Opinion

New Mexico is not immune from voting irregularities

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That billboard on Valley Drive, “Our Democratic Party was Hijacked,” raised some questions:  Why doesn’t New Mexico, Las Cruces, or Doña Ana County, in particular, seem as liberal as its elected officials would suggest?  Why was the “Respect New Mexico” effort born?

The answers may lie in an informative study performed by a 501c3, nonpartisan, charitable organization called the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF).  The study can be found at 

Down the Hatch: How Left-Wing Election Reforms Can Be Forced on Unsuspecting Communities

In short, the study talks about a “symbiotic relationship between [Doña Ana] County elections office and select third-party groups [which] was not an organic development.”  Not organic, to wit: it did not happen naturally.  It required an effort to develop.  

This effort, which the reader infers was coordinated, demonstrates a “friendly takeover of an election office” by outside organizations.  Through New Mexico’s open records statutes, PILF obtained, not without objection and denial, more than 500 emails between local election officials and third-party groups, which show a blurring of the lines between the County and left-wing activists.  

Under the auspices of wanting to increase voter activity, the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office (DAC) established a citizen Election Advisory Council (EAC).  This EAC was purported to be non-partisan. Whether or not it ever was is irrelevant because of what it became.  It was never designed to have the involvement of paid Republican or Democrat party staffers.  As a result, it eventually, ultimately, and quickly became only the community organizers who stuck around.  What transpired was university staffers and activist groups’ engagement who oversaw a shift in power from election officials to outside ideologues.  “Of the more than 500 disclosed email and calendar files, Common Cause New Mexico and Organize NM/NM CAFé show an outsized presence in County documents”.  These groups, in these emails, regularly discussed voter registration procedures and training.  

None of this is necessarily illegal, but it is clear that very few emails were discovered between DAC and any conservative organizers.  As the reader weighs the evidence of what follows, it becomes charitably naive to assume that this was never the goal. Eventually, the County election staff asked NM CAFé to help facilitate and find locations for listening sessions.  This report discloses emails during the NM CAFé organized minimum wage campaign, which suggests collusion between DAC and CAFé, allowing the organizers to establish, on an official basis, beneficial language and dates for the special election.  Parenthetically, many of those involved on the part of NM CAFé have since become elected officials, most notably LC City Council member Johana Bencomo.  Is it not a conflict of interest to have future Democrat elected officials very much in bed with county election officers?  In some cases, literally so?

According to emails obtained, in 2015, CAFé Communications Manager Rose Ann Vasquez emailed former County Clerk Scott Krahling asking about re-registering voters who had been removed from the voter rolls.  Motivations for the inquiry aside, months later, she was hired by Krahling.  Vasquez eventually received promotions to Head of Communications for the county and Chief Deputy Clerk.  Right before Krahling resigned in 2018, she admitted to an “intimate relationship” with Krahling.  To the observer, the relationship between DAC and the left-wing appears to be an incestuous, bacchanalian cabal.  Is it not a valid question to ask if Krahling, in charge of elections, had at least his thumb on the scale?

Again quoting “The close circle of County officials and third-party activists created its own culture of all being on the same team…Lobbyists received help in securing Airbnb lodgings personally connected to County officials…It naturally led to a personnel revolving door between outside groups and the County office where third-party activists shopped resumes for elections office jobs.”  Free and fair elections?

For all but the most partisan left-winger, this is certain to cause concern.  When the same Public Interest report uncovers that the NM voter rolls include the potential of 1681 deceased registrants, 1519 registered at over 100 years of age, 1584 duplicate registrations at the same address, 55 duplicated registrations voting across state lines, 30 duplicated registrations across county lines, and 188 registrants claiming potential commercial addresses for voting, how many are gullible enough to assume that this benefits Republican candidates?  For locals, recalling the 2016 election evokes the words “ballot harvesting” and the late-night counts and multiple recounts which, now questionably, pushed Xochitl Torres-Small across the finish line.  Are voters really supposed to pretend that none of that, occurring in a clearly compromised Dona Ana county, takes place in a different light now?  Are New Mexicans not supposed to be leery of “mail-in voting”? 

