surprise move, GOP Caucus Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia) decided not to seek a third term in the position, although he will still remain a representative in the New Mexico House. The caucus elected Rep. Ryan Lane (R-Aztec) to succeed him in the vacant position.

House Republicans elected Rep. Jason Harper (R-Rio Rancho) to succeed GOP Whip Rod Montoya (R-Farmington) for the caucus whip position.

Rep. Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena) was chosen for the House GOP caucus chair position, succeeding retiring Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences), who did not run for reelection and will be leaving the chamber. Republicans now hold 25 seats in the 70-member lower chamber, a net pickup of one seat.

Rep. Lane told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “I think Jim thought it was a natural transition and the time to help new leadership come on board, you know, and finish out sort of the work that [Jim Townsend] begun.”

Welcome to our new House Republican Leadership team. @LaneForLiberty @JasonHarperNM & @Gail4NM #nmpol #nmleg pic.twitter.com/5Z6xbNsmob
— NM House Republicans (@NMHouseGOP) November 20, 2022

The shocking move by the New Mexico House Republicans comes as Democrats are making significant shakeups in their own caucus, with Speaker Brian Egolf retiring from the chamber at the end of his term and Rep. Javier Martinez (D-Bernalillo) the favorite to succeed him in the Democrats’ caucus.

The Democrats also selected Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo) as the new majority floor leader, succeeding Martinez, and newly elected Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe) as their new majority whip. They also chose Rep. Raymundo Lara (D-Bernalillo) as their new caucus chairman.

NM House Dems nominate far-left racist Javier Martínez for speaker

In shocking move, NM House GOP elects all new leadership Read More »

Disgraced Dem Stapleton ‘not in custody’ as corruption trial looms

10 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

Despite a massive corruption trial looming over Democrats’ ex-New Mexico House Majority Floor Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D-Bernalillo), she is “not in custody,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.

The Journal noted that Second Judicial District Judge Lucy Soliman “estimated that a trial will be scheduled some 400 days out. Stapleton, who is not in custody, did not appear at the Zoom hearing Thursday.”

Stapleton’s house was raided last July after it was revealed she had been allegedly embezzling around $1 million from New Mexico’s taxpayers — specifically New Mexico’s Children through the Albuquerque Public Schools, where she used to work. She was fired from the cushy $ 79,000-per-year gig.

The Piñon Post’s exclusive report uncovering her ties to other high-profile New Mexico Democrats has revealed Stapleton’s alleged graft has been going on for around 30 years, in tandem with Joseph Johnson, a shady former New Mexico secretary of health who also has previously been hit with bribery and fraud charges.

Stapleton was indicted on 26 counts, including ten counts of improper statutory citations ranging from second to fourth-degree felonies, two counts of violating the ethical principles of public service, both misdemeanors, nine counts of engaging in official acts for personal gain, all of them being fourth-degree felonies, at least one count of tax evasion (a fourth-degree felony), among others.

In 2011, Larry Barker of KRQE 13 News found that Stapleton “pocketed more than $100,000 — money she didn’t earn — from APS over the years while serving in the legislature. But instead of being punished or forced to pay it back, Superintendent Winston Brooks changed the rules for Stapleton.” Brooks dismissed Stapleton’s $167,000 worth of unauthorized leave from APS, saying, “What I did was I changed the employee handbook so that anyone can be a legislator in Santa Fe and be paid for it.”

In 2018, former Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission executive director Kimberly Greene and former employees Cheryl Yazzie and Charles Countee pleaded guilty to fraud and embezzlement charges by creating phony state vouchers to heist over $67,700 from the Commission. According to Greene, she claims she “was coerced by [then]-House Minority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, to enter into a no-bid contract with eRead, an outside contractor for ACT/SAT program,” according to the New Mexico Political Report. However, Stapleton claimed, “I was never involved, never spoke to anybody about a no-bid contract.”

EXCLUSIVE: Ex-NM cabinet secretary’s ties to Williams Stapleton expose other top Dems

Disgraced Dem Stapleton ‘not in custody’ as corruption trial looms Read More »

Dems join Keller to preview their extreme anti-gun bills for 2023 legislature

25 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Wednesday, Democrats previewed their extreme anti-gun bills via a press conference with far-left Democrat Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. Of course, the preview was marketed as “crime-focused” however, it only dealt with taking more guns away from law-abiding citizens via government action.

Keller tried pulling at heartstrings, telling reporters, “The difference between a violent crime and a deadly crime and a loss of life is typically the involvement of a firearm,” He said, “And because of that, the criminal justice system should reflect the enhancement that a life could be lost, a child could die, because of that weapon as opposed to if that weapon was not in the equation.”

Three Democrat lawmakers attended the presser, including Rep. Pamelya Herndon (D-Bernalillo).

“The purpose of the legislation is not to create another criminal penalty, but the purpose of the legislation is to remind gun owners and firearm owners that you have a responsibility to keep those firearms safely secured if you decide to own one. And when you are negligent in that responsibility, there will be a penalty,” claimed Representative Herndon.

Previously during a July Legislative Courts, Corrections, and Justice Committee, far-left Democrats mentioned plans they had to bring forth anti-gun legislation. At the meeting, opposing voices were silenced.

As we previously reported:

State Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana) threatened to make parents felons and bankrupt them if they don’t lock up their firearms. He said, “You tell parents you’re gonna lose everything you own” if they don’t lock up guns. Cervantes added he wants to sue “manufacturers and marketers of guns” while saying, “Bring it on if you think the Constitution protects unfettered use and access of guns.” He then applauded Australia’s near-total ban on firearms.
Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) said during her commentary, “Before we start passing insane gun laws, we need to make sure they don’t get kicked back” on grounds of constitutionality.
State Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo) claimed automatic firearms are “weapons of war.”
Rep. Moe Maestas (D-Bernalillo) chimed in, comparing guns to “nuclear bombs.” He said that “forty years ago, there was an SNL skit where Everyone was walking around with a nuclear bomb. So apparently, that’s come to fruition.”

Maestas was just tapped by the Bernalillo County Commission to fill the remaining term of former state Sen. Jacob Candelaria, who quit his post. He is married to anti-gun lobbyist Vanessa Alarid.

During the hearing, far-left Democrat Albuquerque-area legislators Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Pamelya Herndon released their plans to sponsor anti-gun bills in the 2023 Legislative Session. One measure would create and beef up the “Office of Gun Violence and Prevention,” which was initially funded $300,000 in the 2022 Legislative Session. Anti-gun activist Miranda Viscoli said the department, to be comparable with states like Colorado, needed approximately $3 million in funding.
Herndon proposed a bill forcing New Mexicans to lock up their firearms. If they did not, and their gun somehow was used in an offense by a minor, the parent of that child could be made a felon if the victim of the crime is killed or permanently disabled. As noted by even some Democrats in the chamber, the bill would be the first crime proposal to base a defendant’s sentence not on their own actions but that of someone else (a minor) who got ahold of a firearm.

Anti-gun Dems gag opposing voices in committee as they launch new gun grabs

Dems join Keller to preview their extreme anti-gun bills for 2023 legislature Read More »

Toulouse Oliver threatens counties that won’t certify election results

19 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

On Tuesday, Democrat Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver sent out a threatening statement to county officials, demanding they certify election results no matter what or else they “will be met with swift legal action.”

The email reads, “The Secretary of State’s office has previously advised new Mexico’s county commissions about their legal duties regarding election certification and a copy of that guidance is included here.”

“New Mexico voters deserve to have their voices heard in full and any attempt to silence those voters through manipulation of the election certification process will be met with swift legal action,” it continues.

During the Otero County Commission meeting on certification, the board felt compelled to certify the election results, despite concerns of an “overall nationwide” problem of election integrity, according to the Commission’s Chair Vickie Marquardt.

During the presentation by Otero County Clerk Robyn Holmes, her staff said they do not know the technical workings of election machines and updating Dominion software. One staffer called it “mumbo jumbo,” adding they are not tech-savvy and that sort of thing “means absolutely nothing to us.”

Marquardt said, “We have been put in an impossible situation” regarding certification since the last time the Commission rejected the certification of the June 7, 2022, primary election, the Secretary of State’s office send a writ of mandamus compelling the Commission to certify or be removed. She also threatened a criminal referral to the New Mexico Attorney General’s office.

She added that “the state had pretty much taken the rights of the commission and authority of the commission away. We’re basically like notaries.” Counties have ten days following an election to certify election results.

The Otero County Commission ended up voting unanimously 3-0 to approve the certification of the Otero County election.

There were reports of election workers being instructed to track voters who used blue pens to fill in their ballots, and those names would be referred to the district attorney — which is a violation of New Mexicans’ civil rights and constituting voter intimidation.

Read more about apparent abnormalities in the 2022 General Election in New Mexico here.

Data analysis appears to show abnormalities in NM election results

Toulouse Oliver threatens counties that won’t certify election results Read More »

Pete Buttigieg to visit NM, Navajo Nation

8 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By John Block

According to reporting from the Albuquerque Journal, Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will be visiting the Duke City and the Navajo and Hopi nations this week to discuss infrastructure.

“He is set to travel to New Mexico and Arizona on Wednesday and Thursday, but more details haven’t been released,” the Journal wrote.

This is not the first time Buttigieg has visited New Mexico, nor is it his tie to the Land of Enchantment.

The Journal noted, “The former Democratic presidential candidate has some family ties to New Mexico. Both of his parents taught at New Mexico State University, where they met before moving to South Bend, Indiana.”

In 2019, Buttigieg visited Santa Fe to attend a brunch at two oil tycoons’ house despite being a backer of the Green New Deal, which will move the industry into extinction. As we previously reported:

Buttigieg attended a brunch hosted by “Gay Santa Fe,” for high-dollar donors of 1,500 or $2,800 per person. The invite did not show much confidence in Buttigieg’s ability to win the presidency, with organizer Mark Banham writing “Regardless of whom you may support during this Presidential primary season, Pete Buttigieg has proven to be an intelligent and compelling voice on the national stage. He will no doubt be an important part of the progressive leadership of our country for decades to come.”
The event was described as “an intimate brunch at the home of Mickey and Jeanne Klein.” The Klein’s multi-million dollar glass mansion was designed by Ohlhausen DuBois Architects and is featured on the firm’s website.
Ironically, Mickey and Jeanne Klein have made their millions off of “oil and gas exploration and production,” although Buttigieg is in favor of the “Green New Deal,” which would totally wipe out the oil & gas industry, murder cows, and force reconstruction of nearly every structure. If Buttigieg was truly all for the wacky environmental policy, then he would not be brunching with oil tycoons at their Santa Fe mansion. But, this is politics, meaning it’s easy for the Mayor to say one thing, and do another with the blink of an eye.
The Kleins have given money to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, the max contributions to Mark Kelly’s Arizona Senate campaign, Bernie Sanders’ campaign, and Sen. Tom Udall, to name a few.

Buttigieg was apparently also roommates at Oxford University with Jeremy Farris, the executive director of the New Mexico State Ethics Commission. More information will be published when it is available about his trip.

Buttigieg has made many extreme statements, including telling hurting Americans who can’t afford gas to just buy an electric car:

Pete Buttigieg wants people to simply buy an electric car so they don't have to worry about rising gas prices. pic.twitter.com/VBcIfRotvE
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 7, 2022

Pete Buttigieg to visit NM, Navajo Nation Read More »

Data analysis appears to show abnormalities in NM election results

67 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Piñon Post

According to data analysis done by data researchers Jeff O’Donnell and Draza Smith, there appear to be many abnormal occurrences in the 2022 midterm elections in New Mexico.

Data published by O’Donnell and Smith shows the first ballot dump in New Mexico’s governor’s race gave incumbent Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham 80.3 percent (42,922 ballots), while Republican Mark Ronchetti only got 19.5 percent (10,538 ballots), which is apparently statistically impossible.

It is unclear where these first ballots flooded in from, but even in the state’s most far-left county, Santa Fe County, there were only 69,449 ballots cast, meaning the first dump would have been over 61.8 percent of the county’s total votes cast — an unlikely scenario. The county’s final results were 75.3 percent for Grisham to 23.4 percent for Ronchetti.

Another dump later left the total number of ballots for Lujan Grisham at 184,382 votes to Ronchetti’s 58,329 votes, leaving him with only 24 percent of the vote to Lujan Grisham’s 76 percent margin. This disparity is not normal, especially since only Santa Fe County had anywhere near a similar percentage of ballots cast, while its population could not have mathematically given such a margin to the Democrat governor.

This same pattern appears to algorithmically go up at nearly the same percentage for Lujan Grisham throughout the night, giving the Democrat an extreme advantage in the number of ballots tabulated from the start. No such ballot increase for Ronchetti appears to have happened throughout the night despite many Republican-heavy counties overwhelmingly rejecting Lujan Grish, such as Chaves County, where Lujan Grisham only got 24.9 percent of the vote to Ronchetti’s 72.8 percent.

This same pattern could be found in the secretary of state election, where Democrat incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who oversaw her own election, started out with 68.2 percent (49,794 ballots) of the vote to Republican Audrey Trujillo’s 31.8 percent (23,185 ballots).

There was also a discrepancy of around 7,000 votes between the gubernatorial race and the secretary of state race, which also creates new questions about what happened with these ballot dumps and where did these ballots come from.

A later ballot dump in that race had Toulouse Oliver with 67.1 percent of the vote to Trujillo’s 38.2 percent, another statistical abnormality. It is also unlikely these came from such a heavily Democrat district as Santa Fe due to the margin and vote numbers. It showed Toulouse Oliver with 191,360 ballots to Trujillo’s 60,689.

Similar apparent algorithmic disparities happened in the state attorney general race, with Democrat Raúl Torrez garnering 67.3 percent (49,917 ballots) of the initial ballot dump, while Republican Jeremy Gay got 32.7 percent (24,284 ballots). Later ballot dumps followed the same pattern in both the secretary of state and governor’s races.

Another key piece of evidence also shows that the initial ballot dump happened statewide and was not isolated in extremely Democrat-dominated places is the results from the Second Congressional District, which does not encompass Santa Fe.

Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who was projected at the end of the night to lose by around 1,000 votes, initially started out with only 20.7 percent (1,321 votes) of the first round of ballots to her Democrat opponent Gabe Vasquez’s 79.3 percent (5,071 votes).

A similar pattern carried over to the First and Second Congressional Districts. However, it appeared the algorithm was flipped in the First District, where Democrat Melanie Stansbury started off with far fewer votes counted, with it later correcting to show Stansbury with a 62.3 percent lead to her Republican opponent Michelle Garcia Holmes, who had 37.7 percent.

In the Third Congressional District, the initial margins were even more extreme, with Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez getting an initial 84.9 percent of the vote (37,622 ballots) to Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson’s 15.1 percent (6,671 ballots).

It is unclear what justification the secretary of state or other elections officials have for these statistical abnormalities, but they appear to indicate possible tampering with New Mexico’s electoral system.

See the full data analysis by O’Donnell and Smith here.

Data analysis appears to show abnormalities in NM election results Read More »

NM House Dems nominate far-left racist Javier Martínez for speaker

12 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By Renato Costa

On Saturday, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the New Mexico House Democrats, including those newly elected on November 8, voted to select far-left Majority Leader Javier Martínez as their pick to be the next House speaker.

Martínez is an unashamed racist agaisnt white people. He said in 2021, “one cannot be racist against White people.”

He is known for his harsh criticism of Republican policies, and his support for far-left policies, such as abortion up-to-birth, the anti-police agenda, the “Green New Deal,” and higher taxes. Martinez also supports disrespecting the American flag by kneeling for the National Anthem.

Martinez has in the past supported radical bills promoting illegal immigration, including one bill to put illegal alien teachers in New Mexico schools.

The Democrat also has admitted that Democrat “racist” policies in New Mexico, with leftists holding power for over 90 years, have led to failures in child proficiency in schools.

After receiving the Democrats’ nomination, he praised the retiring current Speaker Brian Egolf, another far-leftist, saying under his rulership, the state has “passed some of the most transformative legislation in state history, including key investments in education, infrastructure, public safety, our environment, and more.”

First-term Representative-elect Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe), who was hand-picked by Egolf, was nominated as the Democrats’ new majority whip.

Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo) was chosen to succeed Martínez as floor leader, another establishment choice from Democrat-dominated Albuquerque. Rep. Raymundo “Ray” Lara (D-Doña Ana) was picked to be the Democrats’ new caucus chair.

The new picks from the Democrats demonstrate a hard-left turn, in the same vein as Egolf, who no doubt is content with the extreme left-wing leadership in the House.