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RUIDOSO — Sen. Tom Udall encountered jeers and hoots of derision Tuesday when he told hundreds of people here that creating a government-run health plan would not add to the federal deficit. But even some of the New Mexico Democrat's critics gave him credit for showing up in conservative-leaning Ruidoso to take questions on health care. A standing-room only crowd of more than 400 people, mostly from Lincoln County, packed into a large conference room at the Ruidoso Convention Center to quiz, and sometimes grill, the freshman senator from Santa Fe.~~snip~~ ...the first question — about the impact of Democratic...

ESTES PARK, Colo. (AP) — Global warming is threatening America's national parks. But there is no consensus about how to prevent the harm. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado toured Rocky Mountain National Park Monday then heard testimony from parks officials and scientists about how global warming is harming the park system. . . . . . Both senators said confronting climate change is paramount. "A common misperception is that this is a crisis that is down the road," McCain said. "Climate change is real. It's happening now."However, there was no discussion at...

ESTES PARK — Bipartisan political leaders strolled through Rocky Mountain National Park this morning studying beetle-kill trees and changing vegetation patterns — and agreed that nuclear power must be part of any comprehensive climate-change legislation.Sen. Mark Udall, an Eldorado Springs Democrat, and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona are holding a formal hearing in Estes Park later today concerning global warming and its impact on national parks. McCain called on President Barack Obama to come forward with a climate-change proposal to get the discussion started in Congress.

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How do you outgun the NRA? Very, very carefully. Mark Pryor knows all about that. The Democratic senator from pro-gun Arkansas was nowhere to be seen on the Senate floor during Wednesday's showdown over a proposal, championed by the National Rifle Association, that would have gutted state gun-control laws across the nation. Toward the end of the vote, Pryor entered the chamber through the back door, took a few steps inside, flashed a thumbs-down to the clerk, and retreated as fast and furtively as somebody dodging gunfire. Several minutes later, the Democrats had racked up more than enough votes to...

New Mexico, Colorado and Texas are applying for federal funds to study the viability of a high-speed rail system from El Paso through New Mexico to Denver. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Tom Udall, DN.M., said Thursday the three states will submit a joint pre-application Friday for up to $5 million to pay for the study. Congress has authorized up to 11 high-speed rail corridors nationwide.

A Denver-based veterans organization has voted to disband after accusing its founder of fabricating an identity as a former Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq and was at the Pentagon on 9/11. Thirty-two-year-old Richard Glen Strandlof, who used the name Rick Duncan, founded the organization, the Colorado Veterans Alliance, about two years ago. Major Carl Redding, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said there is no record of Richard Glen Strandlof or Rick Duncan serving in the Marines. Strandolf appeared several times as a campaign spokesperson attacking Republicans in 2008 on national security issues. Colorado Republican State Chairman Dick...

Dear Senator Udall, I was distressed to read the 9 page assessment put out by the Department of Homeland Security regarding our military veterans as potential domestic terrorists. This email has literally been on my computer screen all day as I contemplated how to express to you my outrage and disdain for the report. Then this afternoon I read the arrogant, clueless and indignant response from Secretary Napolitano and am outraged all over again. Senator I took you at your word when you said you were going to represent all Coloradans. Even those who didn't vote for you. If you're...

For the past few years, Udall has lain ill with Parkinson's disease in a veterans hospital in Northeast Washington, which is where we were heading. Every few weeks, McCain drives over to pay his respects. These days the trip is a ceremony, like going to church, only less pleasant. Udall is seldom conscious, and even then he shows no sign of recognition. McCain brings with him a stack of newspaper clips on Udall's favorite subjects: local politics in Arizona, environmental legislation, Native American land disputes... ...Beneath a torn gray blanket on a narrow hospital cot, Udall lay twisted and disfigured....

Over at Tapped, A. Serwer, fresh off calling me a racist for saying that Gwen Ifill should not have moderated the debate because she didn't tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about her book on "The Age of Obama," declares that I am paranoid, too. He writes, "there isn't a single instance of organized voter fraud that Geraghty can actually point to, despite being up in arms about it. That's "paranoia"." Today, news out of New Mexico, the state GOP looked at information for 92 newly-registered voters in one district, and found 28 had "missing or inaccurate Social Security numbers...

