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Harvey Yates Jr. defeated incumbent Pat Rogers for a state post on the Republican National Committee on Saturday, elevating an outspoken critic of Gov. Susana Martinez’s governing style to a prestigious – if largely symbolic – GOP position. At the New Mexico Republican convention at the Sandia Resort and Casino, Yates received 278 of the 473 votes cast by Republican delegates – or 58.8 percent – to oust Rogers. A former state Republican Party chairman, Yates has been critical of Martinez and her political adviser, Jay McCleskey, in recent years, while Rogers has been closely linked to both the Martinez...

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is endorsing Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, according to the Florida senator's campaign. "Marco Rubio is a compelling leader who can unite the country around conservative principles that will improve the lives of all Americans," Martinez said in a statement early Thursday.

SALT LAKE CITY — Donald Trump continues to be the front-runner in the GOP presidential nomination race, but he's languishing in fourth place in a new poll of Utah voters. The new UtahPolicy.com poll by Dan Jones & Associates comes as former Utah governor and 2012 presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. is suggesting Trump has a shot at winning the White House. "People really are hungry for change. They were last time, but it hadn't reached the 212-degree boiling point. This time it has," Huntsman told USA Today's weekly "Capital Download" video series. Huntsman said that's why he thinks Trump,...

* Trump said Sunday that 'black people 'are worse now than just about ever' * Claims Obama has done nothing for low employment rates * Weekend poll showed Trump has his greatest support yet nationally He has a 24.9 percent vote among Republicans, according to poll Days after assuring that he has the support of Hispanic voters, Donald Trump has now claimed that African-American people are also on his side - and that Obama has let them down. In yet another round of bashing the President, the billionaire said Obama has done 'absolutely nothing' for the black community. He gave...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) Donald Trump “is appealing to a segment I’ll just label racist,” says Gary Johnson, a former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico and the 2012 Libertarian Party presidential candidate. “It exists and it’s out there." "I don’t want to have anything to do with it,” says Johnson. “It embarrasses me. The electorate will paint the entire Republican Party with a broad brush as a result of Trump and it won’t be positive.” Johnson started the 2012 campaign as a Republican before switching to the LP and pulling 1.2 million votes and 1 percent of ballots cast in the general...

In a new poll of likely Republican primary voters nationwide by Zogby Analytics, 2012 GOP nominee Romney leads the pack with 14%, followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (12%), Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (10%), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (8%), former Arkansas Governor and now Fox News Host Mike Huckabee (7%), Florida Senator Marco Rubio (7%), Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (5%), Rep. and former Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan (4%), Texas Governor Rick Perry (4%), Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (3%), Texas Senator Ted Cruz (3%), South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (2%), former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (1%), and both...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)There are 65 prominent people who might run for president in 2016. The Democratic and Republican fields contrast sharply. Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner, while there is no front-runner on the Republican side. Twenty-three Democrats have been mentioned as a candidate or are eyeing a bid, according to an analysis by The Hill. The GOP side has 42. Most of the people on this list won’t run, and some have adamantly claimed that they’re not interested. But many politicians have changed their minds on seeking the White House. Before mounting his 2008 bid, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he...

The political strategist for the re-election campaign of New Mexico’s Gov. Susana Martinez (R) reportedly confronted on Saturday a group of pro-life demonstrators in Albuquerque by lashing out, “You are all pieces of [expletive]!” Several members of the pro-life organization Protest ABQ identified the individual rebuking them with vulgar language as Jay McCleskey, chief political strategist for Martinez, who is seeking a second term as New Mexico’s governor. Writing at Operation Rescue, pro-life activist Tara Shaver, who is pregnant herself, wrote, “The pro-life community has been asking Gov. Martinez what she is willing to do to stop pre-born child killing...

America has never had a female major party candidate nominated to be president, but the odds are growing that it will happen in 2016. The current favorite for the 2016 Democratic nomination is a woman, and there are at least four other potential candidates in both parties. It isn’t that female candidates haven’t tried. Hillary Clinton came the closest when she lost the Democratic nomination in 2008 to Barack Obama. Here’s a look at the top prospects for 2016, starting with the Democratic frontrunner. Hillary Clinton The current Secretary of State is a huge favorite for the 2016 nomination for...

GOP US Senate candidate Heather Wilson, running behind in all polling, is now starting to more firmly separate herself from Paul Ryan and his controversial budget plans. She gave this quote as she responded to renewed attacks from Dem rival Martin Heinrich: ...Wilson told The Hill on Tuesday that she has “been very clear that I have concerns about the budget Congressman Ryan proposed 18 months ago,” and voted against a version of it while serving in Congress in 2007. "If I oppose something, that's now recorded as 'implicit'?" Wilson said. “Had I been in the Senate and on the...

