Democrat

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

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

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.” 

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Democrat state lawmaker snitches on fellow citizens

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Once again, a New Mexico lawmaker is snitching on fellow New Mexicans, this time state Rep. Liz Thomson (D-Bernalillo), who is claiming that a law office in the state is making fake “religious exemptions” for people to enter the State Fair.

The far-left state legislator shared a post on Twitter from a profile that has “#F**KTrump” in the bio. The post shared appeared to show a screenshot from the Facebook account of Adam Oakey.

The post read, “Hey citizens/businesses in New Mexico: Beware of fraudulent ‘religious exemptions’ from people that have an Oakey Law Firm letterhead.” 

Thomson shared the post, writing, “Isn’t this illegal @HectorBalderas?’”

Later in the post, she thanked a commenter for saying they shared the information with KOAT 7 News. 

Thomson is known for belittling fellow New Mexicans, previously teaming up with scandal-ridden alleged groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s press secretary Nora Sackett to belittle citizens concerned over child health. Previous to that, they teamed up to mock people asking for health advice. 

Thomson also claimed Trump supporters should be “forever branded with a scarlet S for seditionist.”

The snitching from the lawmaker is nothing new, with state Sen. Bill Soules (D-Doña Ana) snitching on local businesses in his community. 

Mr. Oakey was has been contacted for comment but the Piñon Post has not immediately received a response.

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Job-killing Dem anti-fracking bill clears first hurdle in NM Senate despite bipartisan opposition

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On Saturday, the Senate Conservation Committee met via Zoom to consider S.B. 149, which claims to be a bill that prohibits new fracking licenses but would in actuality kill all fracking in the State of New Mexico. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Patricia Roybal Caballero (D-Bernalillo), both candidates for the open U.S. House seat being vacated by Deb Haaland.

The bill’s sponsor had a long-winded and controversial out-of-state witness, Dr. Sandra Steingraber, who has committed her life’s work to end fracking. 

After a long list of reasons why she hated fracking, such as her accusation that it “turns fresh water into poison,” she ultimately admitted she did not have the science to conclude what fracking’s effects were regarding the transmission of alleged “toxic chemicals.” She also claimed “toxic air pollution” occurred “as soon as the drill bit goes into the ground,” another misleading statement.

Steingraber later revealed the entire point of her testimony, to bring forth “environmental justice” to what she believed are “disproportionately affected” groups, including black people, Native Americans, and others. She also accused the oil and gas industry of lying, saying employment statistics regarding oil and gas’ job creation numbers “has been greatly exaggerated by the industry.” She noted how the industry’s fatality rate is “four to seven times” that of the national workforce. However, most American workforce jobs do not require such manual labor capabilities of jobs in industries such as oil and gas, construction, and other such labor-heavy industries. She left out statistics from these comparable professions.

Many supporters of the bill, many being lawyers who would no doubt benefit off of litigation tied to “environmental justice” said the bill would “take an enormous responsibility of regulating that industry to make sure our environmental and public health is protected,” as someone from the New Mexico Environmental Law Center noted. Others from dark money groups such as the Sierra Club gave their support for the bill.

Many folks who live in the areas that would be most affected by Sedillo Lopez and Roybal Caballero’s bill spoke up about how it would affect their livelihoods. One woman who lived in the oil patch said, “I’ve lived in this state for forty years. I thought this bill was about not issuing any more permits. I now understand it is the full intent of the bill is to stop fracking altogether.” 

Sen. Sedillo Lopez said of her bill, it would “put urgency on the need to regulate, adding that, “New Mexico should be open for business, not be open for exploitation. With this industry, we have been exploited.” She did not back up her arguments with facts, other than deferring to her out-of-state witness.

Sedillo Lopez also didn’t know how to answer basic questions from her fellow senators about the bill, such as its fiscal impacts on the state, accusing Gov. Michelle Luja n Grisham’s cabinet of flubbing the numbers provided in the official fiscal impact of the bill in the fiscal impact report (FIR).

Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Doña Ana) asked, “Has the governor committed to sign this bill if you were to pass it?” Sedillo Lopez admitted she had not.

Cervantes continued, fiscal “impact for the year from July one of this year to next year… would be $1.65 billion.” He asked Sedillo Lopez if she knew exactly how much of the state budget would be lost due to her bill. 

“The FIR impact would be about a fourth of the budget,” Sedillo-Lopez said the impact “would be less or the same as the impact of the last year,” meaning the COVID-19 pandemic crisis where the oil and gas industry plummeted its production to record levels, leaving irreparable damage to the state economy.  