On Wednesday, October 15, Congressmen Steve Pearce and Tom Udall had their first televised debate in the race for the U.S. Senate.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Republican Senate candidate Steve Pearce came out swinging in his first televised debate against Tom Udall, charging the Democrat with changing his position on several issues. Pearce says Udall has switched his positions on domestic oil and gas drilling and nuclear energy, gun ownership and the economy. Udall at times ignored Pearce's charges. For example, in the debate on energy policy, he spoke about his support for renewable energy, which he said would provide jobs for New Mexicans. The two also sparred over support for the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program. Udall says Pearce opposes...

Here is the link to the poll: http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/poll/?poll_id=6538 Help Steve defeat liberal Tom Udall http://www.peopleforpearce.com/

Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said Sunday that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) should step down from his chairmanship while an ethics investigation takes place. Questioned by host Tom Brokaw on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’, Udall initially cited the ethics process and demurred. When pressed, though, he said that it would be “helpful” if Rangel stepped down. “I think it would be helpful if Charles Rangel stepped down,” Udall said.

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Secretary of State's Office can't seem to avoid controversy in choosing a new Bureau of Elections director. Just three weeks after the office's previous choice, the son-in-law of Democratic Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall, declined the job amidst a flurry of criticism, the new pick for the post has come under similar fire. Gerald Gonzalez, a Santa Fe attorney, also has connections to Udall, having worked for the congressman while Udall was New Mexico attorney general from 1995 to 1998 and later serving as Udall's chief of staff during his first term...

Albuquerque - Today, People for Pearce Campaign Manager John Billingsley pointed out that Tom Udall has now spent more than $1.3 million on misleading television ads only to see his 28-point lead evaporate in just over a month. "The verdict is in: Tom Udall and his friends on the extreme left are spending millions to mislead New Mexican voters about Steve Pearce and it hasn't worked," said Billingsley. "To the contrary, New Mexicans are rejecting Udall's anti-drilling, anti-nuclear, pro-tax increase policies in favor of Steve Pearce's honesty, integrity and straight forward New Mexico values." This week, a Rasmussen poll showed...

Mark Udall is not a happy camper, and Freedom's Watch is taking all the credit. As Josh wrote yesterday, the conservative organization is up with a new ad slamming the Democratic Senate candidate for voting for a Department of Peace. An attorney representing Udall's campaign fired off a letter to at least two television stations in Denver yesterday demanding that the ad, which shows an aging hippie bragging about the legislation, originally sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, near his beat up Volkswagen van, be yanked from the airwaves. "The advertisement is inappropriate, irresponsible and crosses a clear line," attorney Douglas...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Senate candidates Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Steve Pearce will face each other on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Oct. 12. Udall spokeswoman Marissa Padilla says the joint appearance has been confirmed, but the format is still being discussed. Padilla says she thinks the New Mexico candidates will appear for 30 minutes. Udall and Pearce also will debate on Oct. 15 on KOB-TV, Oct. 18 on KRQE and Oct. 26 on KOAT. The AARP will co-sponsor the second debate and the Albuquerque Journal will co-sponsor the final debate.

New Mexico Republicans are angry that Secretary of State Mary Herrera hired U.S. Senate candidate Tom Udall's son-in-law to head the state Elections Bureau. The new director, Jim Noel, is married to Udall's wife's daughter, Amanda Cooper. Cooper is managing the Northern New Mexico congressman's campaign against Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Noel, currently executive director of the state Judicial Standards Commission, starts his new job Sept. 8. "The hiring of Tom Udall's son-in-law as state elections director is a stunning conflict of interest," spokeswoman Shira Rawlinson said...

Mark Udall's message to Colorado voters is crystal clear: just tell me want you want to hear, and I'll say it. Udall is a five-term Democrat congressman, vying for perhaps the country's most hotly contested U.S. Senate seat. He's built his reputation as an uncompromising environmentalist, consistently opposed domestic energy exploration, and blocked construction of new refineries to make American energy supplies more secure. Now, Udall wants voters to believe that he's suddenly seen the light. "We've got to produce our own oil and gas, right here in our country," he says in a new commercial paid for by his...

A new survey from a Democratic polling firm released Monday provides further evidence that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall's once-substantial lead is continuing to slip. The Public Policy Polling survey still showed Udall leading by 6 points. But that's 9 percentage points lower how Udall polled in July's PPP survey. Other polls also show Udall's lead -- once in hovering near double-digits -- slipping in recent weeks; observers say high gas prices, among other issues, is helping Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer.

Mark Udall's Day Off Udall's Day Off - The Trailer

CLICK here to listen to the ad. The full transcript: Steve Pearce: This is Steve Pearce. It's time our government stood up for working families, reduce our energy costs by building nuclear power plants, and drilling for oil on land and off shore.   The far left environmentalists are not going to like this and maybe it’s not politically correct, but nuclear energy is a sure way toAmerica's energy independence. Nuclear power can make America free from Middle Eastern oil cartels.   Nuclear power will make energy affordable, America prosperous and keep American jobs here instead of being shipped...

Tom Udall says that a recent campaign of attack ads by his opponent for the seat being vacated by U.S. Senator Pete Domenici reflects desperation. Republican Steve Pearce, New Mexico’s second district congressman, has television commercials on the air and took out a full page ad in the Albuquerque Journal with a picture of 60s-era protesting hippies that accuses Udall of being aligned with “hysterical left wing allies.”

New Mexico's two U.S. Senate contenders appear headed for a showdown on national TV. -SNIP- MARTY ON BARACK: The New Mexico Republican Party on Friday fired off a news release highlighting comments that Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez, a Democrat, made to the National Journal about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. “The real question in my mind is whether Senator Obama is going to be able to capture Hispanics by a significant margin,” the magazine quoted Chavez as saying. “That's a big 'if,' because he's clearly an urbanite.” Chavez in a Friday interview with this newspaper said his point is that...

Denver, CO (AHN) - Republican nominee Bob Schaffer and Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) are tied in the race for the seat of retiring Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Schaffer and Udall are in a dead heat at 44 percent each. One percent of voters declared their support for other candidates and 11 percent were undecided. Schaffer has closed a 10-point deficit since last month, when he trailed 38 percent to 48 percent. Pundits are attributing his rise to increased support for offshore oil drilling, which the former Republican congressman supports. Fifty-nine percent of Colorado...

Democrat Mark Udall is still narrowly ahead of Republican Bob Schaffer in the race to become Colorado’s next United States Senator. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds Udall up 47% to 43% this month. When “leaners” are included, it’s a three-point advantage for the Democrat, 49% to 46%. Last month, Rep. Udall enjoyed a nine-point lead over Shaffer. In May, he led by six. Prior to May, the race had been essentially even. Udall and Schaffer are competing for the right to replace Republican Senator Wayne Allard.

A scene from the recent Colorado senate debate. The man reading from the resolution is Republican Bob Schaffer, the man standing to his left and looking uncomfortable is Democrat Mark Udall. Given the state of public opinion, I’m not sure how smart it is to remind voters that your opponent eventually came around to seeing the war as a mistake while you never did, but as a bit of political theater, I dig it. A lot.

Washington D.C. - Today, Congressman Pearce responded to Tom Udall's reversal of his position opposing gun rights for individuals in the District of Columbia: "It is breathtaking in its scope and intellectual dishonesty. Tom Udall has consistently opposed the rights of individuals to own guns and it is an outrage and an insult to the people of New Mexico for him to say otherwise. "It is one thing to be wrong. It is another to be untruthful. The election is clearly having an impact and this flip flop is amazing." Udall has voted against overturning DC gun laws and twice...

Steve Pearce won the Republican nomination in the race for U.S. Senate over rival Heather Wilson and will now turn to the challenge of keeping Sen. Pete Domenici's seat in Republican hands. The southern New Mexico representative won Tuesday's primary with roughly 51 percent of the vote, compared to Wilson's 49 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting statewide, according to unofficial results. Pearce, who ran as a right-wing conservative, will face Democrat Tom Udall, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, on Nov. 4. Wilson endorsed Pearce this morning, saying that Republicans have "no time for disappointment or for...

There were moments when John McCain had no idea if his friend even knew he was there. For eight long years, at least once a month, McCain would drive to the veterans' hospital in Washington, D.C., to sit for hours at the bedside of his political mentor, Morris Udall. The legendary liberal Democrat had been first admitted in 1990 suffering from the effects of Parkinson's. By the end, the debilitating disease had taken away Udall's ability to speak and to recognize visitors. But McCain still went, bringing newspaper clippings about subjects that Udall loved most, like the environment and Native...

Virtually all recent polling data for Senate races has carried a consistent theme—more bad news for the Republican Party. That’s the case in Colorado as well as Democrat Mark Udall has opened a six-point lead over Republican Bob Schaffer. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows Udall attracting 47% of the vote while Schaffer earns 41%. For Udall, that’s an improvement from a three-point lead a month ago and two months ago. It’s also the first time either candidate has enjoyed a significant lead in the race. In February, Schaffer had a statistically insignificant one point lead. Udall and Schaffer...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Mexico shows that Democratic Congressman Tom Udall continues to enjoy wide leads over potential Republican opponents in the race for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. Udall now leads Republicans Steve Pearce 53% to 37% and Heather Wilson 57% to 36%. Against both opponents, those figures reflect a very slight improvement compared to a month ago. In February, Udall was ahead by more modest margins.

A coalition of environmental groups is targeting the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico to help swing that seat into the Democratic column. The coalition plans to help Democrat Tom Udall in the race against the winner of the Republican primary, either Steve Pearce or Heather Wilson. The coalition says voters already are talking about what they pay at the pump while oil companies rake in record profits. Elise Annunziata of Clean Water says the issues of energy policy and gas prices cut across party lines. She says voters can draw their own conclusions from the candidates' records. The coalition...

For the second straight month, Democrat Mark Udall holds a three-point edge over Republican Bob Schaffer in the race to become Colorado’s next United States Senator. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Colorado found Udall attracting 45% of the vote while Schaffer earns 42%. A month ago, Udall was up 46% to 43%. Two months ago, it was Schaffer with a statistically insignificant one point lead. This is the fourth straight Rasmussen Reports election poll to find the two candidates within three points of each other.

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall took $1,500 in contributions from two firms that once employed disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Udall's campaign spokeswoman Taylor West said the donations from the companies' political-action committees to the Eldorado Springs Democrat's congressional campaigns were legal. But, she said, Udall plans to donate the $1,500 to an organization in the Marianas Islands that assists victims of human trafficking. Abramoff and the islands have become an issue in Udall's Senate race against former Congressman Bob Schaffer... Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, ripped Udall on Wednesday, questioning why he waited to return donations he received in 2000...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Mexico shows that Democratic Congressman Tom Udall has widened his lead over potential Republican opponents in the race for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. Udall now leads Republicans Steve Pearce 54% to 40% and Heather Wilson 56% to 36%.

When the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last week about the Washington, D.C., ban on handgun ownership, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado issued a news release saying he hoped the court would affirm the right of citizens to "keep and bear arms." But on four occasions when Udall, a Democrat running for an open U.S. Senate seat, could have voted in Congress to repeal all or sections of the gun ban, he did not. Udall campaign spokesman Taylor West said the congressman did not support the 32-year-old ban but also didn't think Congress was justified in overriding the district...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Colorado found that the state’s U.S. Senate race remains very close early in the general election campaign. Democrat Mark Udall now holds a very modest advantage over Republican Bob Schaffer, 46% to 43%. A month ago, Schaffer had a statistically insignificant lead of one point over Udall in the Centennial State. Both election polls had a 4.5 percentage point margin of sampling error.

Suddenly the Democratic presidential race is teetering on the edge — not just between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, but between boost or burden for the party’s hopes in the fall. So far, the clash between the two history-making candidacies has appeared to be an unalloyed benefit to the party. In state after state, Democrats displayed their enthusiasm through robust primary turnouts that drew in many new voters. If Clinton and Obama supporters have fallen into consistent niches by gender, income, education and ethnicity, polls show that most Democrats would happily support either one in November.But now the...

Colorado Democrats caucused in record numbers Tuesday night, clueless about which candidate their party leaders prefer for president. That's because Gov. Bill Ritter, Sen. Ken Salazar, Rep. Mark Udall and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper have refused to make picks ... But where is the backbone in silence? And what is more worthy of a clear stand than the question of who governs our country? "There's a certain responsibility to being a leader in your party. In a presidential race, that means taking a side," said state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams. Though Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama differ only slightly...

Before Congress left for this year, lawmakers in Colorado's delegation put down their markers for next year. "You can never start soon enough," said Alan Salazar, chief of staff to Rep. Mark Udall, D-Eldorado Springs. With the presidential election next year, he said, passing bills could become difficult. "So the sooner you get things done, the easier it is," Salazar said. Udall is one of those who introduced a bill in the last two weeks before the congressional session ended. Sen. Salazar's bill asks to study ways to protect the open space in and around Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests....

A fourth Democratic candidate — and a fifth candidate overall — announced a run for the 2nd Congressional District ... Larry Johnson, a substitute teacher for the Boulder Valley School District, said he wants to protect Social Security, redeploy U.S. armed forces to out of Iraq, declare war on al-Qaeda and ...

When the nation votes in November, working control of the U.S. Senate could hinge on three Western races involving three members of a Mormon family whose roots in the region go back 155 years. The Udalls remain rooted in the inland West, where political power has flowed through four generations. Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., was in Seattle last week to raise money in his campaign for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard. He is an Outward Bound veteran, outdoorsman and conservationist in the tradition of his father, the late Rep. Morris Udall, D-Ariz. "It's in his blood. It's...

The first negative ads in the race for Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat did not come from candidates Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer but from an independent group with ties to Republicans. Common Sense Issues Inc. targeted Democratic Rep. Mark Udall on national security and his pro-environment record. Udall, a Democrat, and Schaffer, a former Republican congressman, are running to replace retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard. One ad criticizes Udall for co-sponsoring a 2001 bill to establish an $8 billion Cabinet-level Department of Peace. It features a dialogue with one man saying, "Radical Islam wants Americans dead" before asking, "What...

A new SurveyUSA poll in New Mexico finds Congressman Tom Udall (D), who just declared his candidacy for the seat of retiring GOP Senator Pete Domenici, to be the clear frontrunner. For the Democratic nomination, Udall leads Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez by a 62%-32% margin, and also does better than Chávez in the general election match-ups. Udall leads the two Republicans, Representatives Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, by margins of about 15% in both cases. If Chávez is the Democratic nominee, he trails Pearce by ten points and Wilson by one point. On the Republican side, Wilson is the frontrunner...

Heath Haussamen reports today that Rep. Tom Udall has decided to jump in the New Mexico Senate race and has started to call Democratic officials in the state to inform them of his decision. If confirmed, this would be a major coup for both the DSCC that relentlessly pressured Udall to run even after he ruled it out at the beginning of October, and for the netroots that organized a very successful Draft Udall movement. Previous reports had already indicated that Udall was moving to hire staff and putting the pieces of a run together -- so this latest report...

New Mexico's political scene continues its upheaval after Sen. Pete Domenici's announcement that he plans to retire at the end of his term. Rep. Tom Udall's office confirmed to Action 7 News Political Reporter Matt Grubs this afternoon that the Northern New Mexico Democrat might run. "New Mexicans have urged Tom Udall to reconsider running for the United States Senate and he's doing just that," said Udall spokesperson Marissa Padilla. If Udall decides on a senatorial run, he would face several Democrats who have already declared their candidacy. The most-recognized name among them is Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. Should Udall...

I wrote my congresscritter concerning BMovement.org and the congressional response. here was the reply: Congressman Mark Udall Serving Colorado's Front Range and Western Slope Dear Mr. Jones: Thank you for contacting me and expressing your views about how Congress should respond to public controversies involving free speech. As a general rule, I do not think it is the business of Congress to condemn or applaud statements by individuals or groups. And I strongly support every American's right to free speech. If Congress took time to notice every asinine or unfortunate public utterance, we would have little time to address the...

I've just learned that Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) will be introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday condemning Rush Limbaugh for his "phony soldiers" remark. This is significant because it has the potential to dramatically up the stakes in this fight. If the Democratic leadership allows it to go for a vote, it will force all the Republicans in the House to either vote for it, against it, or skip the vote -- and to pass judgment on the powerful conservative talk show host's contention that troops who don't support President Bush's war policies are "phony soldiers."...