On Thursday, it was revealed that former gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Ronchetti, a Republican, had filed a lawsuit against his former consultant, Virginia-based GoBigMedia. He is being represented by former Republican Gov. Susana Martinez’s general counsel Jessica Hernandez.
Ronchetti claims the firm botched the launch of his campaign websites during both the 2022 gubernatorial and 2020 U.S. Senate elections. He says the second fail by the company cost him his job as a meteorologist at KRQE 13 News.
The lawsuit alleges that Ronchetti made an agreement with the television network to leave on January 6, 2020 for the Senate race, but GoBigMedia put the campaign website live that evening, which was “leaked” to the media.
The lawsuit states, “The second leak also occurred before Mr. Ronchetti had announced his candidacy, and in fact before he had made his final decision whether to run,” adding, “As a result of this leak, Mr. Ronchetti was forced to resign immediately and without warning from his job at KRQE-TV.”
The botched website operations by the firm caused “financial losses, loss of reputation, damage to his campaign, damage to his employment prospects, and other economic and noneconomic damages,” as the lawsuit reads.
“Filed in Albuquerque during February, the lawsuit does not specify how much money Ronchetti is seeking from Go Big Media but seeks compensatory and punitive damages, accusing the company of unfair or deceptive trade practices, breach of contract and negligence,” noted the Santa Fe Reporter.
Ronchetti signaled a possible new run for office late last month by writing on Facebook, “Thank you all for your kind comments, Krysty and I and the girls appreciate it. There’s a lot of stuff we’ve been working on behind the scenes. We’re announcing one of those things here soon. So stay tuned. And don’t worry…my sleeves are still rolled up.”
In a strange turn of events, far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is urging New Mexico legislators to adopt a $750 to $1,500 rebate plan with the new windfall of over $1.1 billion in “new money” to spend in the new fiscal year due to increased oil and gas proceeds
The Albuquerque Journal reported, “The specific size and scope of the rebates remain under negotiation with the session just over a month away, but a spokeswoman for the Democratic governor said Tuesday the rebates could be in the ballpark of $750 per taxpayer – or $1,500 per married couple filing jointly.”
“The governor has been working for several months to urge the Legislature to support using a portion of the one-time funds to deliver another rebate to New Mexicans as they continue to experience high costs due to inflation,” Lujan Grisham’s press secretary Nora Meyers Sackett said.
“The record-high revenue projections present a unique opportunity to keep more money in New Mexicans’ pockets, and the governor will continue to push for an additional round of rebates as we near the legislative session,” she continued.
Backtracking to the 2022 campaign, where Lujan Grisham beat her GOP opponent Mark Ronchetti, she blasted his campaign’s plan to give tax rebates based on oil and gas production — essentially the same policy she is proposing now.
Ronchetti’s website read during the campaign, “At current oil and gas production and budget surplus levels, this would amount to more than $500 for every man, woman, and child in New Mexico.”
In July, Lujan Grisham’s campaign railed against Ronchetti’s plan, calling it a “fiscally irresponsible socialist scheme” that would eliminate funding for the state budget. The governor’s administration has now copy-pasted the Ronchetti plan.
Lujan Grisham’s previous critique of Ronchetti’s plan came after she approved robbing the Land Grant Permanent Fund of billions to pay for socialist “free” daycare, approved $75 million annually for socialist “free” college (including for illegal aliens), and promoted full-blown socialist policies, such as the state’s “Energy Transition Act,” also known as the Green New Deal to implement the socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-style policy.
According to data analysis done by data researchers Jeff O’Donnell and Draza Smith, there appear to be many abnormal occurrences in the 2022 midterm elections in New Mexico.
Data published by O’Donnell and Smith shows the first ballot dump in New Mexico’s governor’s race gave incumbent Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham 80.3 percent (42,922 ballots), while Republican Mark Ronchetti only got 19.5 percent (10,538 ballots), which is apparently statistically impossible.
It is unclear where these first ballots flooded in from, but even in the state’s most far-left county, Santa Fe County, there were only 69,449 ballots cast, meaning the first dump would have been over 61.8 percent of the county’s total votes cast — an unlikely scenario. The county’s final results were 75.3 percent for Grisham to 23.4 percent for Ronchetti.
Another dump later left the total number of ballots for Lujan Grisham at 184,382 votes to Ronchetti’s 58,329 votes, leaving him with only 24 percent of the vote to Lujan Grisham’s 76 percent margin. This disparity is not normal, especially since only Santa Fe County had anywhere near a similar percentage of ballots cast, while its population could not have mathematically given such a margin to the Democrat governor.