Sedillo Lopez later conceded, “I understand that the impact would be anywhere from a fourth and a third of our budget.”  Sedillo Lopez claimed the FIR was wrong and did not consider “one thousand permits” already granted by the state. She said the info was “incorrect,” saying it assumed that there would be “no new wells.” 

Cervantes pressed her, saying, “You are saying if we were to pass this bill,” it would be a proposal “even [Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s] own agencies reject” He added, “ I would hope you would correct the [New Mexico] Secretary of Energy and all the other cabinet secretaries” and say they ‘don’t know what they’re doing.’” 

Then Cervantes added, “If we assume the administration knows what it’s doing and we have to cut our budget form a third to a fourth,… do you have a bill that would supplant that amount of money in the works” to “generate that thirty percent or forty percent of revenue in the state?”

Sedillo-Lopez fumbled around, saying there were many “tax bills,” including one that would “reverse the tax cuts that were during the Richardson and Martinez administrations.”

“Which one of the tax bills would be the largest tax increase and how much would it generate to that $1.6 billion?” 

“I do not know the answer to that,” said Sedillo-Lopez. Her co-sponsor, Rep. Roybal Caballero, said, “I don’t think any of us have an answer to a specific question,” and if “they equate to the amount the senator [Cervantes] is asking.” 

Also, during questioning, Senators David Gallegos (R-Eddy & Lea) and Steven Neville (R-San Juan), who live on opposite sides of the state, noted how they have lived right next to fracking wells, raising their families next to them for years and their families and communities are even healthier than those where Sedillo Lopez and Roybal Caballero live in–Bernalillo County. 

Sen. Gallegos told Sedillo Lopez that she doesn’t know the issue, as he and his constituents do. “I know you don’t live there, you don’t go to school there, nor do you need a doctor from there,” but it is “important to our constituents” in the oil patch. He also said S.B. 149 is “going to inflict fiscal damage to the state” and “harm the hospital system and the school districts” across New Mexico that rely on oil and gas funding. 

Neville took exception with the expert witness’ testimony, saying the truth “is just not is what is being portrayed by the expert and the sponsor.”

Charwoman Liz Stefanics (D-Bernalillo, Lincoln, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Torrance, and Valencia) asked Sedillo-Lopez if she was open to turning the proposal into a “reporting bill versus a pause on fracking” to “gain factual information from all of the departments,” Sedillo Lopez said she would only consider such a change in the bill’s last scheduled committee–Senate Finance. 

Sen. Gallegos asked for a vote to table the bill. The motion died on a bipartisan vote of 5-4, with Sen. Cervantes voting with the Republicans on the committee to table the bill. A motion to pass the bill from Sedillo-Lopez and seconded by newly sworn-in Sen. Carrie Hamblen (D-Doña Ana) with the same vote of 5-4.

After the vote, Chairwoman Stefanics said, “While I support moving on to various energy sources, I am also very concerned about affecting the finances of our state.” S.B. 149 now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Here’s what some are saying about the bill and its sponsors:

Job-killing Dem anti-fracking bill clears first hurdle in NM Senate despite bipartisan opposition Read More »

Dem Speaker Brian Egolf tramples over NM House rules to ram through MLG’s COVID-19 bill

6 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Legislature convened for a one-day special session after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called members of the New Mexico House and Senate to appropriate $330 million in COVID-19 relief to New Mexicans as a last-ditch attempt to use up what was left of the money appropriated through the federal CARES Act. The aide preliminarily acted to give $1,200 checks to the unemployed, grants to businesses, and housing assistance. 

It should be noted that the Governor’s two-time lockdown of the state has resulted in the loss of countless small businesses, which in turn has forced people onto unemployment, whereby they are unable to pay for food, supplies, and rent. Without the strict lockdown, there would be no need for any relief for workers and businesses. The $330 million Democrat bill had no provisions to give aid to essential workers.

Republicans in the New Mexico House of Representatives worked to amend the Governor’s bill to add essential workers into the appropriation so they would also receive relief. However, Democrats vehemently rejected the measure, which was proposed by Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences) with Speaker Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe) claiming that the essential workers hurting through COVID-19 were lucky because “they have a job,” whereas the people only included in the Democrat bill did not have jobs.