Leftists don’t trust the electorate to make the right choices.  Leftists don’t respect New Mexicans.  Leftists don’t respect New Mexico.

Violent leftists continue savagery as they deface GOP signs, campaign offices across the state

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Over the past few weeks, as tensions have risen due to the imminent November 3rd election, leftists have begun their perennial election year savagery, attacking, stealing, and defacing Republican political signs and campaign offices across the state. 

As Piñon Post reported earlier in September, Republicans have faced an onslaught of destructive behavior toward their political signs this election cycle, more so than in previous years, as the GOP looks to re-elect President Donald J. Trump, elect a Republican delegation to the state’s three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one to an open U.S. Senate seat, and flip the state Legislature back to Republican hands.

The Republican Party of New Mexico issued a press release condemning the recent wave of violence toward their political signs and offices, with Chairman Steve Pearce writing, “All of these crimes are acts of hate, a message has that no place in our society at any time. Earlier this year vandals defaced our Albuquerque Headquarters, but the DA failed to prosecute the suspect. This kind of criminal behavior must stop and these vandals must be punished.” 

The acts of vandalism include Trump/Pence signs tagged with swastikas and the word “Biden,” referring to the Democrat nominee for President, and the phrase “Black Lives Matter,” referring to the violent leftist political movement which has unofficially partnered with Antifa and other left-wing groups to cause havoc in American cities and burn down neighborhoods in the name of “social justice.” One sign had the acronym “A.C.A.B” scribbled on it, presumably meaning “All Cops Are Bastards,” according to the release.

At Juan Tabo and Montgomery Boulevard in Albuquerque, a man took a machete to a Trump/Pence sign, violently chopping at the sign. At the northeast corner of Academy and Eubank, a large sign was stolen. The video has since garnered over 140,000 views on one Twitter post sharing the video.

As reported on earlier, other campaigns have faced the wrath of these intolerant leftists, but possibly none more than state House of Representatives candidate Isabella Solis, who has posted repeatedly about her signs being defaced with hateful messages such as “F*ck Trump” or the signs being ripped into shreds. Solis is running against far-left Rep. Joanne Ferrary, a militant pro-abortion advocate. 

Solis wrote in a Facebook post, “Our political process is rooted in our freedom to choose. Please don’t limit anyone’s expression of choice or the freedom of speech we all enjoy. This should not be what the community is about. We are running based on integrity and the change that Dona Ana County needs and we will not be deterred. Destroying these signs is a felony.” 

In one post from the Republican Party of San Juan County, they showed similar vandalism in their area, with Trump/Pence signs tagged and other Republican signs vandalized. In one rare act of vandalism on a Democrat sign, the vandal appears to have mistaken Democrat Ben Ray Luján’s sign as a Republican sign and written “F*ck Trump” on it. 

This is unfortunately not likely the last Piñon Post article on the Democrat intolerance toward opposing political campaigns before the election, however, it may be an indication that leftists are scared for a November loss and are trying to tank GOP campaigns up and down the ticket, by hook or by crook. 

Could a ‘predatory’ bill like CA’s SB-145 reducing penalties for sodomizing minors ever come to NM?

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On Friday, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, an acquaintance of New Mexico’s Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, signed a bill, S.B. 145 lowering penalties for offenders having oral or anal sex with a minor, giving California’s judges to have a say

According to The Hill, “The law previously in place in the state allowed judges to decide whether a man should be placed on California’s sex offender registry if he had voluntary vaginal intercourse with someone 14 to 17 years old and was no more than 10 years older than the person. The bill expands that same discretion in regard to voluntary oral or anal sex. 

The measure won’t apply when a minor is under 14, when the age gap is larger than 10 years or when either party says the sex wasn’t consensual, the AP noted.” 