This same pattern appears to algorithmically go up at nearly the same percentage for Lujan Grisham throughout the night, giving the Democrat an extreme advantage in the number of ballots tabulated from the start. No such ballot increase for Ronchetti appears to have happened throughout the night despite many Republican-heavy counties overwhelmingly rejecting Lujan Grish, such as Chaves County, where Lujan Grisham only got 24.9 percent of the vote to Ronchetti’s 72.8 percent.
This same pattern could be found in the secretary of state election, where Democrat incumbent Maggie Toulouse Oliver, who oversaw her own election, started out with 68.2 percent (49,794 ballots) of the vote to Republican Audrey Trujillo’s 31.8 percent (23,185 ballots).
There was also a discrepancy of around 7,000 votes between the gubernatorial race and the secretary of state race, which also creates new questions about what happened with these ballot dumps and where did these ballots come from.
A later ballot dump in that race had Toulouse Oliver with 67.1 percent of the vote to Trujillo’s 38.2 percent, another statistical abnormality. It is also unlikely these came from such a heavily Democrat district as Santa Fe due to the margin and vote numbers. It showed Toulouse Oliver with 191,360 ballots to Trujillo’s 60,689.
Similar apparent algorithmic disparities happened in the state attorney general race, with Democrat Raúl Torrez garnering 67.3 percent (49,917 ballots) of the initial ballot dump, while Republican Jeremy Gay got 32.7 percent (24,284 ballots). Later ballot dumps followed the same pattern in both the secretary of state and governor’s races.
Another key piece of evidence also shows that the initial ballot dump happened statewide and was not isolated in extremely Democrat-dominated places is the results from the Second Congressional District, which does not encompass Santa Fe.
Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, who was projected at the end of the night to lose by around 1,000 votes, initially started out with only 20.7 percent (1,321 votes) of the first round of ballots to her Democrat opponent Gabe Vasquez’s 79.3 percent (5,071 votes).
A similar pattern carried over to the First and Second Congressional Districts. However, it appeared the algorithm was flipped in the First District, where Democrat Melanie Stansbury started off with far fewer votes counted, with it later correcting to show Stansbury with a 62.3 percent lead to her Republican opponent Michelle Garcia Holmes, who had 37.7 percent.
In the Third Congressional District, the initial margins were even more extreme, with Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez getting an initial 84.9 percent of the vote (37,622 ballots) to Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson’s 15.1 percent (6,671 ballots).
It is unclear what justification the secretary of state or other elections officials have for these statistical abnormalities, but they appear to indicate possible tampering with New Mexico’s electoral system.
See the full data analysis by O’Donnell and Smith here.
On Thursday, Republican former candidate for governor Mark Ronchetti released a formal concession letter via social media after Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was projected to be the winner of the heated gubernatorial contest:
Unfortunately, things did not turn out the way we hoped on Tuesday night. After a long year on the campaign trail, the voters of New Mexico chose a different path than the vision our campaign laid out.
I got into this race last year for the same reason I ran for US Senate two years ago – I love this state & would do anything to try to make this a better place to live for New Mexican families. Safe streets, better schools, and more support for working families to make it to the end of the month should be the expectation, and for far too long our leaders have failed to set us on the path to attain that.
I truly hope that Governor Lujan Grisham finds success on those fronts, because that means the people of this beautiful state will be better off.
I also hope the Governor takes note of the results & prioritizes listening to those in our rural communities, and realizes that for far too long rural New Mexico has felt forgotten.
Most importantly, my family and I want to thank the thousands of you who supported my campaign with your time, resources and prayers. This campaign was a grassroots movement of people desperate for change, and it was an honor to represent you on the campaign trail and on the ballot.
I could never have made it to Election Day without the support from all of you. Every last one of you who I came into contact with shaped my perspective and vision.
This state has given so much to my family and I, and for that I will always be grateful.
God Bless,
Mark Ronchetti
According to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State, Ronchetti had 324,376 votes (46 percent) to Lujan Grisham’s 369,518 (52 percent). Libertarian Karen Bedonie garnered two percent with 17,361 votes.
On Tuesday, New Mexico Republicans suffered losses in the 2022 midterm election, which was mired by obsessive talk about abortion by Democrats while key issues such as crime and inflation were swept under the rug by leftists.
