Politics

Open gov’t watchdog group blasts Dems’ partisan closed-door special session

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

In a Sunday letter to the editor of the Santa Fe New Mexican, Melanie J. Majors, the executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG), decried Democrats’ closed-door special session for redistricting, which largely kept the public out of the process. 

She wrote, “The New Mexico Legislature’s actions during this past special session show it does not share this value. For months this summer, the Legislature-mandated Citizen Redistricting Committee held public meetings and gathered public comment to create fair, equitable maps outlining congressional, state Senate and state representative districts. It seems much of the committee’s work has been done in vain.” 

Majors blasted Democrats’ “partisan enclaves” that eliminated the public’s participation, while many meetings were announced minutes before they started, giving the regular citizen little to no way to participate.

“FOG believes the public’s business should be conducted in full public view, the actions of the public bodies should be taken openly and all deliberations be made open to the public, yet the Legislature has conducted meetings about redistricting behind closed doors, in partisan enclaves, eliminating any public access to the proceedings — access that is an essential element of a properly functioning democracy,” she wrote.

“Voters in New Mexico deserve better. They want to see transparency in the redistricting process and the new districts. A fair process begins with genuine openness and transparency. The public hearings held across the state were an important blueprint for lawmakers. We request all negotiations and deliberations regarding redistricting be conducted in an open and transparent manner that is accessible to the public.” 

During the special session, late-night deliberations were common with caucuses in between meetings, and only after angry pleas from New Mexicans were they reluctantly allowed to testify in committee hearings, especially if they were in attendance via Zoom. 

FOG’s apparent anger over the process shows that Democrats’ closed-door special session was not only decried by many in the public but even by open government watchdogs.  

Leger Fernandez deploys frantic fundraising asks after Dem gerrymandering

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After Democrats in the New Mexico Legislature used extreme gerrymandering to completely redraw New Mexico’s legislative seats, Public Education Commission, and three congressional district boundaries, far-left Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-03) is sounding the alarm on changes to her seat, which is now skewed from a solid Democrat district to a purple competitive district. 

The newly weakened Democrat district comes as New Mexico Democrats, desperate to cling to more power, gerrymandered New Mexico’s Second District, currently represented by Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, to skew to the left, now sitting at a D+4 district.

However, the cost of “flipping” the seat statistically to the left costs both of Democrats’ once-safe seats to be more competitive for Republicans. Leger Fernandez’s seat flipped from a D+14 seat to a D+5 and New Mexico’s First District, represented by Democrat Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, from a D+18 to a D+11.

The maps now show extreme gerrymandering in their shapes, with the Third District snaking down from northwest New Mexico to southeast New Mexico, pairing communities like Lovington, Hobbs, ad Roswell with places like Española, Las Vegas, and the Navajo Nation.

The First District now creeps down to Roswell from Albuquerque, while its South Valley has been plunged into the Second District, while huge chunks of Valencia County have been pushed into the First District.

In a panicky-sounding fundraising email sent by Leger Fernandez’s team, they write, “New Mexico’s new maps might be the difference between Democrats holding the House — or losing it to the GOP. Since Republicans only need to flip 5 seats to take control of the House, DEFENDING NM-03 and WINNING NM-02 will be critical to Democrats’ chances of holding the majority.” 

“But we need to step it up. Our district is already on the NRCC’s target list, so we can bet they’re going to pour cash into this race to defeat Teresa. We can’t afford to sit back and relax any longer. We can’t assume that our campaign will have the upper hand going into Election Day, the email continued.

She also posted on social media with similar messaging asking for funds now that her district is competitive.

It came after Leger Fernandez’s own brother, Martín Leger, testified against the new map drawn by partisan Democrats because it makes the first-term congresswoman susceptible to a Republican kicking her out of Congress. 

The new districts, which were designed by a George Soros-funded dark money group, the Center for Civic Policy (CCP), and signed by scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, could be challenged in court for the extreme gerrymandering occurring, although a suit has not yet been announced.

Egolf ‘retaliates’ against Hispanics, dissolves Land Grant committee

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to the New Mexico House Republicans, in a fit of vindictive rage following the Second Special Session regarding gerrymandered legislative, congressional, and Public Education Commission maps, Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) has “retaliated” against Hispanic voices by doing away with the interim Land Grant and Cultural Affairs Committee.