However, the bill’s official Senate analysis is more clear: 

Exempts a person convicted of non-forcible sodomy with a minor, oral copulation with a minor, or sexual penetration with a minor, as specified, from having to automatically register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registry Act if the person was not more than 10 years older than the minor at the time of the offense, and the conviction is the only one requiring the person to register. 2) Specifies that a person convicted of one of those specified offenses may still be ordered to register in the discretion of the court, if the court finds at the time of conviction or sentencing that the person committed the offense as a result of sexual compulsion or for purposes of sexual gratification

The bill’s analysis also notes an argument going against the bill would be as follows: 

“SB 145 exempts persons convicted of non-forcible voluntary sodomy with a minor, oral copulation with a minor or sexual penetration with a minor from having to automatically register as a sex offender if the person wasn’t more than 10 years older than the minor at the time of the offense. According to the Child Advocacy Center, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Additionally, approximately 20% of victims of sexual abuse are under the age of eight. This is absolutely unacceptable; as Californians, and law enforcement partners who are on the front lines called to sexual assault and domestic violence cases, laws like SB 145 will only enable pedophiles to prey on children closer to their age.”

California Democrat Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales said, “I cannot in my mind as a mother understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual, how it could ever not be a registrable offense. We should never give up on this idea that children should be in no way subject to a predator.” 

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R) also tweeted after Newsom signed the bill into law, “As a parent I’m appalled that last night our governor signed a law maintaining a 24-year-old can have sex with a 14-year-old and it not be considered predatory.”

“An adult who commits ANY sex act on a minor 10 years younger must be registered a sex offender,” he added. “Law must be changed.”

So, the question remains for people in other states, including New Mexico: could such a bill, which loosens criminal penalties for pedophiles, be passed in my state? 

According to NOLO, the laws governing statutory rape in New Mexico are as follows:

In New Mexico, it is illegal for an adult (someone 18 or older) to have sex with a minor (someone younger than 16), even if the sex is consensual. Those who break the law have committed statutory rape, even if the child agrees to or initiates the activity….

First degree criminal sexual penetration includes oral, anal, or genital sexual intercourse or penetration (however slight, with an object or body part) with a minor who is younger than 13 years old. The offense is a first degree felony, punishable by up to 18 years in prison, a fine of $15,000, or both. (N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-9-11, 31-18-15 (2018).)

Fourth degree criminal sexual penetration includes sexual penetration with a child who is 13, 14, or 15, when the defendant is at least 18 years old and at least four years older than the victim. The crime is a fourth degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison, a fine of as much as $5,000, or both. (N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-9-11, 31-18-15 (2018).)

Criminal sexual contact with a minor includes sexual touching between a minor who is younger than 13 and a defendant of any age. Criminal sexual contact with a minor is either a second or third degree felony, depending on the type of touching involved. Penalties for second degree criminal sexual contact include at least three years (and up to 15 years) in prison, a fine of up to $12,500, or both. Third degree criminal sexual contact is punishable by up to six years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. (N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 30-9-13, 31-18-15 (2018).)

Although New Mexico’s laws currently appear to protect children, the late notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who owned “Zorro Ranch” in Santa Fe County, never was on the state’s sex offender registry despite a guilty plea in Florida a decade ago. Despite one Democrat Rep. calling for action to ensure there are no loopholes for sex offenders in the future, no measure has passed yet. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham nor any Democrat elected leader has publicly commented on California’s new bill.

The increasing leftward shift in New Mexico, especially with this past primary election, where moderate Democrat members of the House and Senate were ousted by more “progressive” opponents, this could mean more policies like those of California’s Newsom could come to the state if Democrats win in November.

Although no members have spoken of proposing such extreme measures as California’s S.B. 145, a strong conservative majority of pro-family representatives in either chamber of the New Mexico Legislature can stand as a bulwark against any measure putting the state’s children at risk. 

Anti-Hispanic hate group triggered after poll shows 53% oppose removing Oñate statues in NM

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On Monday, the Albuquerque Journal released results of a poll it did through local pollster Brian Sanderoff’s firm, Research & Polling Inc., asking whether New Mexicans agreed or disagreed with the removal of Don Juan de Oñate statues. 

“While 53% of those queried said they oppose renaming public buildings or removing statues of Oñate, 27% said they support doing so. The remaining 20% were evenly split between “mixed feelings/depends” and “undecided/didn’t know/wouldn’t say,” reports the Journal.