Mitt Romney’s appearance in Hobbs on Thursday (Aug. 23) has some Republicans thinking things will be much more competitive for the GOP presidential candidate than they were four years ago. Back in 2008, Barack Obama swamped Republican nominee John McCain, winning the state in a blowout – by 15.1 points in a state that prior to that year had been way too close to call. While a lot of political observers think Obama is the decided favorite to win in New Mexico, things appear to be tightening. After racking up leads of as much as 15 points in some polls,...

Not too long ago pundits were arguing that Mitt Romney’s path to 270 electoral votes was “narrow.” We didn’t buy it. Lo and behold, conventional wisdom has now changed. The Associated Press writes: “Warning signs for Obama on tight path to 270.” The AP explains: Obama’s new worries about North Carolina and Wisconsin offer opportunities for Republican Mitt Romney, who must peel off states Obama won in 2008 if he’s to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to oust the incumbent in November. Iowa, which kicked off the campaign in January, is now expected to be tight to the...

New Mexico insiders from both parties describe Wilson, an Air Force Academy graduate, as a tough and disciplined campaigner, a strong fundraiser and someone whose broad support, including among Hispanics, is in the mold of former Sen. Pete Domenici (R). There’s also no better wingman in the state than Gov. Susana Martinez, a likely surrogate whom Wilson has known for about 20 years. “I think New Mexico is always going to be a swing state on races like this,” said Jay McCleskey, a GOP media strategist in the state and former regional political director at the Republican National Committee. “But...

Albuquerque city councilor Dan Lewis has dropped his bid for Congress. Lewis, a Republican, announced his decision in a news conference Tuesday. In a statement, he said he was quitting the race in part to avoid a contentious primary that could damage the eventual GOP nominee. His departure from the race for the 1st Congressional District race leaves Republican Janice Arnold Jones to face one of three Democratic challengers in November. The Democratic field includes former ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez, former state legislator and city councilor Eric Griego and current Bernalillo County Commissioner Michelle Lujan Grisham. The congressional seat is...

New Mexico Lt. Gov. John Sanchez is dropping out of the open-seat Senate race, leaving former Rep. Heather Wilson with just one opponent in the Republican primary. Sanchez said Thursday that a nasty primary with Wilson and conservative challenger Greg Sowards would hurt the party’s chances of winning the seat in November. “A bitter and divisive Republican Primary would only diminish our party’s genuine opportunity to bring real change in Washington,” Sanchez said in a statement. “The reality is that the path forward to success in the campaign could cause a negative primary struggle that would leave the eventual nominee...

New Mexico Republican Governor Susana Martinez apparently has “no intentions” of accepting presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s invitation to be his vice president running mate if he wins the nomination. Mr. Romney mentioned the New Mexico governor as a possible running mate during an interview on Fox News Friday, but Governor Martinez says she will not be accepting offers from any of the candidates to be their possible running mates. “I have no intentions of doing anything different other than being governor,” said the New Mexico governor in an interview with ABC News 7 on Friday. Mr. Romney also mentioned New...

On CNN’s State of the Union today, Candy Crowley asked Senator John McCain if the Republican party should be worried about courting Hispanic voters in places like his home state of Arizona heading into next year’s presidential election, particularly given the anti-immigration sentiments of many of the candidates. McCain explained the policy of the United States should be “humane” when it comes to dealing with such matters, a word that got Newt Gingrich in hot water with conservatives when he used it about immigration several weeks ago. McCain suggested that the Latino vote might not necessarily go for Obama because...

Karl Rove, a political strategist who served as an adviser to President George W. Bush, will headline a fundraiser for New Mexico Senate candidate Heather Wilson on Aug. 11 in Albuquerque. Wilson, a Republican who previously represented an Albuquerque-based district in Congress, announced Rove’s visit earlier today. Other details weren’t immediately released.

A poll unveiled this week from American Research Group shows that three Republican presidential candidates -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska -- are gaining serious momentum in Iowa, site of the first presidential caucus. Bachmann, who declared her candidacy in June and has been surging in polls at both the national and state levels, topped the poll with 21 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts placed second with 18 percent. Paul, who was the Libertarian candidate in 1988 and ran for the Republican nomination in...

- NMPolitics.net - http://www.nmpolitics.net/index - Wilson leads big in GOP Senate primary, poll findsPosted By Heath Haussamen On April 28, 2011 @ 11:58 pm In News and Analysis | 2 Comments U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson (Photo by Heath Haussamen) Wilson had the support of 59 percent of those surveyed to John SanchezÂ’s 17 percent and Greg SowardsÂ’ 2 percent Heather Wilson has a commanding lead over other declared and likely candidates for the GOP nomination for New MexicoÂ’s open U.S. Senate seat, according to a new, independent poll.Wilson led her closest opponent in the poll by 42 points. She...