Heinrich's raises $267k in fourth quarter, Barela $113k

Corrected numbers

Democrat Martin Heinrich raised $267,372.63 in the final quarter of 2009. The total reflects $234,372.62 raised from individuals and political actions committees, plus $33,000 transferred to his campaign from other authorized committees.

The committee transfers include money split between Heinrich and Rep. Harry Teague from a fundraising trip made by Vice President Joe Biden, and a separate event with Rep. Polis in Colorado.

Heinrich received over $114,000 from PACS, with the balance from individual contributors.

He spent $80,454.83 during the reporting period, according to his report.

To date in the election cycle, Heinrich has raised $1.084 million, and he ended 2009 with $834,633.23 on hand.

Jon Barela, the Republican seeking to unseat Heinrich, raised $ 113,070 – with $3,500 coming from PACs – and spent $39,634.59, according to his report. To date in the election cycle, he’s raised $293,909.77, and he ended 2009 with $215,185.70 on hand.

Barlea said in a news release that he's pleased he collected more money from individual donors than his opponent in the last cycle and believes his campaign is "building momentum."

“We are thrilled to have the backing of such a large number of New Mexicans,” remarked Barela. “The vast majority of our contributions came from people who looked at the incumbent, compared my vision and background to his, and chose to support our campaign."

This report was corrected and includes the accurate numbers for the 2009 Year End reports.

Pearce out raises Teague in fourth quarter

Updated with corrected numbers.

Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Steve Pearce out raised Democratic incumbent Harry Teague once again in the fourth quarter of 2009, but Teague still leads in overall fundraising during the election cycle.

That’s according to fourth-quarter fundraising reports that have been filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Pearce raised $252,463 and spent $142,368.43 during the reporting period, according to his report. He ended 2009 with $569,607.37, and has raised $760,308.06 overall for his bid to unseat Teague.

During the fourth quarter, $45,750 of the money he raised came from political action committees.

Teague raised $157,119.81 during the reporting period – with $76,400 of it coming from PACs – plus he had another $29,800 transferred to his campaign account from other authorized committees, so his total receipts added up to $188,511.27. He spent $57,660.80, according to his report. To date in the election cycle, he’s raised $1.077 million, and he ended 2009 with $885,635.91 on hand.

The committee transfers noted in Teague's year end report reflects money raised during a joint fundraiser with Rep. Martin Heinrich, which included a trip to Albuquerque by Vice President Joe Biden.

Note: This report was updated to accurately report the committee transfer money.

Unemployment at record high despite Federal stimulus

Friday, on the same day the NM Workforce Solutions Department issued a report showing unemployment in the state has hit a 8.3 percent, a record 22-year high, Gov. Bill Richardson issued a statement claiming the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is responsible for creating or saving 10,000 jobs full and part-time jobs.

In fact, on Friday, Richardson said 10,221 New Mexicans received full- or part-time work as a result of state spending of federal stimulus funds.

The state, in its second quarterly report filed with the federal Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, said that 2,959 full-time equivalent jobs have been funded from Oct. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009.

The jobs, located all over the state, are in public schools, on transportation projects, in law enforcement, health care, social services and other areas, according to a news release.

New Mexico is expected to receive more than $3.4 million in stimulus awards over the life of the Recovery Act.

Chu picks Domenici for nuclear commision

Sen. Pete Domenici (retired) and wife Nancy live in Washington, but were in Albuquerque two weeks ago for their son Pete Domenici Jr's 2010 gubernatorial announcement.

As part of President Barack Obama's commitment to restarting America’s nuclear industry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and retired U.S. Sen. and Chairm on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Pete Domenici has been named to the panel.

"Nuclear energy, in my view, has to be a key component of a new American energy policy that moves toward renewable, non-carbon emitting energy sources," Domenici said after being selected. "The 2005 Energy Policy Act...attempted to encourage nuclear, wind, bio-mass, solar and other forms of renewable energy. I am pleased that Secretary Chu has indicated that the Administration will expand the loan guarantee provisions in that law that help nuclear energy."

Finding long-term solutions for nuclear waste

The commission, which will be chaired by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, will provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

In light of the Administration’s decision not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, President Obama has directed Secretary Chu to establish the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Commission will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

"This Commission has the potential to make a very positive contribution to national energy policy and I intend to participate fully," Domenici said. "In that capacity, I will once again call upon the unique resources available to us in New Mexico, where we have some of the most knowledgeable nuclear scientists and engineers in the world. The President deserves our commendation for establishing this Commission under the leadership of Secretary Chu, one of the outstanding scientists in the world."

A record of tackling tough issues

Chu said the administration is committed to promoting nuclear power in the United states because it's energy "provides a clean, safe, reliable power" and will have an important role to play "as we build a low-carbon future."

"The United States and developing a safe, long-term solution for the management of used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste," Chu said. "The work of the Blue Ribbon Commission will be invaluable to this process," Secretary Chu said.

The Commission is made up of 15 members who have a range of expertise and experience in nuclear issues, including scientists, industry representatives, and respected former elected officials. The Commission’s co-chairs have a record of tackling tough challenges in a thoughtful, comprehensive manner and building consensus among an array of interests.

The Commission will produce an interim report within 18 months and a final report within 24 months.

Mr. Johnson goes to Washington

Possible 2012 presidential candidate Gary Johnson is headed back to the nation's capitol in February for a meet at greet with Libertarian Party supporters at Reason magazine according to The Washington Independent.

The former governor and honorary chairman of his Our America Initiative, which has a 503-4c designation, is scheduled to be in Washington on February 9th.

Elected to two consecutive terms as governor in New Mexico, Johnson vetoed 750 bills, while balancing the state's budget with no new taxes.

He continues to be outspoken on issues ranging from the deficit to the war on drugs to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Earlier this month, Johnson attended the Marijuana Policy Project Gala along with Cheech and Chong.

Last weekend Johnson toured New Hampshire, the first in the nation primary states, and keynoted a the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire.

Teague encourages families to apply for tax credits

Congressman Harry Teague encouraged New Mexico’s working families to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

“In these economic times, it is more important than ever that New Mexico’s eligible families take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit,” Teague said. “I fought to expand the EITC because we need to make sure that working families get their tax dollars back so they can continue to help turn the economy around. I encourage my constituents to take advantage of free tax preparation sites and resources, so they can make sure they receive the benefits they deserve this tax filing season.”

In an effort to help struggling families during the economic downturn, Teague sponsored an amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will temporarily increase and expand the eligibility of the EITC.

Each year, the credit helps approximately 24 million working families, including over 200,000 in New Mexico, make ends meet. However, an estimated five to seven million eligible taxpayers nationwide do not claim benefits they are entitled to through the EITC.

In 2009 more than 200,000 New Mexican families received the EITC with an average award of $2,054. In 2010 the EITC has been temporarily increased and expanded to include families with three or more children. In addition, the amount of EITC benefits current beneficiaries receive has been increased, making over 650,000 new families eligible nationwide.

Families making up to $48,000 may qualify for the credit, which may be worth more than $5,600.

Click here to visit the IRS EITC Central Website.

Click here to find out about free tax preparation services in New Mexico.

Chavez on leave during personnel investigation

Morris J. Chavez has been placed on paid leave from his post as the State Insurance Superintendent during a personnel investigation.

The move was ordered on Thursday by the Public Regulation Department's Chief of Staff Daniel Mayfield.

Chavez told the Albuquerque Journal that he expects "an expeditious investation" but would not elborate on the details of the inquiry.

"I will fully cooperate with any and all investigation the PRC will be doing and look forward to resolving any and all issues," Chavez said.

PRC commissioner Sandy Jones said the investigation is "strictly a personnel issue."

"To protect everyone's rights, we're not going to comment. We are not going to discuss it," Jones said.

Chavez was appointed to the post in 2006 after his predecessor Eric Serna resigned after it was disclosed that a state government contractor had contributed $129,000 to a charity which was headed by Serna before he was ordered to resign from the Con Alma Health Foundation board.

In 2008, Sernas Deputy Insurance Superintendent Joe Ruiz was convicted for shaking down insurance companies and sentenced to four years in prison for corruption. His convictions were upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals last month.

Udall and Heinrich vow to fight for Indian health care in second session

"If we have health care reform it should include our first Americans," Rep. Martin Heinrich says.

While health care is snarled in Washington, two of New Mexico's congressional members say they're committed to getting the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and Extension Act passed during the second session of the 111th Congress. But, reaching an agreement on the act could be complicated after the election of Scott Brown to the senate last week.

"People don't know what's going to happen," Rep. Martin Heinrich said on Wednesday as he prepared to attend the president's State of the Union address. "There's a lot of uncertainty until we know exactly what the process is moving forward."

While there does not appear to be a clear path for the IHCIA, which expired eight years ago, both Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall said that they are "ready to go at it again."

"The fact that the House and Senate have passed it in previous sessions -- I think -- means there's some good bi-partisan support for this," Udall said in a telephone interview. "We should be able to get it in the next version of health care [reform] as a freestanding bill or joined with something else -- depending on what other legislation comes up this year."

Indeed, the act, which was last reauthorized in 1992, appears to have support from people on both sides of the aisle.

"If we have health care reform it should include our first Americans," Heinrich said. "This is important to people from places like Alaska where their delegation is Republican, and it's important to people from places like New Mexico where we've got a Democratic delegation."

Living up to treaty obligations


Udall, a co-sponsor of the senate amendment that placed the IHCIA into health care reform package, has said it would allow the United States to “live up to its treaty obligations.”

“We can’t truly address the health care crisis in our country without improving health care for all of our citizens, and that includes the 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives whose health care is coordinated through this act,” Udall said last Fall.

In October, when it appeared the Democrats had the votes to pass health care, Heinrich sent this letter to house leaders and urged them to include the reauthorization act as part of comprehensive health insurance reform.

At the time, Heinrich wrote, "Our country desperately needs health insurance reform — but our pursuit of reform cannot leave Native Americans behind,” Heinrich said. “I represent tens of thousands of Native Americans in central New Mexico, and my constituents have made it clear that they cannot wait any longer for health care reform in Indian country.”

Photo: SoyJames

Still optimistic

Today, nothing has changed in Heinrich's mind, and he said he's "optimistic if there is a package that comes out of the house and senate that it [IHCIA] will be a part of it. That's certainly what I've been advocating to the leadership of the House."

Heinrich insists he does not regret tying the measure to the comprehensive reform bill, because the House Natural Resources Committee, where he is a standing member, has already passed the IHCIA as a stand alone piece of legislation.

Udall said the IHCIA would be included in the senate's next version of health care -- either as a freestanding bill or joined with "something else of a health care nature depending on what other legislation comes up this year."

As a last resort, Udall said it could be attached to bills at the end of the year to "get things done that we all know need to be done."

Fixing health care disparities

"There's no doubt if you ask all 22 New Mexico tribes they'd say this is their top priority," Udall said. "There are very severe health care disparities on natives lands."

Remedying those disparities is why Udall insists the act needs to be reauthorized this year.

"The important thing is that the health care delivery system is underfunded," Udall said. "In the last 10 years there's been a rapid of health care technology. In this case we have outdated technology in place in many of these institutions. The update moves us forward in terms of prevention. It moves us forward on the diabetes and obesity epidemic. There are many things that move the health agenda forward for native Americans in this reauthorization and we need to get this done."

In fact, last December, on the senate floor, Udall said health care for Native Americans was in dismal shape and quoted from a Civil Rights Commission study that showed annual health care spending on Federal prison inmates was double the amount spent on American Indians.

"Inmates have better health care than the population with whom we signed treaties and made a promise to provide health services," Udall said. "Right now in Indian Country, the health care situation is dire. Native Americans are diagnosed with diabetes at almost three times the rate of any other ethnic group, they often don't have access to preventive care, and Native youth are attempting and committing suicide at alarming rates

Better chance for passage this year

The originial amendment authored by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.V., would reauthorize the program until 2025 and make the most urgent reforms to the program.

After attending the President Barack Obama's first State of the Union speech both Udall and Heinrich could feel a little better about their chances to get the act through congress this year after
Obama appeared to breath new life back into the health care debate during his speech on Wednesday night.

"Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people," Obama said. "Let's get it done. Let's get it done," he repeated.

Democrats respond to GOP candidate recruitment

Yesterday, we were the first to report that former DEA agent Errol Chavez had been recruited out of the Republican primary race for commissioner of public land, by party Chairman Harvey Yates, and into the race for state auditor.

Today, the Democratic Party of New Mexico Chairman Javier Gonzales sent me an email, bolstered by some top Republicans supporting incumbent Auditor Hector Balderas, and called Errol's announcement "an unfortunate example of the Republican Party recruiting candidates who abandon races as soon as they start them."

“This is the kind of insider maneuvering that New Mexicans are sick of,” Gonzales said. “While Yates and Chavez sit around behind closed doors deciding which job they want next, our current State Auditor, Hector Balderas, has been working hard for the people of New Mexico, fighting government fraud, waste and abuse.

“By instituting the state's first fraud hotline and measures so all governments are annually held accountable for their spending, Balderas has proven that he will find innovative ways to protect New Mexicans," Gonzales continued. "New Mexicans deserve principled leaders who want to serve the public, not politicians who want to serve political insiders.”

Barbara Wold at Democracy for New Mexico reports Chairman Gonzales noted the irony in the fact that several prominent members of the Republican Party recently praised Auditor Balderas on the political blog, NMPolitics.net. Republican political blogger, Mario Burgos, was quoted as saying, “(Balderas) ... is leading the fight to get criminals behind bars. He seems to be doing his job well and with little concern whether the elected criminals have an R or D attached to their name.”

In addition, Republican House Minority Whip, Keith Gardner (R-Roswell), also applauded Balderas’ work, saying, “I may be partisan, but I’m more than willing to put politics aside when someone is doing a great job. Keep it up Mr. Auditor.” Now that's some mighty big praise, especially coming from the R side of the aisle.

In fact, Chavez was recently quoted in the NM Independent, explaining that “he considered running for Congress, but ultimately decided that his executive experience in law enforcement made land commissioner a better fit.”

“With the challenges New Mexicans face today and down the road, we need the proven leadership and experience that Hector Balderas has brought to the State Auditor's Office,” Gonzales said. “This office is too important to be decided by a game of musical chairs. State Auditor Balderas' campaign to aggressively fight government fraud and corruption deserves the support of all New Mexicans -- and that includes Yates and Chavez.”

The Republicans have not announced whether or not they will field statewide candidates for three offices, attorney general, secretary of state, or state treasurer.

GOP recruits Chavez for state auditor's race

Updated 6p

After putting 53,000 miles on his truck campaigning around the state for commissioner of public lands, Errol Chavez is switching races and will run for state auditor in 2010.

Chavez, 60, told us he was recruited by Republican State Party Chairman Harvey Yates because of his 36 years in law enforcement and his “ability to stop corruption in the state of New Mexico.”

The retired DEA agent, who lives in Las Cruces, said if he’s elected he will implement a priority targeting system, which he learned in classes at War College and used to root out criminals when he was assigned to manage High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDA).

For now, Chavez is the only Republican candidate vying for the auditor’s office. His website for land commissioner has been removed while it is being redesigned for the new campaign.

But, James Flores, a spokesman at the Secretary of State’s office in Santa Fe, told us that because Chavez is switching races he will have to collect a new round of qualifying petition signatures, and signatures he collected for the land commissioner’s campaign are not transferable.

Chavez, who grew up in Española, spent 31 years with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration before moving to Las Cruces in 2004 to be director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program for the state. The program seeks to improve efforts by local, state and federal officials to stop drug trafficking through coordination and providing equipment, technology and other resources.

'I know how to prepare a case for a prosecution'

Chavez said he wants to “save the money the state is losing by going after people who are corrupt.”

“We’ve seen case after case recently of how people have gotten away with the crime because no one checked on them. And if they did check on them they couldn’t identify what was going on,” Chavez said. “I’m going to come in and I can evaluate the information that is there. I can develop a case and I know how to prepare a case for a prosecution. An effective prosecution means a success, and that’s the direction that I’m going.”

He wants people who are corrupt to "be fearful of being caught and prosecuted."

Corruption in New Mexico, he said “has become an acceptable practice. I want to stop that practice.”

Chavez would not say if he would support forensic audits on every state project with a budget over a certain dollar amount. Instead, he said there “are many ways to conduct an investigation.”

Chavez wants financial reports to be required from both public officials and state employees.

“As a Federal agent I had to routinely submit my financial disclosure reports to the attorney general’s office for review,” Chavez said. “We were monitored on the amount of money we made aside from our salaries and questioned every time there was a significant increase in our bank accounts. I think state employees should do the same thing.”

And Chavez didn’t waste anytime criticizing incumbent Auditor Hector Balderas.

“From my perspective there is a lot that could have been done that was not done, and that includes the state investment council,” Chavez said. “We had to be told from another state that we had a problem. Where was the state auditor on this?”

Chavez said he is pleased the party urged him to switch races.

“I’m in my element.”

Still two races without a candidate

At last check the Republican party did not have a candidate for state treasurer or secretary of state, but five people are running for governor, four are campaigning for lieutenant governor, and now three men are vying for commissioner of public lands.

Update 6p

Chavez said in the release, which was sent after we posted, that he's running for auditor "to ensure that government officials are using state taxpayer dollars wisely, not spending them in a wasteful, fraudulent or abusive manner.

“I am well equipped to perform the duties of this position and I pledge to use my experience to target criminal activity and expose any and all corruption revealed during the auditing process—for the good of the people of New Mexico.”

According to the release, Chavez has served as president of both the Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association and the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association, an international law enforcement organization with 12,000 members.

Note: We have audio from our interview with Chavez and will update this post shortly. Come back and hear why he disagrees, as a former DEA agent, with former Gov. Gary Johnson about the war on drugs.

Photo: MG Bralley