All categories polled, based on gender, age, and political party, age, and education level all had a majority opposing the measure to tear down Oñate monuments.

“Among Hispanics, 28% supported removing statues while 54% opposed it. Anglos expressed similar opposition: 24% supported their removal and 53% opposed it. Sanderoff said Native Americans were polled, but because they make up such a small percentage of likely voters – 4% – the group was too small to report on statistically,”  the Journal explained.

The Journal interviewed far-left “The Red Nation” chair Elena Ortiz, who tried to brush off the results, which her group, closely tied to domestic terrorism, disagreed with. “Human beings, human societies evolve and begin to change and really strive to make communities safe welcoming inclusive places. … We’re not trying to erase history; we’re trying to contextualize it, and we’re trying to reframe the narrative,” she said. 

The poll comes in the wake of Oñate statues being ripped down across the state, from one longtime standing statue in Alcalde to the La Jornada sculpture garden on the Albuquerque Museum grounds. Violent “The Red Nation” agitators have weaponized the issue to attempt to take down historical landmarks and even defaced statues. Some of the targets include the obelisk sitting in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, a bronze statue of Don Diego de Vargas in Santa Fe’s Cathedral Park, a statue of Catholic Priest Fray Angélico Chávez, and other such statues. 

In July, The Red Nation hate group held an anti-Semitic, Hezbollah-tied rally in Albuquerque, where they held vulgar signs and hated on the people of Israel, screaming at onlookers “F**k you” while they held Palestinian flags. 

The Red Nation hate group wrote in a racist, now-deleted blog post, “the ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Spanish American’ racial identity was a fiction created to make New Mexico appear ‘white enough’ to join the U.S. since both identities privileged a European or Spanish heritage even if the population was mixed or descended from detribalized peoples. New Mexico’s statehood was delayed until 1912 because white Anglos felt the territory did not possess a white majority, so a new ‘race’ of whites had to be created.”

It is clear why the majority of New Mexicans do not support canceling Spanish history and culture, and that is because the opposition to erasing the rich Hispanic culture in New Mexico is closely tied to bigotry and erasing Spanish heritage. 

Sign the petition to bring the Don Juan de Oñate statue back to its rightful place in Alcalde.

WATCH: The truth about Xochitl Torres Small

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Our editor, John Block, reveals the radicalism of Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in this short, 4 ½ minute video, that will open your eyes. All sources for the content referenced in the video can be found in this report.

During this video, we go over everything from Xochitl Torres Small’s abortion stance, anti-gun stance, positions on the Green New Deal, illegal immigration, and so much more:

A ‘WalkAway’ Democrat’s guide to the 2020 New Mexico elections

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2020 is a turning point for New Mexico families. We have two choices: continue “business as usual” voting for the same out-of-touch Democrat politicians who have neglected New Mexico while focusing on their careers, such as current Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03), or we vote our values and elect true conservative champions. For far too long, the politicians in New Mexico have forgotten who they work for and instead focused only on their own careers and political ambitions. 2020 is the year that we, the voters, must unite and Drain the Santa Fe Swamp by firing the career politicians who have neglected New Mexico families.

I come from a generational Democrat family. I always voted Democrat because that’s what my family did. Although I didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016, I listened to his inauguration speech in January 2017 and what he was saying resonated with me, especially “America First.” I have grown to respect and appreciate our great president Donald Trump because he is a businessman, and he went to Washington D.C. to “drain the swamp” of the career politicians. He has done great so far, and delivered for American families. 

Recently, Trump targeted Albuquerque for “Operation Legend,” where Federal Law Enforcement is working with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office to apprehend and prosecute the most dangerous criminals in Albuquerque. I am now a Republican because the Republican Party best represents what I care about as a mother: reducing crime, increasing economic opportunity, and education. I walked away from the Democrat Party because I am pro-life, and much of their agenda—such as the Green New Deal—would directly affect the pocketbooks of New Mexico families. In 2020 I will be voting for candidates who best represent my conservative values.

