Republican Party of New Mexico

Egolf says decision for no in-person comment during special session was ‘unanimous’—it wasn’t

1 Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday, while responding to a citizen’s questions about the upcoming special session called by Gov. Lujan Grisham, Speaker of the House Brian Egolf was asked about the decision to not have in-person comment, which Egolf claimed in a Zoom call was to slow the spread of COVID-19.

New Mexico resident Todd Hathorn wrote to Egolf, “Closed means no public interaction.  Actions taken by the Speaker belie the words.  This move to close the session requires a suspension of disbelief.”

Egolf responded to Hathorn, writing back, “That is not true.  We explained in yesterday how the public will participate live by video and give comment directly to committees, by video or in writing.  The public does not offer comment on floor debates…never has.  This was a unanimous and bi-partisan decision.” 

But the Speaker’s comment appears to be false, as at least one Republican representative says they never were asked for their input on the matter, and that they disagree with the closed meetings. 

Rep. Greg Nibert (R-Roswell), wrote in an email to the Piñon Post, “The question was never presented to me.  If asked, I would respond that the Capitol is the people’s house and if people want to attend and take the risk, they should be allowed to do so.”

Other members have confirmed they were never asked their opinion including Rep. Martin Zamora (R-Clovis), Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert (R-Corrales), and Sen. Pat Woods (R-Broadview).

According to House Republican Leader Jim Townsend (R-Artesia), the motion to keep the Capitol closed was made during a WebEx virtual meeting, where there was no way for members to comment. He also noted that Republican Whip Rod Montoya also could not comment during the meeting and he texted the Speaker directly, which let him speak on the matter.

New Mexico Senate Republican Whip Stuart Ingle’s staff confirmed that he was not present for that conversation or vote, so no, it was not “unanimous.”

Speaker Egolf’s claim that the decision was both bipartisan and unanimous is false, since not every member of the House was asked their opinion. Piñon Post has reached out to every Republican member of the New Mexico House and the Senate, with none responding in support of closed meetings as of 11:57 P.M. on Thursday.

The closed-door special session will take place on June 18th, with no public allowed in the Capitol. Also, legislators will be paid per-diem before and during the special session if they choose to work from home.

The Republican Party of New Mexico called this decision “an insult and another hard slap in the face to all hard-working New Mexicans,” Chairman and former Congressman Steve Pearce saying, “The funds are tapped out, but they’ll still find a way to squeeze more for themselves and squeeze the public.”

Egolf says decision for no in-person comment during special session was ‘unanimous’—it wasn’t Read More »

Piñon Post and United Conservative Movement partner to ‘Pledge to Vote RED NM’

Leave a Comment / Editorial, New Mexico / By

On Tuesday, Republicans from across New Mexico headed to the polls and chose our GOP nominees to advance to take on the Democrats in November’s General Election. Although some of our favorite candidates may not have made it out of the primary, now is the time, as Republicans to unite around every Republican on the ballot and work to turn New Mexico RED (Remove Every Democrat) in the election.

With President Trump at the top of the ticket, and a strong selection of candidates running for federal, state, and local elected officials, the stakes could not be higher for Republicans, which is why I am proud to partner with Shauna Abney of the United Conservative Movement to unite Republicans in our state behind our great GOP nominees selected Tuesday.

Although Shauna and I differ on a few candidates, we both are putting our party and our state’s future over our personal choices, and signing the “Pledge to Vote RED NM” pledge to show we are united in our fight for our conservative values and a prosperous future for our state. The stakes are too high to not be united going into November, and this is our shot at taking back our state and reclaiming our values!

Sign the pledge and send it to every Republican you know. We must unite to turn our beautiful state of New Mexico RED in November! 

Pledge to Vote Red NM

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NM GOP Chairman Pearce to MLG: ‘You’re driving a stake into the heart’ of our state

5 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Wednesday morning, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman and former Congressman Steve Pearce joined Steve Ducey on Fox News to speak about Democrat New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s response to the coronavirus, which is hitting small business owners and working families hard.

During the interview, Ducey asked Pearce to explain Lujan Grisham’s logic behind the closure of small mom and pop businesses while corporate big box stores such as Walmart are allowed to stay open. Pearce responded, “I can’t explain her logic. It’s totally unfair, it’s discriminatory.”