Egolf then pre-emptively cut off debate on the Republican amendment, proceeding to a floor vote despite further debate on the motion by Republicans, such as state Senator-elect David Gallegos (R-Lovington), who was denied the right to speak on behalf of his constituents on multiple amendments and motions. 

“I attempted numerous times to speak on various amendments but to no avail. The Speaker refused to allow me to be heard. This is not a democratic system, it is an oligarchy and he and the governor tightly hold the power and are afraid of dissent. We must keep fighting for this state we love and for the voice of the minority in our state who continue to be silenced. We cannot let their tyranny stand,” wrote Gallegos on his Facebook page. 

During the roll call for final passage of the Democrat bill, Rep. Jason Harper (R-Rio Rancho) was called on to vote, to which he then said, “Since we’re throwing the rules out and using them when we’d like, I’ll explain myself now and then vote. Mr. Speaker, you have made a mockery of this body and of the rules. You are choosing to use the rules that you want, and I am choosing to use the rules when I want. Mr. Speaker, I am disgusted with you and how you have run this body. There is nothing wrong with going to closing remarks by Representative Dow and voting on that and voting on the bill. But you again are a bully and use that chair to sue your whims. I vote yes, thank you.” 

“I wanted to support the bill, I appreciate what has happened, but this is just a shenanigan that is improper, unethical, and certainly not transparent,” said Republican Leader Rep. Jim Townsend (R-Artesia) while casting his “no” vote. 

After the vote, Republican Whip Rep. Montoya (R-Farmington) took the floor and scolded Egolf for his blatant prejudice to the Republican minority, his hostility, and refusal to follow House rules. “Whatever we pass out of here today is going to be completely illegitimate, and I am very disappointed, Mr. Speaker, in the blatant effort, once again, to ignore the rules, try–with lawyer talk–to talk us through a quick discussion on this, when we are wasting more time on this when we could have already voted on the motion,” said Montoya.

All other legislation sponsored by Republicans, such as a bill to limit Gov. Lujan Grisham’s emergency powers, was tied up in committee and died on arrival. The Democrat relief bill was passed through both chambers and now goes to the Governor for her signature after the hurried special session.

Dem Speaker Brian Egolf tramples over NM House rules to ram through MLG’s COVID-19 bill Read More »

New Mexico Democrats unite behind porn star-turned state House candidate Roger Montoya

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

On Monday, following the revelation that Roger Montoya, the Democrat nominee for the New Mexico House of Representatives, confirmed he acted in multiple hard-core pornographic films, first reported on by the Piñon Post, high-profile Democrats came to his defense.  

The state Democrat Party went on full damage control mode, with Speaker Brian Egolf bemoaning the fact that the Santa Fe New Mexican was reporting on the news, despite Montoya bringing public attention to it by offering a comment. 

Egolf said he was “disappointed tremendously” that the Santa Fe New Mexican saw the story as newsworthy and that “People should, and I believe do, make their decision on whom to support in an election based on who they are and what they can offer to their community.” 

In Montoya’s statement, he blamed his youth and need to use the funds to pay his way through college for selling his body and having unprotected sexual intercourse in multiple pornographic films. He wrote, “As a 22-year-old struggling college student, I was a modern dancer and performer living in Los Angeles.” He continues, “I was auditioning for commercials and doing my best to succeed. Among those choices were two adult films I acted in as an adult, with other adults, in a very different environment and time.” It should be noted that most struggling college students do not turn to pornography to pay their bills, and most actors do not either. According to the Hollywood Reporter, many in the entertainment industry have taken jobs in the foodservice industry — not pornography.

Montoya also tried to erroneously blame the Republican Party for his past actions as a porn star, despite the Piñon Post uncovering this evidence, not the Republican Party. Democrat Party chair Marg Elliston doubled down, claiming it was a Republican attack, and trying to pass the buck on President Trump, although the President has never had sex for money or performed sexual acts in any pornographic films, as Montoya has. 

Democrat U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-1) went on Twitter echoing much of the same rhetoric, writing, “The #NMGOP is quick to act high and mighty but their presidential candidate has assaulted women, lied over 20,000 times, and failed to protect Americans from COVID. @montoya_for has lifted up New Mexicans, and I have his back.”

New Mexico state Rep. Joy Garratt commented on a post by a Dr. Brittany Fallon trying to normalize Montoya’s actions, writing, “It’s up to the voters, and Dr. Brittany, thanks for the insertion of common sense humor.” 

In the Democrat Party of New Mexico statement, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich wrote that he encouraged Montoya to run, adding, “If I were a 19 year old kid struggling with addiction or exploitation, Roger is exactly who I would want as a mentor.”

The Republican Party of New Mexico urged Montoya to drop out of the race, writing in a statement, “It’s clear that Montoya’s values are not in line with the conservative values of the people of Northern New Mexico.” New Mexico Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce wrote, “This irresponsible and reckless behavior of starring in gay porno films, whether it takes place now or years ago, is unbecoming of any candidate or elected official.” 

Montoya’s Republican opponent Justin Salazar-Torrez said that the “voters would have to decide” if Montoya is the right choice for New Mexico’s 40th District. 

The Democrats’ response to Montya’s announcement now appears to show their overwhelming support for their candidates to have acted in pornographic films where the individuals had unprotected sexual intercourse. By this standard, if a Republican or Independent candidate were found out to have acted in explicit material like this, they should also get a free pass, per the Democrats’ own standard, although that scenario is not likely to come up.

Montoya is a favorite of many top-level Democrat politicians in New Mexico. He has the endorsements of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, and has received over $2,500 from “MLG PAC,” Lujan Grisham’s political action committee. He has received campaign funds and endorsements from the pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood Votes New Mexico and the environmental group the Sierra Club. In 2019, Gov. Lujan Grisham appointed Montoya to the Human Rights Commission at the Department of Workforce Solutions following the CNN award. Gov. Lujan Grisham has not commented on Montoya’s confirmation of his sex work.

New Mexico Democrats unite behind porn star-turned state House candidate Roger Montoya Read More »

Luján defends his DC record while Ronchetti paints himself as an outsider in first TV debate

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On Monday, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mark Ronchetti faced off against Democrat nominee Ben Ray Luján and Libertarian Bob Walsh for a televised debate, although all three candidates debated from three separate locations. Ronchetti was the only candidate to appear in-studio, while Luján came in from his campaign office in Albuquerque and Walsh appeared from his home in Santa Fe.

Ronchetti came out of the gate pushing Luján on his record and offering himself as a clear “outsider” candidate who will get to work for all New Mexicans, while Luján repeatedly tried to defend his record, although he has never passed a bill during his 12 years in Congress.

Ronchetti was pressed on his support for President Donald Trump’s successful COVID-19 response, which he replied, “ What I said at the time was that knowing what we knew, that we moved ahead as well as we could. Look, there are a lot of people in this process and I give our leaders some grace on this, including Nancy Pelosi. We have a lot of people in Congress who looked at this and we didn’t know what we were looking at here, but we have made some real progress here. But have things gone wrong? Absolutely. Have we done as well as we should have? Absolutely not.” 

However, Ronchetti did mention many policies President Trump has implemented that have helped slow the spread of coronavirus, namely the implementation of the Defense Production Act to produce ventilators, a critical component in treating COVID-19, as well as the China travel ban, which blocked off those coming from and going to the infected source of the virus. He also touted the President and his COVID-19 taskforce for working to streamline the process to produce a vaccine. 

He also pointed to Luján’s support for supporting the HEROES Act, citing H.R. 6800 and H.R. 925, which would release violent criminals early and tax breaks for those who “absolutely do not deserve them.”

In solving the COVID-19 crisis, Ronchetti offered up solutions, such as liability protection for businesses and help for businesses left out of the original CARES Act. “Congressman Luján is right in the middle of this. He can go to Nancy Pelosi and say take this stuff out, let’s get something done,” said Ronchetti

When asked about Native American communities, Luján claimed a bill he “authored” was signed into law regarding Native American infrastructure, although no such bill with his name on it as hte primary sponsor has been passed. He also claimed he has been “leading initiatives with investments” regarding a “broadband gap.” 

Ronchetti noted that he wants to see new technology, not necessarily broadband, help bring high-speed internet to people in the Navajo Nation, and getting them the support they need to be successful. Walsh argued that no government entity should be responsible for helping Tribal communities.

As well, Luján defended Obamacare, which has raised premiums for New Mexicans and in the process closed down many physicians’ practices. Ronchetti, who said he is on Obamacare, was not able to get the quality of care for his daughter, Ava, who has a pre-existing condition. 

On the topic of Law Enforcement and policing, Luján said he doesn’t “want another Portland.” At the same time, Ronchetti made clear his commitment to Law Enforcers and touted his multiple endorsements from Police unions and other associations tied to keeping communities safe. Ronchetti said, “Well, guess what? This isn’t Portland. Someone’s got to tackle violent crime. Our families are crying out for it. And in this case, it needs to be the federal government because you get longer sentences when the feds step in.” 

“When I had a chance to visit with our U.S. Attorney, Mr. Anderson, I made it clear to him that what was happening in Portland was not welcome here or anywhere in the country. As soon as he told me that that would not happen, I asked him yet again that day ‘How can that $9.7 million dollars the Trump Administration had been holding up be released immediately?’ The same $9.7 million that I voted for to be released for the City of Albuquerque to provide more support for Law Enforcement to fight crime on our streets here at home, Mark, and it still has not been released as far as I know,” said Luján. 

Ronchetti replied, “The reason that $9.6 million has not been turned loose is because we are a sanctuary city and that is the problem. And that is the real issue here. In fact, Congressman Luján supports that as well…. For far too long, we have had these approaches, and unfortunately Congressman, right in your answer there, you gave it. The portland thing — that’s the first thing you said instead of saying ‘I’m going to stand up for the people of my city and state,’ your first response was ‘Portland.’ Your first response should be ‘Let me look out for the people of New Mexico.’ ” 

For New Mexico’s voters, the contrast between the candidates is stark. Luján offers years of D.C. experience, with powerful friends at the top of the Washington food chain, although he has not much to show for those years legislation-wise. Ronchetti offers a fresh approach to governing, and one that looks to speak with all sides to bring results to New Mexico’s problems. Walsh offers a hands-off, self-admittedly anti-government approach, with proposals to disband major government programs and support abortion-on-demand, as he said in his answer regarding the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe. v. Wade legalizing abortion-on-demand.

The full one-hour debate can be seen here:

Luján defends his DC record while Ronchetti paints himself as an outsider in first TV debate Read More »

Not-so ‘fierce’ Deb Haaland chickens out of TV debate, following Ben Ray Luján’s lead

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It was reported by KOB 4 that incumbent Democrat Rep. Deb Haaland (NM-03) is refusing to debate her Republican challenger, Michelle Garcia Holmes, on the network, despite the KOB 4 asking multiple times for Haaland to appear at the televised event.

KOB 4 writes, “A debate between the NM 1st Congressional candidates, Incumbent Democrat Rep. Deb Haaland and Republican Challenger Michelle Garcia Holmes, will not happen. Garcia Holmes agreed to a proposed debate, however Rep. Haaland did not despite repeated efforts by KOB 4 to work with her campaign.”

Garcia Holmes responded to Haaland’s apparent fright to debate by writing on her Facebook page, “The voters deserve answers, especially from incumbents, Haaland is no longer ‘fierce’ and has become, “Debate Dodging Deb”, as she refuses KOB’s invitation to debate. Call her congressional office and ask her why…. (505)346-6781”

Garcia Holmes is referring to Haaland’s repeated social media posts and campaign slogans telling people to “be fierce” and trying to brand herself as “fierce.” However, by chickening out of a televised debate, which is objectively probably the least a person running for Congress is expected to do, it appears she is following Rep. Ben Ray Luján’s lead and forgoing such a public display of her record.

Ben Ray Luján only accepted one televised debate on KRQE 7 News and a softball forum on the left-wing PBS affiliate, KNME. He declined both the KOB 4 and KRQE 13 debates. KOB 4 plans to still hold the debate with Mark Ronchetti, Luján’s Republican opponent, as well as a Libertarian candidate while leaving an empty chair for Luján if he wants to join in.  

Not-so ‘fierce’ Deb Haaland chickens out of TV debate, following Ben Ray Luján’s lead Read 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.

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

Longtime voter fraudster reveals how Dems rig elections with mail-in ballots

4 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

Earlier this month, Piñon Post released a report detailing information on how Democrats are ballot harvesting votes from our senior citizens in the upcoming election in New Mexico, which opens the door to massive fraud. 

In a revealing report from the New York Post, a longtime voter fraudster revealed under the cover of anonymity all the methods he used to rig elections in nearly every election in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, which swayed elections up and down the ticket. 

In the interview with the Post, the fraudster said in New Jersey, for instance, “The ballot has no specific security features — like a stamp or a watermark — so the insider said he would just make his own ballots” using a copy machine. 

The article explains:

But the return envelopes are “more secure than the ballot. You could never recreate the envelope,” he said. So they had to be collected from real voters.

He would have his operatives fan out, going house to house, convincing voters to let them mail completed ballots on their behalf as a public service. The fraudster and his minions would then take the sealed envelopes home and hold them over boiling water.