In the governor’s race, Democrat scandal-ridden alleged serial groper Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham won reelection against Republican Mark Ronchetti. Unofficial results as of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday showed Lujan Grisham with 52 percent of the vote, Ronchetti with 46 percent, while Libertarian Karen Bedonie garnered two percent. Ronchetti conceded to Lujan Grisham, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
In the state House, Republicans did not succeed in most attempts at knocking off Democrat incumbents, although Jenifer Jones of Deming is leading incumbent Democrat state Rep. Candie Sweetser of Deming by 49 votes, potentially triggering an automatic recount.
Another seat the GOP flipped appears to be Albuquerque-based House District 68, currently held by retiring Democrat Rep. Karen Bash. Republican Robert Moss leads Democrat Charlotte Little by 12 votes. In the Sandoval County-based 23rd District, Republican Alan Martinez won over Democrat Ramon Montano, flipping the seat currently held by retiring Democrat Rep. Daymon Ely to the Republican column.
One Republican incumbent lost reelection, Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert of Corrales, who was defeated by Democrat Kathleen Cates. That leaves Republicans with 26 seats in the 70-member chamber if the results hold. This is a slight gain from the current 24 seats held in the state House.
The losses in the state legislature came after Democrats’ aggressive partisan gerrymandering to benefit far-left Democrats.
Both Democrat U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury of the First District and Teresa Leger Fernandez of the Third District easily won reelection, while Republican Congresswoman Yvette Herrell’s seat in the Second District remains too close to call.
Republican Alexis Martinez Johnson trailed Leger Fernandez 42 percent to 58 percent. Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes trailed Stansbury 44 percent to 56 percent.
All statewide races for secretary of state, state treasurer, state land commissioner, attorney general, and state auditor swung toward Democrats, while all Democrat Court of Appeals and Supreme Court judges won their seats, keeping a 5-0 Democrat majority on the state’s highest court.
All constitutional amendments and bond issues passed overwhelmingly, one of which will rob billions from the state’s Permanent Fund for socialist “free” daycare programs.
Other high-profile races, such as Bernalillo County’s sheriff race, where billionaire Michael Bloomberg dunked large sums of cash into to help the Democrat, John Allen, swing in his favor also.
More information will be added to this article when it becomes available.
On Monday night, Mark Ronchetti’s campaign held a final rally before Election Day in Albuquerque as a finale of his “Ronchetti on the Road” tour. During the tour, which began in late October, Ronchetti hit all 33 counties, with stops all across the map.
At the rally. Ronchetti said that the Santa Fe elites “want us to believe the lie that it can’t get better,” but it can get better by electing new leadership.
His team wrote on Twitter, “Don’t believe what the elites in Santa Fe tell us. We can have cleaner streets, educate our kids better, and put more money in your pocket.”
A rival event Democrat Gov. Lujan Grisham had on Thursday appeared only to have a few dozen people in attendance. Ronchetti’s had hundreds, if not at least 1,000.
Lujan Grisham, the incumbent governor, has been polling within the margin of error with Ronchetti, with one poll showing him beating her by a single point. He has outraised the governor during three separate reporting periods, proving how strong the “red wave” could be against the embattled, scandal-ridden governor.
Both candidates, as well as Libertarian Karen Bedonie, will battle it out at the ballot box on Tuesday, with polls opening at 7:00 a.m. and closing at 7:00 p.m. for more information about voting, visit this article.
As Election Day nears, Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is getting even worse news about her toss-up reelection bid against Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Ronchetti.
Ronchetti once again bested Lujan Grisham in fundraising for the third General Election fundraising period by around $80,000. Ronchetti brought in $1,414,005.53, Lujan Grisham raised $1,334,096.93, while Libertarian candidate Karen Bedonie brought in $10,242.74.
Ronchetti spent $3,562,545.45 during the period, while Lujan Grisham doled out $2,669,831.35. The Republican’s cash on hand is $346,248.08 compared to Lujan Grisham’s at $351,716.53. Bedonie spent $10,616.23 during the period, with $3,042.45 cash on hand. Ronchetti spent most of his money on television advertisements and production costs, as did Lujan Grisham. Other large expenditures included those for postage and mailings.
This is the third time Ronchetti has outraised the governor. His strong fundraising shows his viability, which is now reflected in many recent polls.
The latest Emerson College poll showed Ronchetti trailing Lujan Grisham by a mere three points, which was within the margin of error. A Trafalgar Group poll released late last month showed Ronchetti leading the governor by 1.1 percent.
The Republican has been blasting Lujan Grisham on the airwaves, in the mail, and in other forms about her constant scandals as chief executive. These include the early release of violent criminals who later ended up committing heinous crimes.