Chaired by Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-Albuquerque), the Committee deals with many Hispanic issues, specifically cultural issues, in the state.

The House Republicans wrote in a press release:

The 2nd Special Session, focused on redistricting, wrapped up today. Throughout this entire special session the progressive majority made every effort to dilute Hispanic voices in the legislature through the redistricting process with Republicans, Democrats, and Independent lawmakers calling out the process that sidelined and even reduced Hispanic voters voices in New Mexico. Near the end of the marathon special session, long-time Albuquerque South Valley Democrat Rep. Miguel Garcia voiced his concerns about the lack of respect for New Mexico’s Hispanic communities this session and ultimately resigned as chair of the House Local Government, Land Grant and Cultural Affairs Committee. In an overreaction to Rep. Garcia standing up for minority voting strength, the Speaker of the House Brian Egolf dissolved the Local Government, Land Grant and Cultural Affairs Committee, the single most important committee for addressing cultural issues primarily affecting New Mexico’s Hispanic communities.

“It is a travesty that we are seeing play out exactly what so many Hispanic lawmakers, from both sides of the aisle, echoed in the Roundhouse this week- if you are a Hispanic and do not conform to so-called progressivism, you are not the right type of Hispanic and are no longer useful,” said House Republican Whip Rod Montoya (Farmington). 

“Once again, we are witnessing the diminishing returns progressive democrats are finding in Hispanic voting groups. Not only does the Speaker not have the authority to dissolve a standing committee without going through the Legislature, for him to eliminate a committee whose jurisdiction is to protect ancestral lands and Hispanic voices [reveal] to every New Mexican how each of us is a political pawn for the progressive Democrats who control this state,” Montoya added.

Egolf has long been a ruthless ruler of the House, bending and breaking House rules to ram through extremist legislation, limiting debate on amendments and bills, and upending a 24-hour open meetings rule to pass Democrat dream legislation with little to no public input. 

During the Special Session, Democrats passed the most extreme redistricting maps imaginable, splitting Hispanic communities and placating the far-left George Soros-funded group, the Center for Civic Policy (CCP) with the most partisan gerrymandered plans imaginable. Also during the special session, Democrats passed a mammoth billion-dollar spending bill that would spend tens of millions of dollars on eco-Marxist initiatives, such as $3.5 million for plugging drilling wells and $10 million for electric vehicle charging stations.

The public was largely kept out of the process, with a ban on carrying firearms at the Roundhouse, forced masking, and a jab requirement for all who enter (except legislators).

MLG signs gerrymandered Dem congressional map into law

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Friday morning, scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Democrats’ gerrymandered dream congressional map into law, creating three Democrat-leaning congressional districts — a move to take out Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of the Second District. 

The embattled Governor wrote, “This morning I have signed New Mexico’s new Congressional map into law, as approved by the state Legislature. This map is a nearly 90 percent reflection of the People’s Map produced by an independent Citizens Redistricting Committee. New Mexico is a vast & diverse state, with both rural & urban communities & interests that span the spectrum politically & economically. We must honor the ideals of democracy by doing everything we can to ensure a level playing field & reflecting what is unique about New Mexico.”

The map is not the“People’s Map.” It is a map drawn and funded by the left-wing George Soros-funded group the Center for Civic Polic.

As we previously reported:

The new map skews all three districts to favor Democrats, albeit only slightly in the Third and Second Districts. District 3 represented by Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez is weakened from a D+14 to a D+5, District 2 represented by Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell is flipped from an R+14 to a D+4, and District 1 represented by Democrat Rep. Melanie Stansbury is weakened from a D+18 to a D+11.

Democrats achieved this partisan advantage by extreme gerrymandering, including chopping up communities of interest to meet its partisan agenda. The Third District snakes all the way from the northwest corner of the state down to the southeast corner of the state, including northern Hobbs, Roswell, and Lovington with places like Española and Santa Fe. 

The Second District includes Albuquerque’s South Valley and many of its Republican-leaning areas have been segregated out of the district. The First District snakes down to Roswell while eating up Lincoln and Torrance Counties. 

Although the Democrats may, however, have shot themselves in the foot with the passage of this partisan map, especially with 2022 expected to be a Republican blowout year and their now more vulnerable incumbent Democrats having to fend off Republican opponents who very well could flip the Third District and hold onto the Second District.

Senate rams through gerrymandered legislative maps, House passes spending bill

3 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Thursday was an eventful day at the Roundhouse, with Democrats in both chambers working hard to ram through legislative maps and a billion-dollar spending bill. 

After 10:00 p.m., the state Senate rammed through an updated gerrymandered state Senate map that implements extreme partisanship to winnow away Republicans’ hopes of holding onto critical seats in the chamber. The move came the same day the Senate Rules Committee speedily passed the maps on a vote of 6-4. 

After Republicans stalled the vote, Democrats got their wish and passed the extreme partisan bill on a vote of 25-13. The maps implement strange shapes and extreme deviations in population in the name of supposed “representation” for sovereign Tribal nations that exist within New Mexico. 

Sen. Jacob Candelaria (DTS-Bernalillo), claimed he’s considering a legal challenge to the allegedly racist new state Senate maps that are “about the dilution of Hispanic voices.”

“Everyone here should expect litigation over these maps and others, because at the end of the day, while these maps may pass and these maps may have been a product of a lot of backroom dealing, it doesn’t mean they’re right,” Candelaria said during the floor debate, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. “It doesn’t mean they’re legal. It doesn’t mean they’re fair.”

During his debate on the Senate floor, he made strong points about who is truly behind the Democrats’ gerrymandered bill — dark money political organizations:

Between Central and Paseo Del Norte, the Hispanic community is broken up into eight different districts. Why? To give other predominantly Anglo districts more population of ‘safe Democratic votes.’ Mr. President, again, I will not accept this debate tonight that says that this map or whatever version of the map we had is the ‘people’s map.’ That’s a great quote for a dark money political organization to use. It’s a great one. But until you tell me who the people are that funded you, you’re not my people. – Sen. Jacob Candelaria (DTS-Bernalillo)

The new maps now move over to the state House, where they are expected to be pushed through committee and a final floor vote on Friday. There is not a committee time set up for its hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, but it is subject to the “call of the chair,” per the committee schedule. 

On the House side, lawmakers held a concurrence vote on a billion-dollar spending bill, using federal pandemic funds to fund leftist initiatives such as $3.5 million to plug oil wells, $10 million for electric vehicle charging stations, $10 million for highway “beautification” efforts, among some moderately positive things like a hospital in Valencia County, although most expenditures in the mammoth bill had nothing to do with the pandemic or the subsequent recovery.

It passed by a voice vote after little debate despite its extreme expenditures and the latest draft cutting $26 million for broadband access across the state. It now goes to scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for a signature.

Leftists furious after Senate GOP stalls late-night vote on gerrymandered maps

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, leftists complained on social media after New Mexico Senate Republicans requested a “Call of the Senate,” which requires all senators to be present to vote on a measure. The call was regarding a substitute for S.B. 2, an extremely gerrymandered state Senate map plan that’s creation was cloaked in supposed “representation” for Native American communities, sponsored by Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Bernalillo). However, these changes just skewed Democrats’ partisan map even further to the left.

Republicans in the Senate claimed the Democrats wanted to push through the far-left map “while the people of New Mexico slept.” 

“They did so in an effort to hide their lies and their assault against Hispanic voices and representation. We would not stand for this. If Senate Democrats are successful in pushing their closed door, gerrymandered map to a vote, they will have to do it when the public is watching,” they wrote. 

While two Democrat senators were excused from the floor session, state Sen. Crystal Runyan Diamond (R-Deming) was absent from the floor.

The fringe far-left group “Progress Now New Mexico” whined on Twitter, claiming the move for the full Senate to vote on the measure was a “cowards move.”

The leftist group also shared tweets from the Democrat-linked group “NM Native Vote,” which has cloaked itself as a supposed voice for Native American interests on redistricting, however, it is supportive of socialism and has endorsed candidates like socialist Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.

At the beginning of the New Mexico Citizens Redistricting Committee meetings over the summer, the Committee shared a tweet from NM Native Vote, writing, “Thanks NM Native Vote — There will also be public comment near the beginning of the meeting on the online public mapping tool, dates and locations for CRC meetings, and rules of procedure. See you there!” 

The tweet has since been deleted, but the Piñon Post reported on it at the time. 

The full vote on S.B. 2 is likely to take place on Thursday in the Senate, while it still needs to pass the state House maps previously approved by the House in H.B.8, which could take longer. The House still needs to take a concurrence vote on a Democrat billion-dollar bill to spend federal funds. Many of those funds earmarked by the Legislature are going to tenets of New Mexico’s “Green New Deal.”