“You have to steam it to loosen the glue,” said the insider.

He then would remove the real ballot, place the counterfeit ballot inside the signed certificate, and reseal the envelope.

“Five minutes per ballot tops,” said the insider.

The insider said he took care not to stuff the fake ballots into just a few public mailboxes, but sprinkle them around town. That way he avoided the attention that foiled a sloppy voter-fraud operation in a Paterson, NJ, city council race this year, where 900 ballots were found in just three mailboxes.

“If they had spread them in all different mailboxes, nothing would have happened,” the insider said.

Another shocking revelation in the report is that some Post Office workers may be in on the scam. “You have a postman who is a rabid anti-Trump guy and he’s working in Bedminster or some Republican stronghold … He can take those [filled-out] ballots, and knowing 95% are going to a Republican, he can just throw those in the garbage,” said the fraudster. 

The report details: 

Hitting up assisted-living facilities and “helping” the elderly fill out their absentee ballots was a gold mine of votes, the insider said.

“There are nursing homes where the nurse is actually a paid operative. And they go room by room by room to these old people who still want to feel like they’re relevant,” said the whistleblower. “[They] literally fill it out for them.”

The insider pointed to former Jersey City Mayor Gerald McCann, who was sued in 2007 after a razor-thin victory for a local school board seat for allegedly tricking “incompetent … and ill” residents of nursing homes into casting ballots for him. McCann denied it, though he did admit to assisting some nursing home residents with absentee ballot applications.

In Piñon Post’s report, One of the Democrat Party of New Mexico’s caucus chairs, Pamelya Herndon, revealed on a fundraising call for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Ben Ray Luján and congressional candidate Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, that the Democrat Party is actively organizing members to visit elderly family members and drop off their ballots at polling locations. She said that 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.”

New Mexico, where there are critical races, such as the Second District, where absentee ballots miraculously appeared out of thin air in 2018 to give Democrat Xochilt Torres Small a razor-thin edge on Republican Yvette Herrell, the voter fraud will once again be a major factor in a potential Democrat win.

An independent audit from the Second District found countless instances of abnormalities in the votes, with counties such as Doña Ana showing multiple irregularities. “Fully 25 percent of the people who purportedly requested absentee ballots from the Doña Ana County clerk didn’t mail them back,” according to the report, going on to say the situation was “suggestive of the possibility that someone was submitting absentee ballot applications for Democrats and those deemed likely to vote for Democrats.” 

“In Eddy County, Torres-Small only received 30.9% of the EV/ED vote (she lost by over two to one margin), but she won the absentee voting with 54.7% of the vote. The same anomaly occurred in both Otero and Sierra Counties — both unique and significant especially in OteroCounty because Herrell lost her home county in the absentee vote despite a sizeable victory on Election Day and early voting,” the report concluded. 

The New York Post report also showed other methods the fraudster used to fix elections: 

When all else failed, the insider would send operatives to vote live in polling stations, particularly in states like New Jersey and New York that do not require voter ID. Pennsylvania, also for the most part, does not.

The best targets were registered voters who routinely skip presidential or municipal elections — information which is publicly available.

“You fill out these index cards with that person’s name and district and you go around the city and say, ‘You’re going to be him, you’re going to be him,’” the insider said of how he dispatched his teams of dirty-tricksters.

At the polling place, the fake voter would sign in, “get on line and … vote,” the insider said. The impostors would simply recreate the signature that already appears in the voter roll as best they could. In the rare instance that a real voter had already signed in and cast a ballot, the impersonator would just chalk it up to an innocent mistake and bolt.

Also, these leftist operatives literally bought off voters, such as with bribing the homeless to help with a “nearly inexhaustible pool of reliable — buyable — voters.” 

“Organizationally, the tipster said, his voter-fraud schemes in the Garden State and elsewhere resembled Mafia organizations, with a boss (usually the campaign manager) handing off the day-to-day managing of the mob soldiers to the underboss (him). The actual candidate was usually kept in the dark deliberately so they could maintain “plausible deniability,’” the report concludes.

The fraud appears to already be in for this election, which makes it that much more critical for voters to vote in-person, or cautiously vote by absentee ballot. The New Mexico Secretary of State’s office has just opened up absentee ballot applications on the government website, and voters can request them there.

Longtime voter fraudster reveals how Dems rig elections with mail-in ballots Read More »

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

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

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. 

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

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