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Ben Ray: if Torres Small is not re-elected, ‘it could jeopardize many of our races here in New Mexico’

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a campaign call for Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s U.S. Senate race titled “When We Vote, We Win! A Women for Ben Roundtable,” joined by Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, many topics were covered. The call was attended by many Democrat Party insiders, including State Auditor Brian Colón, former Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, former Secretary of State Clara Padilla Andrews, multiple state representatives, candidates, and Democrat party officials. 

While speaking about Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, Luján made a point to speak of her race being rated “the most competitive race in the U.S. House of Representatives,” going on to say that if Torres Small is not re-elected, it could affect his race, as well as that of other Democrats in the state. Luján claimed, “it could jeopardize many of our races here in New Mexico.” Torres Small is running against former New Mexico state Representative Yvette Herrell, who was declared the winner of the 2nd Congressional Race on election night 2018, however, absentee ballots came in swinging the election in Torres Small’s favor.

Torres Small said in the call that she has a “robust team of field organizers” who are working in the district to register voters, and ready to target people in “high-traffic areas.” She noted that her campaign had made 5,000 calls last week to voters. 

Pamelya Herndon, the president of the New Mexico Democrat Party Black Caucus was also on the call, instructing people on the call that they should visit elderly people and drop off their ballots at polling locations, saying the law allows people to deliver “at least one absentee ballot to a polling location” from a person who is not themselves.

She said, “Go by and talk to your senior citizens. See if those ballots have been put in the mail, and if not, pick it up and take it to a polling location… you can take at least one absentee ballot for a member of your family to a polling location. We want every ballot counted, Congressman [Ben Ray Luján] because we want to see that you and Xochitl Torres Small and everybody on that ballot for the Democratic Party gets elected.”

When asked by a state senate candidate about the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Luján touted his high ratings from pro-abortion groups, saying, “I have an ‘A’ rating form planned Parenthood, a 100% scorecard from Planned Parenthood and NARAL.” He also said, “The clear answer is to only support candidates for the Supreme Court who will support reproductive health care,” meaning abortion. 

Luján plugged Joe Biden’s campaign, bemoaning the fact that Donald Trump was elected in the 2016, saying, “Four years ago, we saw positive polling. I was all but certain that Donald Trump would not be president of the united states,” but that was not the case. 

The rest of the call devolved into short speeches from the panelists trying to fire up the Democrat base, and squeak out a win for Democrats in the November election. 

New Yvette Herrell ad: ‘I’ll work across the lines that divide us’

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Friday, candidate for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, Yvette Herrell, rolled out her first television ad of the 2020 General Election cycle.

The ad shows Herrell in front of familiar places in the Second District, including in front of rural oil fields in southeast New Mexico, chile fields, the Sacramento Mountains located in Otero County, as well as other places. 

Herrell says, “From chile fields to oil fields, farms, to your front yards, I’ve heard you. New Mexico is done with D.C. division. I’m Yvette Herrell. In Congress, I’ll work across the lines that divide us to safely reopen our economy, and I’ll promote innovation in health care to drive down costs and keep our families safe.” The ad ends with the friendly message, “No matter where you live, work, or play, I’ll stand with you.” 

The ad comes out shortly after former Democrat Congressman Harry Teague endorsed Herrell for her race, a huge showing of bipartisanship for her run against incumbent Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small.

Torres Small has attempted to portray herself as a moderate in the race, although she has voted with Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California over 95%, and “Squad” member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about 90% of the time. 

Torres Small voted to impeach President Trump, who won the Second District by 10 points in 2016. She also refused to sign onto a proposal protecting infant abortion survivors who are born alive after a failed abortion attempt by giving them basic medical care, as well as far-left proposals such as universal background check legislation and anti-First Amendment bills.

SF jewelry shop posts pic of MLG with ‘new’ bling — quickly deletes, claiming photo was from 2019

11 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, Tom Taylor Belts, Buckles, Bags shared a photo on Facebook of a maskless Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham at their Santa Fe Plaza store showing off her expensive Zia pendant.

The caption of the photo read, “New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in our Santa Fe store showing off her new B G Mudd Zia pendant.”

According to the retailer’s website, the pendant costs $425. Other items from the downtown boutique range from the hundreds and well into the thousands for artisanal pieces.

Multiple commenters on the post pointed out that the Governor was not wearing a mask, which goes in stark opposition to her massive “Mask Up” and “Protect New Mexico” campaigns urging citizens to wear masks in public.

Lujan Grisham may or may not have been social distancing (6 feet apart) while having her photo taken in the jewelry shop. It is unclear what the jewelry shop’s capacity is, however, Lujan Grisham’s orders allow only for 25% maximum occupancy in any retail setting.

This is not the first time Lujan Grisham has defied her own public health orders, previously buying expensive jewelry from Lilly Barrack in Albuquerque, having the store (which was at the time closed as a non-essential business), reopen just for her so she could make a purchase. 

National figures previously blasted her for the hypocrisy, including leading network television host Laura Ingraham, who described Lujan Grisham as a “fraud,” and ridiculed her “rules for thee but not for me.”

Thousands of New Mexico businesses, including restaurants and hotels, are hurting due to the Governor’s strict regulations, which include a mandatory 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors and no indoor dining allowed at restaurants. The restrictions have prompted the cancellation of hundreds of out-of-state reservations at hotels, and over 210 New Mexico restaurants to go into permanent closure. This week, the Governor won a lawsuit in front of the New Mexico Supreme Court allowing her to fine businesses $5,000 for bucking her orders, with one hotel, Trinity Hotel and Restaurant, racking up fines upwards of $100,000.

Lujan Grisham buying expensive jewelry while small businesses and working families suffer may not be the wisest choice.

UPDATE: The jewelry shop updated the post, claiming the photograph was taken in March of 2019, however, they did not explain why the caption said the Governor’s pendant was “new.” Later, the jewelry shop deleted the post altogether.

Similar jewelry to what was allegedly sold to the Governor can be seen in the below August 13 post from the Governor’s Twitter account. However, it cannot be immediately confirmed if this is the same jewelry allegedly sold to the Governor in March of 2019. If the jewelry was indeed purchased in March, it raises multiple questions including why was the photo just posted now, and why did the Facebook post indicate the jewelry was “new” if it was bought well over a year ago.

MLG to headline virtual PA roundtable on Biden’s Latino agenda

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Once again, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will be campaigning hard for Joe Biden as she vies for either the vice presidency or a cabinet position in his administration if he were to win in November. This time, Lujan Grisham will be plugging Joe Biden’s Latino agenda at a virtual roundtable in Pennsylvania (nearly 2,000 miles away from New Mexico), which will also be attended by Pennsylvania “leaders and advocates.”

“Biden’s comprehensive plan outlines the steps he would take as president to level the playing field for Latino families and ensure Latino communities in Pennsylvania are able to thrive,” says the link on the event page. Biden released his Latino agenda on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump’s campaign chided the hollow proposal, writing in a release, ““Joe Biden has made false promises to America’s Latinos for decades. His pro-China, anti-worker, globalist policies shipped our jobs overseas,” said Ali Pardo, Deputy Director of Communications for Trump’s campaign. “His support for illegal immigration depressed American workers’ wages, making it harder for everyone, including legal immigrants, to achieve the American Dream.” 

“Many Latinos support President Trump because they understand that his policies actually help families like theirs,” Pardo continued. “The President doesn’t make empty promises – he supercharged America’s economy once, and he will do it again.”

On Thursday, a video was released of Biden praising the Latino community while bashing the Black community as not having a diversity of thought. 

According to a Pennsylvania poll, “49% of Latino voters in Pennsylvania said that selecting Lujan Grisham as the running mate would make them ‘much more likely’ or ‘somewhat more likely’ to vote for Biden against President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, while 17% said that choosing the New Mexico governor would make them ‘much less likely’ or ‘somewhat less likely’ to vote for Biden, and 34% saying that it would have no impact on their vote for Biden.”

Out of the thirteen women in the running, Lujan Grisham is the only Latina in contention for Joe Biden’s vice presidential running mate. The virtual event will take place on Friday at 4:00 P.M. EDT or 2:00 MDT.

Lujan does not appear to have any overt ties to the state of Pennsylvania other than her Public Education Department cabinet secretary being from Philadelphia, and currently working in the state of Pennsylvania virtually during COVID-19. 

Joe Biden previously endorsed Lujan Grisham for her 2018 gubernatorial race.

MLG promised New Mexico would be ‘open for business’ in 2018 campaign ad — she lied

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

During the 2018 campaign for governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham made a lot of promises to the people of New Mexico, and some of those promises are coming back to bite her regarding her response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an August 2018 campaign ad, Lujan Grisham vowed to “promote small businesses and entrepreneurs,” and said “When I’m governor, we’ll be open for business.” 

Lujan Grisham repeated this line in her campaign policy proposals, writing, “we will let industry leaders know that New Mexico is open for business.”

But with the state shut down, 14-day mandatory quarantine for anyone traveling out-of-state, and hundreds of small businesses closing for good, New Mexico does not look anything like the utopia Lujan Grisham promised. New Mexico not only is not “open for business,” it is bleeding for cash, as seen during the 2020 special session, where the Governor’s unsustainable budget was cut due to her irresponsible lack of fiscal responsibility. New Mexico’s largest tourism event, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, is also cancelled, as well as countless revenue-generating events and opportunities.

Lujan Grisham also fined small businesses, which she supposedly supports according to her campaign ad, with up to $60,000 fines for non-compliance with her strict health orders, in stark opposition to her previous claims of support for such businesses.

Now, New Mexico, the most dependent state on federal dollars, could be being intentionally closed — not because of COVID-19, but because of the huge federal aide being offered for each COVID-19 patient. According to a study from Kaiser Health News, New Mexico is receiving $171,000 per coronavirus patient, which may be a reason Lujan Grisham is locking down the state — a stark violation of her campaign promise. New Mexico remains closed for business thanks to Gov. Lujan Grisham.

Luján uses his late father’s cancer battle to promote his U.S. Senate run

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Opinion, Politics / By

On Tuesday, Democrat Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) revealed a new ad using the narrative of his late father’s cancer battle to promote his U.S. Senate run.