President of the United States 

In 2016, New Mexico went for Hillary Clinton, partially explained by Libertarian Gary Johnson (former Governor of New Mexico during the 1990s and early 2000s) running for President in 2016 who received 9% of votes. In 2020 there is an unbridled enthusiasm for President Donald Trump in New Mexico, due to his achievements in office such as the lowest Hispanic unemployment ever recorded, the building of over 300 miles of border wall, and putting New Mexico Families first. The Joe Biden / Kamala Harris ticket is entirely detached from New Mexico politics, with the only connection being that Kamala Harris previously endorsed Democrat Third Congressional District candidate Teresa Leger Fernandez. 

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was previously considered a top vice presidential contender for Biden, however, with his choice of Harris, there is nothing appealing to New Mexico voters about Biden other than the typical “Vote Blue No Matter Who” tribal mentality of New Mexico politics. I believe that Donald Trump will “Flip NM Red” in 2020 due to his concentrated “boots on the ground” grassroots campaign in our state. Also, due to the general frustration by the government’s overreach through  Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will help his chances.

United States Senate 

In the U.S. Senate race, we have a former meteorologist who appeared daily on television for nearly 2 decades, Mark Ronchetti, as the Republican Nominee against the Democrat nominee Re. Ben Ray Lujan, who held the seat for 12 years, and who climbed to the top of the Democrat ranks, second behind Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and her “Assistant Speaker.” Mark Ronchetti has the benefit of Donald Trump’s reelection campaign efforts, a general “anti-establishment” vibe among New Mexico voters who are eager to “vote out the career politicians,” and the fact that Ben Ray Lujan is virtually the poster boy for career Democrat politicians (partially due to the fact that Tom Udall is retiring and Martin Heinrich isn’t up for reelection until 2022), we have the potential for a huge upset with Mark Ronchetti stopping career politician Ben Ray Lujan in his attempted jump from the U.S. House to the U.S. Senate. 

Mark Ronchetti has my full support because he would be the best senator to represent New Mexico families. His dedication to the campaign trail demonstrates that he will continue to listen to the voters of New Mexico, and if we allow Ben Ray Lujan to become our U.S. senator, we can expect him in the U.S. Senate for decades, while ignoring the needs of New Mexico’s families, as he has done for over a decade in the lower chamber.

United States House of Representatives, Congressional District 1

Congressional District 1 is the district where Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was elected before taking the governorship. Currently, we have Deb Haaland as the first-term incumbent in the district, who has demonstrated her loyalty to the Democrat D.C. Machine rather than working for  New Mexico families. 

In November 2019, Haaland was chosen as the campaign co-chair for Elizabeth Warren’s failed presidential run, until she dropped out due to poor showings, even losing her home state of Massachusetts. In the months leading up to the COVID19 pandemic, Deb Haaland was going door to door in Iowa and travelling across the country working for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign rather than doing her job advocating for New Mexico in Washington. 

2020 is our year to send a message to the politicians that they need to be doing their job that we pay them to do, or we will vote them out of office. The Republican nominee for CD-1 is Michelle Garcia Holmes, who is a former Albuquerque Police Department Officer / Detective, and former Chief of Staff at the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, Michelle has the qualifications to make our communities safer in New Mexico.

United States House of Representatives, Congressional District 2

In one of the most highly contested races in the country, we have first-term incumbent Xochitl Torres Small, a Democrat in a Republican-leaning district who was recently named the most vulnerable Democrat in the U.S. House. She is being challenged by real estate professional and former New Mexico Rep. Yvette Herrell, who has the support of leaders in the Republican Party, including Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), the National Republican Congressional Committee, and even former Democrat Rep. Harry Teague, who previously represented the Second District. 

The Republican Primary between Yvette Herrell and Claire Chase was a hard-hitting fight, but since Herrell’s victory, New Mexico Republicans have united behind her. I supported Yvette Herrell before the primary and I will continue until the election due to her previous work as a legislator, her conservative values, and the fact that CD-2 leans Republican.

United States House of Representatives, Congressional District 3

The Third Congressional District leans heavily Democrat, comprising Northern New Mexico, with a mixture of Native American tribal land (Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache, a number of pueblos), multi-generational Hispanic families tracing back hundreds of years, and others. CD-3 has only ever elected Democrats, except once during a special election and the Republican incumbent, Rep. Bill Redmond, lost in the following general election to the now-retiring Sen. Tom Udall. 

The Democrat nominee, Teresa Leger Fernandez, faced an incredibly difficult Democrat Primary and defeated well funded, big name opponents including former CIA agent Valerie Plame, who received over one million dollars in donations. Teresa Leger Fernandez is the “chosen one” by the Democrat elite and has been endorsed by Ben Ray Luján (current NM CD-3 Representative). 

Leger Fernandez will face Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson in the general election. She won the 2020 Republican Primary over other GOP contenders Harry Montoya and Karen Bedonie. Alexis was not the insider party favorite, not making it on the ballot at the pre-primary convention, but gathering petitions to appear on the ballot and winning the primary with less than $9000 dollars. She was outspent 10:1. For the first time in years, CD-3  is in-play for a Republican to win this November! 

In 2020, we—the voters of New Mexico—have the opportunity to fire the out-of-touch career politicians and send a message that New Mexico families deserve a seat at the table. For far too long, our politicians have listened to their out-of-state donors and neglected the interests of New Mexico voters. 

I believe we will see Republicans elected up and down the ballot because the average New Mexican is tired of government overreach and being “mask shamed” by our Democrat Governor. I believe that 2020 is the year New Mexico will vote our values and elect conservative leaders who will put ‘New Mexico families first. 

Allison is a mother and proud American patriot who loves the U.S.A. She believes in protecting conservative values and maintaining a strong and independent America. You can follow her at www.facebook.com/Allie4NM. 


Opinions offered by Piñon Post contributors do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the publication or its editorial staff. Submit an op-ed to the Piñon Post at news@pinonpost.com.

Luján compared to Venezuela’s Maduro for tortilla video: ‘He too likes to eat on camera while other people starve’

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On Sunday, Democrat Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who is seeking an open U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Democrat Sen. Tom Udall, posted a video of him making tortillas, which quickly drew fire from many, some even linking his video to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro munching on an empanada as his country starves. 

Luján’s video shows him cheerfully making tortillas “from scratch,” since he apparently ran out according to his tweet. He writes, “Ran out of tortillas for my breakfast burrito, so I got to work making some from scratch!” 

One commenter by the name of Dalton wrote, “You taking social media tips from Maduro? He too likes to eat on camera while other people starve. Must be a leftist thing.”

The comment is in reference to Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro, the successor to Hugo Chávez, who has many similarities to Luján. Most notably, Luján and Maduro like to feed their egos and their stomachs while people they rule over starve. In Venezuela, people have resorted to eating their pets and enduring nearly empty grocery shelves. In contrast, New Mexico, which has been under Democrat rule for over 80 years, has a poverty rate of 19.7%, one of the highest in the nation. New Mexico’s child food insecurity rate sits at 24%.

Videos of Maduro show him feasting on empanadas during a press conference and steak prepared for him by the notorious internet sensation “Salt Bae.” 

On Ben Ray Luján’s post, others roasted him for not debating his Republican opponent Mark Ronchetti and for his abysmal career in Congress, which has garnered no bills of his passed into law. 

Why did MLG ‘apologize’ for belittling Española but she refuses to stop ridiculing Hobbs?

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On Friday, after the Mayor of heavily Democrat Española, Javier Sanchez, sent a scathing letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for making an example of the city for allegedly not wearing masks, Lujan Grisham released a half-hearted “apology.” But the attempt at reconciliation begs the question of why she isn’t apologizing to other communities she has belittled, such as Hobbs. 

As Piñon Post first reported on, Lujan Grisham said during her presser, “Last week, I traveled to Northern New Mexico, and in traveling to Northern New Mexico, I went through Española. I saw a lot of activity in Española and traveling through Main Street going North. I didn’t see a single mask, not one. Not in a parking lot, not in a grocery store that we passed, not at a convenience store, not at a gas station, not by someone in a car, not hanging on a rearview mirror, not on a wrist, not as people were walking, nowhere! Not one. The only masks I saw were in the car I was in, and we have to do better than that because if we don’t, we cannot successfully introduce risk.”

Mayor Sanchez rebuked the Governor’s comments, writing in a letter, “Are we truly to believe that the governor slowed down enough to see into our dark tinted windows to find no masks hanging from rear view mirrors? At this rate of condescension, I would be very surprised if the governor’s vehicle even slowed down to a rolling stop at the red lights. How empty those words sound coming from behind the windows of an air-conditioned vehicle while peering in at us like we are children who haven’t cleaned our rooms.” 

“My comments were taken as a lack of respect for Española and the work the community has done to fight this virus. I apologize for making that impression. That was not my intent, and I take responsibility for the way my words were conveyed and heard,” wrote Lujan Grisham.

“It is true that I did not see any masks that day on my way through town north and south, but that doesn’t mean I should have made the point that I did in the way I did it. If my intent was to highlight where we can improve and what we can do better, and it was, then I could have communicated that in a different way, and I should have,” she continued.

However, the Governor has refused to apologize for mercilessly ridiculing a restaurant in Hobbs, New Mexico, scolding them for allegedly not wearing masks. The snitch photo she presents looks to demean and criticize the small business that she claims were defying her health orders. But she praised Taos County for wearing masks, a county she won in 2018 with 81.5% of the vote.

But why did she hand-select Espanñola to send her apologies, while other rural communities still suffer from the ramifications of her shaming? The answer is simple: politics. 

In 2018, Lujan Grisham won Rio Arriba County, where Española is, by a margin of 73% to 27%, or 46%. The county is also 84% Hispanic/Latino, and the criticism of the county may be seen as possibly racially-charged.

Hobbs, however, which is located in Lea County, is a Republican area, where she lost the county by massive numbers, losing by 55% in the county, or 22.2% to 77.8%. She has also gone after the Lea County Sheriff, having her Attorney General, Hector Balderas file a lawsuit against the department for visiting a local restaurant and eating indoors, a violation of her strict anti-indoor dining mandate. Lujan Grisham’s recent actions show yet again that she is ready and willing to pick on the entire state, while only apologizing for offense when the area she’s berating is heavily Democrat. 

KOB fluff piece on Luján glides over his failed record in Congress, focuses on his love of food

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On Thursday, after Joe Biden accepted the Democrat nomination for president of the United States, KOB 4 ran a fluff piece with Chris Ramirez interviewing Rep. Ben Ray Luján, who is vying for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by outgoing Sen. Tom Udall. 

The softball interview never focused on anything other than Luján’s family life and food preferences, both of which he touts on his television commercials, as well as his social media feeds.

The interview featured Luján making “mini enchiladas” and calabacitas while being asked questions by Ramirez. 

Not focusing on policy or any other kind of serious indicator New Mexicans may need to decide who to vote for, instead, Ramirez lauded Luján, wondering about where the congressman eats while in Washington and other questions. 

Luján disclosed that he eats at Subway while in Washington, explaining, “So in D.C., there is a Subway sandwich shop three blocks from where I am,” he said. ” I eat a lot of Subway sandwiches when I’m out there.” 

Lujan was then asked “How do you center yourself?  How do you regroup, get your mind back after you’ve had one of those days, stressful, maybe even a combative day?” He naturally pivoted right back to food, saying, “So, if I’m here, if I’m home, it’s this. If I’m cooking, even by myself, I’ll make a mess in the kitchen. Like what we did here, it will look like that even if I’m just cooking for myself. I’ll destroy the kitchen.”

“Who do you go to when you need to just be yourself and be able to think out loud?  Who’s that person for you,” asked Ramirez.

Lujan answered, “If I’m having one of those days, where it’s not that I have to pick up the phone to call a friend to chat about something necessarily, but it’s to go to work with mom in her garden, pulling weeds, just sitting on her porch is calming.” 

But a telling question he was asked, probably the most hard-ball question in the interview, was “How is it that you keep yourself grounded so that you don’t start believing you’re more important than the people who you represent?” 

“When I come home, none of this is going to take care [of] itself, right?  Mom always has a list. If you look in the garage, you’ll see two lawnmowers, the shovels and hoes and everything,” Luján responded. Ramirez then continued lauding Luján, saying, “I’ve always gotten the sense that you have these incredible family values.” 

But other than learning that Luján likes to pick weeds in his mother’s garden and “destroy the kitchen” making himself meals, New Mexico voters are likely not going to come away learning much about the congressman who is running to be New Mexico’s next U.S. Senator. We already know he likes making food and eating, but what does he do to help New Mexicans. Many would say “not much.” During his 12 years in Congress, Luján has not passed a single bill with his name on it, and now he asks for a promotion to the Senate. 

After KOB posted the story, Luján shared it on social media, writing, “Growing up in Nambé, food was what brought my family together — and today, it still keeps me centered. I got together with @KOB4 to cook up a big plate of enchiladas and calabacitas and talk about the values that drive me forward.”

KOB 4 says they will air an interview with Republican Mark Ronchetti after President Trump accepts the Republican nomination for president. Luján has refused requestions to be in all but one televised debate with Ronchetti.

Here are some of the most recent posts Luján has made regarding his food preferences. It appears he has done more eating than working while in office.

There are many more posts like the above.

Ben Ray chickens out of TV debates — GOP opponent Mark Ronchetti wipes the floor with him

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

On Tuesday, Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan agreed to only one debate with his Republican opponent, Mark Ronchetti on KOAT and one forum which will be sponsored by a “liberal front group” on KNME, according to Ronchetti’s campaign. In recent history, U.S. Senate candidates in New Mexico held at least three televised debates on the three major networks (KOB 4, KOAT 7, and KRQE 13). 

Ronchetti said, “I want the voters of New Mexico to hear what I stand for. Ben Ray thinks he is entitled to the Senate seat and doesn’t want to explain a voting record that is out of touch with New Mexico.” 

“Serving as a U.S. Senator is an honor,” continued Ronchetti. “The people of this state deserve to see us exchange ideas and I’m ready to do that on all of our major media outlets before ballots go out. It’s important that as many voters as possible can hear from both of us, so they can make an informed decision for this election. I welcome the opportunity to share my positions with all of the voters in New Mexico.” 

Ben Ray Luján is well-known for his closeness to far-left Democrats, namely, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who created the title of “Assistant Speaker” for him to boost his prestige in the Democrat Party. 

During just this campaign cycle, Luján has preyed on seniors, falsely claiming their Social Security and Medicare will be slashed, he voted on the partisan impeachment of President Trump along with all his colleagues in the New Mexico delegation, he got the endorsements of abortion up-to-birth and infanticide groups, he mocked Latino Trump voters and praised racist Al Sharpton. He also exploited the Coronavirus to raise campaign cash and repeatedly lied about his record in the U.S. House, falsely claiming President Trump signed his bill.

Luján has not passed a single bill of his own into law, which Ronchetti’s campaign manager, Jeff Glassburner, blasted him for, saying, “I don’t blame Ben Ray for hiding from the debates, because he knows he has to hide his far-left, extremist, D.C. record. He spent over a decade climbing Nancy Pelosi’s ladder while never passing even one bill into law.” 

“Ben Ray Luján represents everything that is wrong with politics. He is a career politician who has sold out New Mexico, and now wants to hide from voters.” 

Luján has been virtually absent from his sprawling northern New Mexico district, not even bothering to show up on Election Night 2018, opting to instead stay with Nancy Pelosi in the Washington, D.C. swamp to watch election results roll in for his far-left friends in his party. For a man who holds a safe Democrat +8 seat, he doesn’t really need to campaign that hard, so he doesn’t. That same mindset appears to show up in his Senate run, but judging by his record, a promotion to the upper chamber of Congress would not be in the cards for Luján.

For more information on Ben Ray Luján’s failed record in the House, please check out this article. Ronchetti’s latest television ad can be seen here:

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