Vengeful Dem Senate boss to boot ex-Democrat from Finance Committee

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In the Democrats’ latest act of partisan vengeance as they have been working hard during the special session to ram through partisan gerrymandered maps, billion-dollar funding for leftist pork, and other wish list items for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, an alleged serial groper, now Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart (D-Bernalillo) is demanding a senator who left the Democrat Party should be booted from the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

“Senator [Jacob] Candelaria has quit the Democratic Party; he’s not been in our caucus since April of this year,” Stewart said, referring to the Albuquerque lawmaker who recently quit the Democrat Party over Lujan Grisham’s partisan power grab and leftist bullying. “Finance is a very important committee and we need to have team players on it,” Stewart added, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

“It’s clear retaliation from a Senate Democratic leadership that I have no respect for,” Candelaria noted.

The retaliation by Stewart is no surprise, as the Democrat caucus in the Senate has an iron fist on its members who even dare stray, such as Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, who was bullied earlier this year by Stewart. 

In the 2020 Democrat primaries, Senate leftists, aided by the alleged sexual predator governor, worked hard to boot out five incumbents who voted against Lujan Grisham’s abortion up-to-birth and infanticide bill. 

Candelaria noted on Twitter how these radical Democrats who defeated Republicans in the Senate, “When it comes to fighting for west side communities, Senators Pope and Duhigg have been a real downgrade from Rue and Gould.” 

Candelaria on Tuesday noted on Twitter how he had been booted from the Finance Committee and would now serve on Senate Public Affairs and Education. He wrote, “Senator Mimi Stewart has just removed me from the Senate Finance Committee. Horse trading around redistricting sealed the deal. Will now proudly serve on Senate Public Affairs and Education.”

Candelaria, a known far-leftist, has recently made surprising statements against Democrats and the Democrat Party, in one tweet even writing, “Let’s go Brandon,” referring to the anti-Biden chant, “F**k Joe Biden.” 

NM Senate passes billion-dollar spending bill despite bipartisan opposition

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On Tuesday, the New Mexico Senate voted to pass a Democrat-sponsored bill, H.B. 2, to spend billions in federal funds on projects, many of them helping Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham continue funding her Green New Deal.

The final bill included $10 million for electric vehicle charging stations, $15 million to the Department of Tourism for “marketing advertising,” $10 million to house homeless people, $15 million to the Department of Finance and Administration for “energy-efficient affordable housing” administrative costs, $10 million to the Environment Department to “plan, design and construct projects to improve surface water quality and river habitats statewide,” $3.5 million to plug drilling wells, among other expenditures. The bill included a few more palatable items, such as funding for a hospital in Valencia County.

In the House, the bill was nearly unanimously approved, with Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) the lone vote against it. On the Senate side, it was approved by a vote of 34-4, with Sens. David Gallegos (R-Eunice), Gregg Schmedes (R-Albuquerque), Mark Moores (R-Albuquerque), and Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana) voting against it.

Cervantes wanted to wait to consider the bill at the 2022 regular session instead of the rushed special session, which was supposed to be for redistricting. 

The passage of the bill came after state senators won a lawsuit over the scandal-ridden alleged serial groper, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who attempted to unilaterally spend the federal cash without consultation of the legislature.

The Senate’s version of the bill will now head back to the House for a concurrence vote, as a few tweaks were made in the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding funding. It is expected to be sent to the alleged serial groper’s desk this week.

Legislator who left the Democrat Party declares: ‘Let’s go Brandon’

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On Monday, far-left legislator and former Democrat, state Sen. Jacob Candelaria (DTS-Bernalillo) wrote a surprising message on Twitter, invoking a popular chant used by Republicans to buck Joe Biden’s tyranny.

Candelaria wrote, “Let’s go Brandon,” which is code for “F**k Joe Biden,” adopted following a NASCAR interview where an NBC News reporter erroneously claimed the crowd was chanting “Let’s go Brandon” instead of the anti-Biden chant.

Candelaria’s tweet was in reply to another tweet that wrote, “When they try to blame #DefundThePolice for their pending losses at the ballot boxes – MAKE SURE YOU SAY: in reality, it’s because the Dems can’t make good on these CRUCIAL CAMPAIGN PROMISES:

– Protect Voting Rights – Tax The Rich – Cancel Student Loans But yea “we” did it Joe!” 