One case, in particular, that of a twice-released man named Chris Beltran, ended up with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Domonique Gonzales, who he threatened to kill while still behind bars. Despite this, Lujan Grisham’s regime repeatedly released him.
Another scandal being brought into focus is Lujan Grisham’s $150,000 payout to a former staffer over sexual assault claims that she poured water over his crotch area and then groped his penis through his trousers.
Early voting continues in New Mexico until this Saturday, November 5, while Election Day is next Tuesday, November 8.
A new poll conducted by Emerson College for KRQE 13 shows Republican incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District is leading her Democrat challenger by double digits.
Among likely voters. Herrell got 54 percent support, while Vasquez got 41 percent. Four percent of respondents were undecided.
When the poll factored in undecided voters, Herrell led Vasquez by 54 to 44 percent — a ten percentage point advantage.
These numbers are starkly different than the Albuquerque Journal poll released earlier this week, claiming Herrell was trailing Vasquez by two percentage points.
The poll surveyed 203 likely voters between October 25 and October 28 with a margin of error of 5.6 percent.
The same Emmerson poll also found Republican Mark Ronchetti trailing Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham by a mere three percentage points.
However, when factoring in undecided voters and who they were leaning toward voting for at the time, Lujan Grisham got 50 percent support while Ronchetti garnered 48 percent — only a two-point lead.
The governor poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters during the same timeline. The margin of error was a smaller 3.02 percent, meaning the race is in a statistical tie.
Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEightrates Emerson College’s poll an A-, meaning it is one of the best in the nation.
In an early morning Truth Social post Monday, President Donald J. Trump threw his support around New Mexico Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Ronchetti, who is running against far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The 45th President said, “New Mexico has an absolutely terrible Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. She is WEAK on Crime, bad on the Border where illegal aliens are pouring into our Country at record numbers, & has almost no support from Law Enforcement, which fully understands what a disaster she has been. Also, Drugs & Human Trafficking are OUT OF CONTROL.”
He then praised Ronchetti as an “outstanding” candidate.
Trump wrote, “The good news is that Republican Nominee Mark Ronchetti is outstanding. He will be tough & smart on Crime, the Border & everything else. Mark [has] my Total Endorsement!”
Ronchetti is polling within single digits of Lujan Grisham. He has consistently outraised the embattled Democrat, who has been plagued by her scandal-ridden tenure as governor.
Early voting is through November 5 and Election Day is on November 8.
A previous version of this article incorrectly said Trump made the announcement in a “tweet.” He actually announced it in a Truth Social post.
As Kamala Harris visits Albuquerque Tuesday to support far-left pro-abortion Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s re-election efforts, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Ronchetti’s campaign is bringing up her past tweets that say sexual abuse accusers must be heard.
Lujan Grisham paid a former staffer, James Hallinan, $150,000 in hush money and forced him to sign a non-disclosure agreement after he claimed she mocked his manhood after she poured water over and groped his crotch.
Harris, in previous tweets, claimed she supports “all survivors of sexual assault or abuse. We won’t let them be silenced or ignored. #BelieveSurvivors.” Yet she is campaigning for Lujan Grisham, who not only was accused but paid off money to alleged abuse victims.
Ronchetti’s campaign had a mobile billboard with Harris’ tweets drive around the event venue at Keller Hall on the University of New Mexico campus. The billboard also asked, “Kamala, #ItsOnUs to stop sexual assault, so why have you not called out MLG for committing sexual assault?”
The Ronchetti campaign wrote on Twitter, “Right now, @Michelle4NM is campaigning with VP Kamala Harris in Albuquerque. In the past, the VP has taken a strong stance against sexual assault. So, we sent a mobile billboard to their event to ask her if she still supports sexual assault victims.”
See what it looks like:
Right now, @Michelle4NM is campaigning with VP Kamala Harris in Albuquerque.
In the past, the VP has taken a strong stance against sexual assault.
So, we sent a mobile billboard to their event to ask her if she still supports sexual assault victims. Check it out ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XGlrqQNwDn
Ronchetti is currently polling ahead of Lujan Grisham, whose scandals are taking a toll on her re-election prospects. Instead of debating issues, she has pivoted almost exclusively to talking about abortion.
The in attendance for the event included far-left U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (CD-3), state Sen. Leo Jaramillo (Rio Arriba), and lame-duck state Rep. Roger Montoya, also from Rio Arriba County — all Democrats.
Some views from inside the event, per the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Daniel Chacón:
