Another "Susana For Veep?" Story

The latest national profile on Gov. Susana Martinez is in The Washington Examiner,  a right-leaning publication.

The article by reporter Rebecca Berg is pretty glowing and there's not much that New Mexicans haven't seen before about the gov.

She's a  "popular governor, with approval ratings in the mid-60s, and she is a Hispanic and a woman, two demographics that have so far eluded Republicans on the national level." and "She’s maintained a tough-but-compassionate persona through her career ..."

The story also gives examples of how Martinez has differed with prevailing GOP positions on some issues.

Martinez, whose husband is in law enforcement, supports a national gun registry to prevent sales to people with proven histories of mental illness. And she approved an expansion of Medicaid in New Mexico that was an option under President Obama's signature health care law, a step some conservative Republicans have likened to embracing the law in its entirety.

Despite the headline -- "Is New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez a Republican VP candidate?" -- the piece includes what might be Martinez's most recent denial that she would accept a spot on the national ticket. First she talked about why she declined to be considered for Mitt Romney's running mate last year.

“I had no intentions of leaving my state, and no intentions, vetted or not, offered or not, of that position,” Martinez explained in an interview with the Washington Examiner at the Republican Governors Association conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., last month. “So it would have been a waste of their time.” 

Asked whether she would consider being vetted for the job in 2016, her response was no less Shermanesque, if more succinct: She shook her head “no,” somewhat wistfully, followed by a firm, “Nuh uh.”

Berg gave a couple of prominent New Mexico Democrats a chance to share their feelings on Susana Martinez.:

Were her state record subjected to further scrutiny, New Mexico Democrats say, it would not hold up.
“Anyone considering her as a running mate should be aware, she will be the Sarah Palin of New Mexico,” said New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman Sam [Bregman].
Martinez’s predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, declined an interview because he has “a very negative opinion of Martinez,” a spokesperson said.

(The story actually identifies Bregman as "Sam Bernalillo.")

I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of such articles.

Manny Probably Gone to a Halfway House

Former state Sen. Manny Aragon, known for years as the most powerful force in the state Legislature, was released from federal prison in Colorado Thursday.

Aragon, 66, was serving time since June, 2009 in the federal correctional facility at Florence, Colo. for his role in skimming money from an Albuquerque courthouse project.

It's not clear exactly where he is going in the immediate future, but a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons told The New Mexican that it's normal for inmates to be released to a halfway house "for a period of transition and readjusting to society."

Aragon's lawyer, Ray Twohig had no comment about Aragon. An employee of Twohigs confirmed that Thursday was Aragon's release day. Originally sentenced to five and a half years, Aragon's original release date was May 2 next year.

Aragon, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2008 to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. All counts were related to a scheme to defraud the state of nearly $4.4 million in the construction of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse in Albuquerque. The crimes took place while Aragon was serving as state Senate President Pro-tem.

More in tomorrow's Santa Fe New Mexican

Health Exchange Blues

No this isn't about some technical problems with some website. It's a song recorded by a bunch of New Mexico musicians, part of The New Mexico Blues Society, to plug NMHIX, the state's health-insurance campaign.

Musicians here include singer Hillary Smith, guitarist Chris Dracup, Bob Andrews on keyboards, David Barclay on accordion, Jeff Sipe on bass and drummer Chuck Lucero.

Remember, if you like the blues you have, you can keep 'em.

Enjoy the video:

The Morales IPRA Battle

UPDATE: 12-2-13 9 a.m. More on the "IPRA Battle" at the Santa Fe New Mexican site

Two campaigns for gubernatorial candidates are using the state Inspection of Public Records Act to bludgeon each other.

Sen. Morales

Last week state Sen. Howie Morales of Silver City, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination for governor sent an official public-records request to several state agencies for all emails between state employees and Jay McCleskey, Gov. Susana Martinez's political consultant, for records of “meetings of state officials, and or staff with Mr. McCleskey regarding public information which official state business was discussed.”

That was Nov. 26. The very next day, McCleskey hit back. An employee Stephen Dinkel, sent an IPRA request to the Legislative Council asking for  "Any and all emails to or from Sen. Morales that discuss public business, including public business emails sent to the gmail address Morales lists on the legislative website of, "hcm260[at]gmail.com"

The request asked for any calendars or schedules used by Morales and "Any and all records of meetings with anyone outside of state government regarding public information in which official state business was discussed, including any and all meetings with lobbyists."

In an email to potential donors, Morales described this move as " a counterattack" saying the request was "for my personal correspondence, for no reason other than the hope of finding a way to slander me."

Indeed, the gmail address listed in Dinkel's request was a private address for Morales. But that's what is listed on Morales' official page on the Legislature's website. He's hardly alone in doing this. Dozens of lawmakers use personal email accounts to conduct business.

Team Susana's request probably won't get very far. Earlier this year the Legislature voted to approve a new rule that shields lawmakers' private emails from public records requests. It passed by a huge bipartisan vote, one of those issues where legislators put aside petty partisan politics and vote for the good of all New Mexicans. (For those with an irony deficiency, I was being sarcastic there.) Morales voted in favor of shielding lawmakers' emails.

I spoke with Morales last night. He said he hadn't yet actually seen the request for his records.

The state agencies that Morales asked for information regarding McCleskey aren't off the hook. I predicted in my column Sunday itprobably take a long time for the administration to produce these records.

Martinez on Cover of Moderate GOP Mag

Gov. Susana Martinez, along with her running mate, uhhh..., I mean fellow GOP governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, is on the cover of the latest issue of The Ripon Forum with a caption that labels them "Role Models"

The magazine is published by The Ripon Society, an organization of moderate Republicans, started in the mid 1960s by a group of Rockefeller Republicans.

The cover story, by GOP consultant Leslie Sanchez, talks about how Republican Christie, who called on Martinez to go campaign for him at the close of the campaign, won a majority of Hispanics in his recent landslide re-election.

Sanchez basically follows the prevailing national media line on Martinez, which some Democrats dispute. ("... built support by reaching across party lines to seek compromise wherever possible ... worked with a Democratic-controlled legislature to fashion a workable agenda that governs from the center-right." etc.)

The Ripon Society, according to its website, was the first major Republican organization to endorse the Civil Rights Act. "We believe that the future of our party lies not in extremism, but in moderation," said the first public statement by the Ripons in 1964.

Conrad James Wants to Reclaim House Seat

Conrad James

Former Rep. Conrad James, R-Albuquerque, who lost his seat to Democrat Liz Thompson last year after serving one term, wants a rematch.

An announcement, sent by House Republican Whip Nate Gentry, points out that James lost the 2012 by less than 300 votes.

The announcement says:

During his term in the legislature, James was a stand-out – he carried important legislation that reduced tax pyramiding in the manufacturing and construction industries, and he received the Spirit of Bipartisanship Rising Star Award from New Mexico First and the Soaring Eagle Award from the New Mexico Association of Counties.  In January of 2013, Gov. Susana Martinez appointed James to the New Mexico Board of Regents where he serves as Vice-Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee.

James, who works at Sandia National Laboratory, has a PhD in applied and engineering physics.

ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: McCleskey Himself Becomes an Issue.

Thanksgiving for the New Mexico Democrats running for governor came early this year in form of a scathing article in the Washington, D.C.-based National Journal targeting Gov. Susana Martinez’s political consultant, Jay McCleskey.

As I pointed out in the paper, the lengthy article written by Daniel Libit — with the headline “The Man Who Discovered Susana Martinez Could Also Be Her Downfall” — was one of, if not the only national media piece on Martinez that wasn’t entirely flattering. Using entirely Republican sources, including former GOP state Chairman Harvey Yates and current Chairman John Billingsly, it portrayed McCleskey as a divisive, slash-and-burn Svengali who has way too much influence over Martinez.

It looks like the Democrats felt a little left out. The candidates who want Martinez’s job all have had something to say.

For more see The New Mexican website.