Politics

Heinrich to kick off reelection bid for Senate with governorship in his sights

16 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

According to a report by the Santa Fe New Mexican, far-left Democrat U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is kicking off his 2024 U.S. Senate reelection bid to hold onto the office until he potentially makes a run for governor in 2026.

“Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich plans to kick off his 2024 reelection campaign Friday with a fundraiser in a private home. Senate terms last six years, but Heinrich might try to cut short his stay by running for governor in 2026,” the report notes. 

The news comes as Heinrich was just elevated to chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) for the 118th Congress, of which he previously served as vice chair and ranking member.

Heinrich said of the elevated role, “Too many people in Washington, D.C. think that if the stock market is going up, the economy is in good shape. But that’s not true for working families in New Mexico or across the country. The way we should measure the success of the economy is if parents can afford to send their kids to college, entrepreneurs can start new businesses, our children are educated and healthy, and workers are able to retire with peace of mind,” adding, “As we continue our economic recovery, ensuring access to quality education, well-paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and clean energy are essential to our collective prosperity.”

Some may take the rhetoric, of which is rare from Heinrich, as a move to position himself in a place of power as he eyes New Mexico’s chief executive office.

“As his campaign begins, Heinrich will have to deal with uncomfortable questions until he supplies answers. Voters need to know if he pledges to complete another term in the Senate, or if he’s going to run for governor,” opined the New Mexican.

The report notes that the “favorite” in the Democrat primary to take over the governorship following incumbent Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would be U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, writing, “Deb Haaland would beat him if she wants the job. And Haaland, secretary of the interior, could depart her appointed position more easily than Heinrich could abandon his elective office.” 

Melanie Stansbury poses with disgraced Tennessee rep. who led insurrection

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On Wednesday, far-left U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) proudly posed alongside formerly ousted Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat, who was booted from his role after leading an insurrection upon the Tennessee House of Representatives. After four days of being out of office, the far-left Nashville Metropolitan Council quickly reinstated Jones. 

Jones was charged in 2020 for assaulting people in cars during the George Floyd riots, of which he was an organizer. Watch here: 

According to Scoop Nashville, “Throughout the entire time, he has faced over a dozen charges but always denied that he was violent – despite multiple assaults, assault on an officer, and reckless endangerment charges. In the newly obtained video, one of his assaults was captured, and presented to the Grand Jury – and he was indicted on two counts of reckless endangerment.”

Stansbury, who is a fringe environmentalist and supporter of every left-wing policy imaginable, including weaker election laws and abortion up to birth, posed for a photo with Jones while praising the extreme lawmaker.

She wrote, “It was such an honor to run into the one and only Rep. Justin Jones this morning—inspiring defender of democracy and the duly elected people’s representative of Tennessee’s House District 52. We are with you, @brotherjones_!” 

Screenshot of Rep. Stansbury’s tweet with insurrectionist Justin Jones.

However, Jones and other lawmakers leading an insurrection upon the Tennessee House appears to be Stansbury’s idea of “defending” so-called “democracy,” with other Democrats, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, praising him and welcoming the fringe politician with open arms. 

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Edgewood passes pro-life ordinance, dealing blow to pro-abortion leftists

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On Wednesday at around 1:38 a.m., the Town of Edgewood passed Ordinance 2023-002 by a vote of 4-1 to make it illegal for any person to violate the federal Comstock Act after a meeting called at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday.

After an extremely lengthy closed-door executive session that started at 5:51 p.m. Tuesday and ended shortly after 8:00 p.m. to talk about the pro-bono legal counsel provided by pro-life attorney Jonathan Mitchell regarding potential litigation regarding the ordinance, the Commission took public comment. 

Pro-abortion state Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) opposed the ordinance, while pro-life Reps. Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park) and Rep. John Block (R-Alamogordo), and Sen. David Gallegos (R-Eunice) stood in support of the ordinance. 

A few leftists claimed the pro-abortion drugs that are maiming and killing women are safe, although scientific evidence analyzed from the FDA data proves they have been proven deadly. A majority of commenters were in support of the ordinance, which ultimately passed. The Commission then went back into executive session until around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. 

The ordinance proposed by Commissioner Sterling Donner of District Five and passed by the Commission reads, in part, “It shall be unlawful for any person to violate 18 U.S.C. § 1461 by using the mails for the mailing, carriage in the mails, or delivery of: 1. Any article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion; or 2. Any article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion.” 

Commissioner Filandro R. Anaya of District Four repeated the canned pro-abortion talking point, asserting abortion “is between them and their doctors and only them and their doctors.”

Some commissioners asked to pass an amendment in Section Eight changing the ordinance so it would not take effect until or unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules on other Comstock Act cases. That amendment failed on a vote of 3-2.  

“This is not an ordinance. This is a resolution,” said Commissioner Donner regarding the proposed amendment that would weaken the law to a mere statement. “This does nothing. This shows again that we are not acting courageous[ly]. It doesn’t keep anything out of this town. I disagree with this. I think this goes against everything we’ve been trying to get done…. And we wasted 15 hours of our time discussing this. I’m tired of being weak and bowing down to the state. What they’re doing is not right. We continue to bow down, we continue to give, and it’s never going to end.” 

“This is a weak move,” he said, adding, “It’s just weakness” regarding the failed amendment.

Commissioner Jerry Powers of District Two claimed the consequences of passing the final ordinance were “serious,” and he criticized the enforcement mechanisms for the Town of Edgewood, saying it puts the town in “strict jeopardy” after his motion failed to push the ordinance on the ballot as a question.

“If we want to gain ground, join our allies in the state that are doing these things, this is what we have to do,” Donner concluded regarding passing the un-weakened ordinance before it went to a vote. “We need to fight for the rights of these unborn children who don’t even have a chance.” 

After the discussion, Donner’s motion to pass the final ordinance succeeded, with all but one commissioner opposing it. Anaya was the only dissenting vote, citing the town’s home rule provisions as cover.

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‘Can’t be justified’: Leftist editorial board scolds governor over lavish staff raises

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On Tuesday, in an unusual turn of events, the far-left editorial board for the liberal Santa Fe New Mexican chastised Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over the extravagant raises she gave her staff, averaging a 22 percent increase per high-level staffer. 

The board wrote, “Take top employees in the Governor’s Office. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has awarded members of her staff whopping salary increases, with raises averaging 22% in recent months. The employees are poised to get another raise in July under the state’s budget, which includes funding for average 6% pay increases across the board.”

“Raises in the Governor’s Office seem especially generous,” the board continued, noting that “it’s not the first time the governor has been generous with taxpayer dollars to reward her favorite colleagues. In 2021, her employees received raises of $7,500 to $12,000 during the pandemic. The increases came at a time when private sector workers were facing pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs.” 

“[S]uch hefty raises — done with little notice to the public — can’t be justified in a state as poor as New Mexico. Big raises deserve discussion and, when necessary, pushback. That way, salaries remain within sensible boundaries.” 

The board concluded, “Pay increases for statewide elected officials, which we supported, had to be scrutinized through the legislative process. That resulted in a decision to increase salaries for most statewide officials to $144,714 this year, with the governor’s raise from $110,000 to $169,714 postponed until 2027, after Lujan Grisham is out of office.” However, Lujan Grisham vetoed pay increases for judges.

The median income in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office is $131,950.00, with the lowest-salaried person, a constituent services deputy director, receiving $41,600.00 with the next-highest salary being $58,760 for a “special assistant.” The highest-paid positions in the office are tied at $185,000. 

The median household income in New Mexico is $54,020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Even the leftist Santa Fe New Mexican editorial board couldn’t ignore the stark disparity between Lujan Grisham’s office and the average New Mexican. 

See how much MLG’s staffers are making after their extravagant raises

Gabe Vasquez silent as NM Dems fling 2024 endorsements at Biden

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On Tuesday, Joe Biden announced another run for the presidency in 2024 without a formal announcement rally but rather a video touting his support for abortion and weaker election laws. 

Naturally, former 2020 vice-presidential shortlisted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico has already endorsed the octogenarian.

“I’m proud to stand with @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris in their reelection campaign – standing together to protect our democracy and freedoms,” she wrote on Twitter.

Far-left U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger de Fernandez (D-NM-03) wrote on Twitter, “Nuevo Mexico, estamos listos para cumplir el trabajo,” which translates to “New Mexico, we are ready to get the job done!”

Other far-left U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM-01) wrote, “In 2024 we’re going to take back the #USHouse, hold our Senate majority, and re-elect @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris.”

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) wrote, “Historic investments in infrastructure and our climate, 12.4 million new jobs, and the first gun safety reform in decades–just to name a few. We must keep going forward, so let’s finish the job and send @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris back to the White House!” 

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) praised Biden for choosing staffer Julie Chávez Rodríguez as his new campaign manager in his endorsement.

He wrote, “Julie Chávez Rodríguez is a proven leader and organizer, and it’s great to see her continue her family’s legacy of public service. Excellent first hire.”

Noticeably silent was far-left U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who has yet to endorse Biden for his 2024 shot at the presidency. It is unclear why he is the lone member of New Mexico’s all-Democrat congressional delegation not to endorse, but it could be the same reason former Rep. Xochitl Torres Small was reluctant to endorse Biden in 2020, with him being wildly unpopular across the nation. 

A recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll found that of those who voted for Biden in 2020, 40 percent of them said he should not run for another term. What is more devastating to the octogenarian is that 35 percent of respondents said they would vote for a third-party candidate over Biden, even if it meant President Donald Trump would win the White House again.

Gabe Vasquez brags about Dem gerrymandering for political gain

Pro-abortion Dems planning showdown at pro-life Edgewood meeting

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The Town of Edgewood is expected Tuesday to pass a pro-life ordinance mandating compliance with the federal Comstock Act, which prohibits the illicit transport of “abortion pills” or “abortion-related paraphernalia.” The town Commission is meeting at 5:00 p.m. to discuss and vote on it appearing on the ballot.

However, the pro-abortion side of the aisle is rearing its ugly head, looking to stir the pot in the pro-life community.

Fringe legislators, such as state Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), says she will be in attendance, declaring on Twitter, “I’ll see y’all in Edgewood, NM tomorrow. We will not stand down,” adding, “I will be standing in strong opposition to this proposal and will be standing firmly for the laws we passed to ensure that EVERYONE in New Mexico has access to safe and legal reproductive healthcare!” 

However, chemical abortions, which Romero calls “reproductive healthcare,” are extremely dangerous, according to scientific studies. 

A 2021 scientific study found from FDA data between 2000 and 2019 that there were many deaths and adverse medical events directly linked to the use of mifepristone. The researchers found in their research that “[s]ignificant morbidity and mortality have occurred following the use of mifepristone as an abortifacient.”

Romero voted for all the pro-abortion bills that passed during the 2023 Legislative Session, including H.B. 7, which forces public bodies, including schools to facilitate abortions while attempting to ban localities from passing life-affirming laws. 

The Piñon Post has learned that Galisteo-area state Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-Santa Fe) is also planning on attending. McQueen, like Romero, supports abortion up to birth.

The town meeting will be held at the Townhall of Edgewood Commission Chambers at 171A, State Rd. 344. A Zoom link to join is here. Find the agenda for the meeting here.

See how much MLG’s staffers are making after their extravagant raises

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The Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham administration is no stranger to seeing hefty pay raises for staffers, as we have reported for years, such as in 2021 when she gave a $32,000 raise to a special assistant to New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney, who also got a hefty raise. 

But new figures from the governor’s office show extravagance in raises to staffers after her 2022 reelection. 

According to figures from the New Mexico Sunshine Portal, her new chief of staff =, Daniel Schlegel, got a staggering $72,524 pay raise — a 64 percent increase.

Administrative assistant Sheila Nelson got a 50 percent pay increase of $28,462, senior advisor Courtney Kerster got a 30 percent pay bump of $41,100, cabinet director Mariana Padilla was raised 28 percent or $37,850 in pay, and deputy chief of staff ​​Diego Arencon and director of cabinet affairs Caroline Buerkle both got a 19 percent pay increase totaling $28,218.

Many other instances of lavish pay raises happened across the board from legal assistants to senior-level staffers, who made up to a mind-boggling $185,000. 

The governor’s spokeswoman Maddy Hayden claimed, “Merit-based raises are standard practice across virtually every workplace, and the governor recognizes the extremely hard work employees in her office do every day, which routinely includes work on holidays, late into the evening and over weekends, to serve the people of New Mexico,” as reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

“Hayden did not respond when asked why some employees in the Governor’s Office, such as Martin Chavez, a former mayor of Albuquerque who has served as Lujan Grisham’s infrastructure adviser since November, or administrative assistant Shiela Nelson, didn’t get salary increases,” the outlet reported. 

The median income in Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office is $131,950.00, with the lowest-salaried person, a constituent services deputy director, receiving $41,600.00 with the next-highest salary being $58,760 for a “special assistant.” The highest-paid positions in the office are tied at $185,000. 

The median household income in New Mexico is $54,020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Don’t mess with our gun rights: Like in NM, CO legislature rejects anti-gun bill

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While Colorado and New Mexico’s legislatures ram through extremist bills regarding abortion up to birth and transgederism, the one commonsense stance they can agree on is not passing bans on high-capacity firearms.

During the 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session, other than one bill regarding firearm storage, every single anti-gun bill died.

The dead gun-grabbing legislation from New Mexico’s legislative session includes S.B. 44 banning citizens from carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place during an election, S.B. 428 targeting firearm retailers and manufacturers with frivolous lawsuits, H.B. 100 banning most firearms over 10-round capacity, and H.B. 101 mandating a 14-day waiting period before firearm purchases.

S.B. 427, which is similar to H.B. 101 banning magazine capacity, died, while S.B. 116, mandating a person must be 21 to purchase a firearm, did not make it across the finish line.

In Colorado, H.B. 1230 was blocked last week, which would have banned high-capacity magazines. 

The bill was blocked Thursday by three Colorado House Democrats and two Republicans in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee. 

According to The Denver Post, “Democratic Rep. Elisabeth Epps, HB23-1230’s primary sponsor, twice attempted to amend the measure before the vote and narrow it to a ban on specific equipment, a nod to the entrenched opposition even among her party colleagues on the committee, but the group narrowly rejected those amendments before nixing the bill in its entirety.”

The Democrat Party “has complete control of state government and a supermajority in the House,” according to the Post. Despite that overwhelming control by leftists, the radical anti-gun bill died.

In New Mexico, Democrats feared even putting their extreme anti-gun bills for a vote in front of the full House of Representatives because they merely didn’t have the numbers to pass their bills to unconstitutionally rip away gun rights.

The lesson to be learned by these Democrat setbacks is that even in states run by far-leftists like Colorado and New Mexico, guns are a part of our states’ fabric and the assault of Constitutional rights to bear arms will not be well-taken, even if Democrats have supermajorities or near-supermajorities.

Edgewood to vote on pro-life sanctuary ordinance Tuesday

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The Town of Edgewood is considering passing an ordinance making the municipality a sanctuary for the unborn. 

The Town Commission already held one preliminary meeting on April 4, 2023, to talk about it. According to reports from that meeting, “While the workshop was scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM, several trolls chose to interrupt the Zoom call – echoing racial slurs, broadcasting porn, and showing male genitalia. These interferences caused the meeting to start over an hour late.”

A planning meeting is scheduled for Sunday night ahead of the vote scheduled for Tuesday.

Mark Lee Dickson, the founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, will be in attendance at the Sunday planning meeting held by organizers at 6:00 p.m. 

The group of pro-lifers will meet at Legacy Church’s East Mountain campus located at 379 NM-344 in Edgewood.

The official commission meeting to vote on the ordinance will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. and be streamed via the Town’s Facebook page found here. The address for the Townhall of Edgewood Commission Chambers is 171A, State Rd. 344.

According to the agenda posted on the Town of Edgewood’s website for the Tuesday meeting, the proposed Ordinance 2023-002 would entail “Requiring Abortion Providers in the Town of Edgewood, New Mexico to Comply with Federal Law,” brought forward by Commissioner Sterling Donner of the Fifth District.

Edgewood’s potential move toward sanctuary status comes amid news of the City of Eunice filing a lawsuit against Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state Attorney General Raúl Torrez to uphold its similar ordinance that mandates the state follow the federal Comstock Act, which prohibits the transfer of obscene materials between state lines, effectively outlawing abortion pills.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that a lower court must rule on an abortion pill case before the Court would prohibit the sale of the product nationwide. The case is set to be heard in early May. 

To learn more about the Tuesday meeting, the Town of Edgewood’s agenda is posted here on its official website.

NM’s all-Dem U.S. House delegation votes against protecting women’s sports

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On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved on a 219-203 vote, H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which will ensure the protection of Title IX, which passed over 50 years ago to protect women. 

The bill’s passage would assert “that it is a violation of Title IX to allow individuals of the male sex to participate in programs or activities that are designated for women or girls. (Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in public elementary and secondary schools and in colleges and universities),” according to the Republican Party of New Mexico.

“Under the bill, sex is based on an individual’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. H.R. 734 does not prohibit male individuals from training or practicing with programs or activities for women or girls as long as such training or practice does not deprive any female of corresponding opportunities or benefits,” wrote the group.

All three of New Mexico’s U.S. congressional representatives voted “NAY” on the resolution.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico’s First Congressional District, claimed the bill to protect women was a “hateful right-wing campaign” against “trans” kids.

“I oppose H.R. 734 because I want our transgender kids to feel accepted, safe, and included. I want them to live,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, the Democrat who represents New Mexico’s Third Congressional District. She claimed instead of protecting women’s and girls’ sports, Congress should focus on gun control. 

In another post, Leger Fernandez claimed the bill was about “legislating trans people out of existence.”

Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District was noticeably silent over the issue, although he voted against the measure.

NM’s all-Dem congressional reps. vote against lower energy prices
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