Candelaria has had enough of scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democrats who have tried to blackmail him into compliance with threats of taking away his committee assignments. Democrat Senate floor leader Peter Wirth even told Candelaria to “f**k off” during a heated spat in the 2021 Legislative Session.

“I don’t think that the decisions we make should be based on partisan ambitions, and it broke my heart to see already that the Senate maps deliberately dilute and gerrymander the west side of Albuquerque to preserve perceived partisan advantage for some members of the Democratic Party,” he said, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, when announcing his departure from the Democrat Party. “You would strip representation from people that I represent, many of whom are Hispanic, simply because it benefits you at the ballot box.”

Candelaria said he’s “done playing this game” and has submitted forms to change his party registration to “Decline to State.”

Will Reinert of the Republican Governors Association said, “Senator Candelaria saw the same thing New Mexicans are beginning to recognize — that Michelle Lujan Grisham always thinks she is above the law,” He added, “Senator Candelaria’s wise decision is just the beginning of what is going to be a long campaign season for Governor Lujan Grisham as voters begin to examine her failed record.”

The toxic Governor, who many believe is a lame-duck one with her reelection around the corner, has done nothing to benefit her image, including dining on $200 per pound Wagyu beef steaks on the taxpayers’ dime, allegedly grabbing multiple men’s crotches which led to a $150,000 settlement to one accuser, paying her own daughter over $8,000 in campaign funds for hair and makeup, locking down the state which caused over 40% of small businesses to close their doors and her radical far-left policies that have plunged New Mexico into further decline. 

Now, with Lujan Grisham forcing members of her own party to jump ship, she might not think she’s as comfortable in her reelection chances amid the turmoil.

Petition started demanding MLG veto gerrymandered U.S. House map

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Following the passage of the Democrats’ heavily gerrymandered U.S. House map that would scramble the state in a frenzy of chaos in the attempt to skew the board in Democrats’ favor, it looks to be backfiring. The new map passed by the Legislature weakens the Third District to a D+5 seat and the First District to a D+11 seat in the attempt at taking out Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell from the Second District. 

They achieved this by pushing the South Valley of Albuquerque outside of Albuquerque and putting it into the Second District while simultaneously removing Roswell, Lovington, and Northern Hobbs from the district, creating snake-like shapes that have been given low marks regarding compactness and splitting counties — the current map splitting 9 of New Mexico’s 33 counties. 

The unfair process, which has been rushed through with little to no public comment due to last-minute meetings and closed-door scheming, has resulted in New Mexicans fed up with the process that appears to have been planned from the get-go to ram through these partisan maps.

Kentren Yeh has started a petition to demand Lujan Grisham veto the bill, that would push a partisan agenda.

“Like I’ve said before, I’m against Gerrymandering. Since I never got to speak to the State Senate Committee, because of a Senator’s refusal to hear the public, I therefore make this petition. This is huge, because it’ll affect us in the next decade! Even an article recorded that both Republicans and Democrats do not like this map. I urge Governor Lujan Grisham to veto SB – 1,” he wrote. 

The petition reads: 

Recently, the New Mexico State Legislature has slammed a very partisan map that strongly separates communities of interest. Without a full and entire public input and yet unfortunately, it was passed unprecedently. In an obvious gerrymandered map, it would increase the difficulties of our Representatives (and future Representatives) to stay in touch with their constituents, due to the blatant mix of Urban and Rural communities. Every community of constituents deserve to have a Representative that can hear them out at the most flexible way possible. It isn’t realistic to have a Representative from Santa Fe (in CD3) to fully understand the needs of the citizens from Roswell. A rural district, deserves to have a rural voice, just as an urban district deserves to have an urban voice. It isn’t fair to both of the Congresswomen from CD2 and CD3 – that in a such drastic change, they can’t serve their constituents to the best of their ability. As the bill heads to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk, we must get her attention to veto this bill!

Sign the petition here. 


The Legislature still has yet to vote to finalize the state Senate, state House, and Public Education Commission maps, although they are expected to be passed and sent to the Governor early this week. They, too, are heavily gerrymandered to favor Democrats. For example, the Princeton Gerrymandering Project gave the state House map an “F” rating regarding compactness, which includes 24 county splits out of New Mexico’s 33 counties — telling signs of partisan gerrymandering. It also received a“C” grade regarding competitiveness.

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