Lujan, who is a supporter of the socialist “Medicare for All” proposal backed by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, used his father, who was an ironworker, to promote his health care plans.

“When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, mom and dad were fortunate to have insurance and good care for him during those trying days for our family,” Luján said in the ad. “That’s why I’ve worked in Congress to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare, and why I’ll bring that fight to the Senate to ensure every New Mexican can receive the affordable medical care they need.”

“I’m Ben Ray Luján. Mom and Dad were lucky to have insurance. To many, a cancer diagnosis means bankruptcy or losing your home,” the ad says.

According to Congress.gov., Luján has not passed a single bill with his name on it into law despite over 11 years serving in the House of Representatives. Now, it appears he is using the image of his well-known late father to boost his image on television commercials for his U.S. Senate run. 

Luján’s father served as the Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 2002 to 2012. Ben Ray Luján is running against Republican longtime television weatherman Mark Ronchetti for the U.S. Senate seat.

NM Supreme Court once again sides with MLG, allows her to fine businesses $5k

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the far-left New Mexico Supreme Court once again sided against the will of small businesses and restaurants and in favor of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s harsh sanctions on businesses violating her public health orders. The Court ruled that the Governor is allowed to issue costly $5,000 fines to businesses  

The businesses suing, which included some restaurants argued that the $5,000 fines don’t apply to them and that “Public Health Response Act allows for those pricey civil penalties to be issued against hospitals and other healthcare facilities but not for them.” They also argued that the State of New Mexico should owe them compensation for the time they are shut down.

Lujan Grisham has so far fined 16 businesses with $5,000 sanctions. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham’s attorney from her office, Matthew Garcia, argued that “The only tool we have currently to stem transmission of COVID-19 is social distancing, and so we need compliance, we need immediate compliance we can’t say ‘well hopefully you’ll comply eight months down the road’ we need compliance now.” 

The Supreme Court sided with Lujan Grisham on the case, arguing that the New Mexico Legislature meant for $5,000 fines to apply to all businesses and that the State is not liable for compensating businesses while the State has shut them down.

Lujan Grisham responded on Twitter to the Court’s decision, writing, “The state shouldn’t have to fine anybody. Doing the right thing in a crisis shouldn’t be something we have to argue about. But anyone endangering the lives of New Mexicans will face the consequences. My thanks to everyone doing their part every day.”

Dem former Congressman Harry Teague endorses GOP’s Yvette Herrell over fellow Dem Torres Small

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, in a crippling blow to Democrat Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, former Rep. Harry Teague (D-NM), who used to represent the 2nd District, endorsed Republican challenger and former state Rep. Yvette Herrell for the race.

“Ultimately, it is time to vote for candidates that will protect and lead New Mexico no matter what their party tells them to do,” Teague said in a statement. “We must vote for candidates that have the interests of New Mexicans first, who will stand up to their party and put their personal ambitions aside for the best interests of New Mexico.”

“New Mexico must have a Congresswoman represent the 2nd Congressional district that knows and appreciates the impact the energy industry has on all New Mexicans,” Teague added.

Teague represented the District from 2009 to 2011, the only Democrat to do so in nearly 30 years. 

Herrell commented on the influential endorsement, saying, “It’s a true honor to have Congressman Teague’s support – I am dedicated to bridging the gaps that divide us!” 

Richard Grenell calls out MLG for being a political hack

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, former acting National Intelligence Director and Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell roasted New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Twitter for her prohibition on in-person campaigning, while applauding Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters and rioters.

Lujan Grisham in her press conference commented on in-person campaigning, saying, “don’t want it, don’t need it. It’s problematic. We are not going to use COVID or anything else to prevent a peaceful protest. But we are not going to allow them to be excuses for political organizing for the sake of a political party or individual getting ready for the election.” 

Grenell characterized Lujan Grisham’s comment as hyper-partisan, writing on Twitter, “They aren’t trying to hide their politicization anymore.” 

https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1290360763710713856?s=20

Ben Ray distances himself from MLG, denies that they are related

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Friday, after U.S. Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti blasted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and her cousin, Ben Ray Luján for their actions banning in-person campaigning, Ben Ray distances himself from Lujan Grisham, claiming they two are not related.

Luján tweeted, “While I respect my friend, our governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, we’re not cousins. This may come as a surprise to you, but not all Hispanic people with the same last name are related.”

It appears Luján was trying to claim Ronchetti thinks every Hispanic with the last name “Luján” is related for linking the two together. Lujan Grisham also commented from her personal account, writing, “c’mon. do better.”

However, far-left reports claim Luján and Lujan Grisham are related, and Ronchetti hit back at Luján for correcting him but not correcting leftist members of the mainstream media.

Ronchetti wrote, “Do better? Then why didn’t you correct the AP and Washington Post, and multiple NM stories stating same?”

Ben Ray Luján’s move could be him trying to distance himself from Luján Grisham after her unpopular leadership during COVID-19 appears to be tanking, from 64% approval of her response in April, to a 53% approval rating now.

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