Pearce then laid out the situation in the state, saying, “New Mexico is big and rural. We have a couple of population centers, but everything else is sparsely populated. Mom and pops drive the state, and so the initial order weeks ago, the Governor said the big box stores can open, no restrictions on them. The small mom and pops had to shut down. Many of them are just going to be forced into bankruptcy and will not be open.”

“In the meantime, counties [that] do not even have one case — the residents of those places — no big box stores are there. They’re having to drive into Albuquerque or Santa Fe or Las Cruces in order to hit a big box store. That puts them closer to people who might have the virus, and it just has never made any sense. But mostly it’s just the patented unfairness that drives our money into the big box stores. They ship it out of New Mexico at the close of the business day. They don’t use local banks, so we’re robbing the state for capital into the future.” 

“We’ve been saying, ‘wait, it’s got to be an even playing field. There has to be competition from both sides. There have to be choices. Local businesses, mom, and pop should have the same rights as the out-of-state giant corporations.’”

When asked about a Grants pawnshop facing a $60,000 fine from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Pearce said, “Your average business may make ten percent. That means you have to have $600,000 worth of products in order to get to $60,000. They’re just going to be thrust into bankruptcy. The veteran is disabled. His wife is going to have to close the business, and the Governor is coming in and making an example of them. Five or six uniformed state police officers circled around the building, slapped the notice on the building. 

Pearce continued, “The fine is just devastating to that small community because it’s made up totally of small businesses. Even the local sheriffs and police officers are having to drive into Albuquerque to get ammunition that [the local pawn shop] sold there.”

Steve Ducey wrapped up the segment asking what message Chairman Pearce had for Gov. Lujan Grisham. Pearce answered, “The small business owners throughout New Mexico — they’re the heart and soul of our state, and I would just say to the Governor, “you’re driving a stake into the heart and the spirit and the soul of our state. The small communities depend on local business owner…. They’re the ones who support the basketball team and the football team. They’re the ones who are there for the Rotary Clubs and the Kiwanis Clubs. Give them a fair chance.”

On Wednesday, Pearce sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr requesting his help in stopping Gov. Lujan Grisham’s unconstitutional orders barring citizens from work and crippling New Mexico’s state economy.

NM GOP Chairman Pearce to MLG: ‘You’re driving a stake into the heart’ of our state Read More »

Gov. MLG’s comms. director: NM GOP is a ‘death cult’ wanting more New Mexican COVID-19 deaths

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On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s communications director, Tripp Stelnicki tweeted out a jab at anyone who is trying to reopen New Mexico’s economy — a group mostly led by Republicans worried about fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Earlier this week, the New Mexico Republican Party pushed back on Lujan Grisham sending cease and desist orders to New Mexico businesses staying open to provide necessary goods and services, despite the Governor labeling many businesses “non-essential.”

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Business Coalition unveiled its plan to reopen the state’s economy, beginning with allowing businesses who can operate under the current guidelines of 20% capacity to reopen. “When you look at all the goods and items that can be purchased in a big box store, for example, why could we not purchase those locally? If we were to do that, we would get more businesses open,” said NMBC President Carla Sonntag.

During Lujan Grisham’s Thursday address, she made clear she has no intention of letting up on restrictions yet, saying, “…we are not at a point currently where it would be safe to reopen.”

The same day as the Governor’s address, Tripp Stelnicki wrote up a tweet directly targeting the Republicans who are aiming to help reopen the state’s economy. He wrote, “You don’t have to ask the death cult their opinion or publish their quotes. False equivalence now is actually life or death. There is no “both sides” to this. There is one group preaching accelerated illness & death because they “love” “business” & if you can’t see through that?”

Republican state leaders rebuked Stelnicki’s jab at their concerns as a “death cult,” with the Republican Party responding, “This outrageous tweet, suggesting that Republicans want to get more New Mexicans to contract COVID-19, is shocking and disgraceful. The tweet shows to what lengths the Governor’s Office will go to scare the public and politicize the pandemic. The tweet is disgusting and twisted, and the Governor’s Office is way out of line with this monstrous claim. Nothing is further from the truth.”

Moderate Republican Rep. Rebecca Dow of Silver City suggested Stelnicki’s tweet goes against state laws mandating state employees cannot be “engaging in a political activity while on duty,” citing the New Mexico statute. 

The Governor has not responded to her communications director’s statement, which appears to have violated state statutes barring state employees from political activity while on duty. The Republican Party of New Mexico has demanded an apology from the Governor’s office in response to Stelnicki’s jab at Republicans. 

Previously to working for Gov. Lujan Grisham, Stelnicki worked as a reporter for the left-wing paper, the Santa Fe New Mexican, and has bashed President Trump and Republicans on countless occasions, such as in September 2019 when President Trump visited Rio Rancho, New Mexico for a rally. Stelnicki mocked the President about how he would pronounce “Rio Rancho.” 

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Governor’s spokesperson, Nora Meyers Sackett, said, “The tweet in question does not reference any person, group, or organization specifically by name — if someone seems to think it’s about them, I’d say they’ve placed that upon themselves.”

Gov. MLG’s comms. director: NM GOP is a ‘death cult’ wanting more New Mexican COVID-19 deaths Read More »

Dems cry ‘voter suppression’ after Dem-majority NM Supreme Court blocks all-mail election

2 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Tuesday, the New Mexico Supreme Court dealt Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and the Democrat Party a crippling blow in their attempt to use the COVID-19 pandemic to push for an all mail-in ballot election, despite New Mexico’s ancient voter records.

The Court unanimously sided with the Republican Party of New Mexico, with Chief Justice Judith Nakamura saying, “The relief that is requested is specifically prohibited by New Mexico statute … which says that a mail ballot shall not be delivered by the county clerk to anyone other than the applicant for the ballot.”

The Court found a solution to the pandemic concerns with in-person voting by ruling that the state should send out absentee ballot applications to be filled out and sent back, which both followed current statute and curbs potential for widespread fraud. 

A deep-dive from the Public Interest Legal Foundation found countless instances of inconsistencies in the New Mexico voter rolls, with 3,168 registrants flagged with duplicate concerns, 1,681 dead residents, 1,519 voters aged over 100 years old, 64 of which are aged over 120, and 188 registered with a commercial address. — # of Registrations flagged for duplicate concerns: 3,168

The Republican Party of New Mexico hailed the Supreme Court’s decision, writing in a statement, “The court’s refusal to rewrite New Mexico election law—to allow the unsolicited mailing of live ballots as part of an all vote-by-mail (VBM) election–shows the proper respect for the importance of election integrity, even in the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19.”

The hard-left dark money Democrat Party-linked 501c4 nonprofit “ProgressNow NM” bemoaned the Court’s decision to follow written law, claiming “this is a rough day for democracy in New Mexico,” despite the ability of citizens to vote legally with absentee ballot applications.

Secretary of State Toulouse Oliver sent out a statement begrudgingly accepting the decision, saying, “My office will comply with the court’s order and mail absentee ballot applications to all voters registered with a major political party. That’s why it’s important that eligible voters register to vote or update their voter registrations by May 5.”

The Democrat Party of New Mexico sent out a statement once again using the COVID-19 crisis as a pelting board to launch attacks at the Republican Party. The statement claimed the NM GOP is attempting to “suppress the vote,” despite the Party asking for the Court to rule in the bounds of current law. 
The New Mexico Supreme Court is made up of four Democrats and one Republican.

Dems cry ‘voter suppression’ after Dem-majority NM Supreme Court blocks all-mail election Read More »

‘Mom and pop’ shops selling necessary goods served with cease and desist orders by Gov. MLG

106 Comments / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Monday, farming and ranching store Bar G Western Wear in Portales announced via Facebook that they had been served with a cease and desist order by State Police for keeping their doors open. The store sells essential items needed by farmers and ranchers to keep their businesses running.

Bar G Western Wear’s post reads, “Soooo folks… we’ve just been served with a CEASE and DESIST order! Apparently there were several complaints against us. (Snitches/Busybodies…..who would have thought). The NM State Police were very professional and nice. We will pursue this further. Thanks for the overwhelming support!”

State Rep. Gregg Schmedes (R-Tijeras) responded to the news with outrage, writing, “Apparently Governor Grisham doesn’t believe farmers & ranchers are essential. Where are they supposed to go to get supplies and work clothes? MLG, you’re wrong. These are the good guys, and they are ESSENTIAL. #TooFar”

The Republican Party of New Mexico has pushed back on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s orders that allow large corporations like Walmart to keep their doors open during COVID-19, while small “mom and pop” shops are hurting, many being sent cease and desist orders if they remain open to provide essential goods and services to their communities.

“Somewhere the Main Street owners of mom and pop stores in New Mexico need to be spoken for,” said Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce. 

Lujan Grisham’s office shrugged off the concerns by writing, “Any half-thought-out proposal about picking winners and losers and allowing partial closures … will lead to more illnesses and more death.”

‘Mom and pop’ shops selling necessary goods served with cease and desist orders by Gov. MLG Read More »

RPNM pre-primary results: Martinez, Herrell, Garcia Holmes, Montoya to appear first on primary ballot

Leave a Comment / New Mexico, News, Politics / By

On Saturday, the Republican Party of New Mexico held its pre-primary convention at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At the convention, candidates for federal races made the case for their candidacy with short pitches to the audience. With 20% of the delegates, candidates will advance to the primary ballot in June.

Results trickled in a little after 12 noon, with U.S. Senate candidate and pro-life advocate Elisa Martinez coming out strong with 241 delegates, ex-weatherman Mark Ronchetti receiving 198 Delegates, and shooting range Calibers owner Louie Sanchez with 113 delegates. 2018 nominee for U.S. Senate Mick Rich received 72 delegates, while Las Cruces resident and 2018 nominee for Secretary of State Dr. Gavin Clarkson got 66 delegates. Martinez and Ronchetti will be the only candidates to appear on the ballot, unless the other candidates submit additional signatures to the Secretary of State’s office.

In New Mexico’s First Congressional District, 2018 nominee for lieutenant governor, Michelle Garcia Holmes, received 135 delegates, lawyer Jared Vander Dussen received 64 delegates, and ex-Democrat Brett Kokinadis received 14 delegates. Holmes and Vander Dussen will advance.

In New Mexico’s Second Congressional District race, former New Mexico State Rep. Yvette Herrell annihilated her competition, earning 168 delegates to her closest competition, Claire Chase’s 83 delegates. Another candidate, Chris Mathys received 3 delegates.  Herrell and Chase will advance.

In New Mexico’s Third Congressional District, former Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya led the field with 86 delegates and small business owner Karen Bedonie received 69 delegates. They will both advance.

The primary election will occur on June 2, 2020, where the final nominees will be selected by Republican voters.

RPNM pre-primary results: Martinez, Herrell, Garcia Holmes, Montoya to appear first on primary ballot Read More »

Columnist says RPNM lying about bill creating opportunity for voter fraud—he gets fact-checked

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Liberal columnist claims GOP lying about election laws bill that would have loosened protections—ends up he’s totally wrong

Last week, liberal columnist Milan Simonich of the Santa Fe New Mexican wrote an opinion piece slamming a comment made by Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce, who said that the New Mexico “ House approved [House Bill] 229, legislation that would eliminate the need for three forms of voter identification for absentee ballots.”

Simonich wrote, “[Pearce] claims the bill would eliminate the requirement that an absentee voter provide their name, address and year of birth. That’s false. HB 229 makes no such change.”

But HB-229 did indeed eliminate the need for three forms of voter identification for absentee ballots. Simonich appears to be trying to refute Pearce’s claims by using Section six of the bill, which references the application for a ballot, not the ballot itself. Page 21, lines 18-21 of the bill explicitly remove the requirement that the voter fill in their name, address, and year of birth, contradicting Simonich’s claim.

Simonich seems to be unaware of how absentee voting works in New Mexico, especially since HB-229 would dramatically change the security behind absentee voting. 

The way the system works currently is that the voter writes to his county clerk asking for an absentee ballot (the ballot application). It does have to include a name, address, and year of birth.

The ballot itself (specifically, the outer envelope of the ballot) has fields for name, address, and year of birth, so if the ballot ends up in someone else’s hands, there’s some attempt to authenticate that the person who filled out the ballot and mailed it back was indeed the voter. 

The absentee ballots are often sent to places other than the voter’s home, such as an out-of-state address, a hotel, or somewhere else, and there is a risk the ballot can get into someone else’s hands.  

HB-229 attempted to remove that voter-ID requirement entirely, creating a new opportunity for the person who got their hands on the ballot to simply fill it in and send it back. A person committing a “crime of opportunity” by finding the ballot by chance would likely not take the time to look up the real voter’s name, address, and year of birth, which is why the need for a second verification is so crucial. 

Another way for voter fraud to happen is by a person getting the ballot and filling it out by accident, with the ballot being issued to one person, but another filling it out. Instances of this occurred in 2018’s CD-2 race. 

Simonich’s failed attempt at fact-checking flopped on its face, and the Santa Fe New Mexican should issue a retraction for the inaccurate commentary piece.

Columnist says RPNM lying about bill creating opportunity for voter fraud—he gets fact-checked Read More »

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