Free Republic

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...

Text of email sent to supporters this p.m. (not yet on website): Friends, Like everyone else, I was surprised by Senator Bingaman's decision to retire. He served us well and we need to thank him for his service. The retirement of a Senator causes a huge political vacuum in any state and is magnified in less densely populated states like New Mexico. The selection of a candidate needs to be a well thought out decision that is the culmination of much input from family, various leaders and organizations around the state. During the last two days I have talked to...

Ben Birnbaum writes that former New Mexico Gary Johnson looks set to inherit the small, entertaining Republican primary space occupied by Ron Paul. He also seems set to occupy another space: The anti-Palin. There's a substantial minority of Republicans who don't like her, and with the rest of the field terrified of giving offense, it's a niche that will get him attention and some fans: What does Johnson make of Palin? On a drive through the foothills of New Hampshire, I ask him. Riding shotgun, he turns the question around on me. “Um, I guess some people think she’s folksy,”...

Former guv calls the House hopeful a "principled conservative" in Wednesday note. Palin's endorsement via Facebook: Steve Pearce for New Mexico With less than four weeks until Election Day, the momentum is clearly on our side. We must keep it going! Today, I’m happy to endorse another principled conservative running for Congress. Steve Pearce, in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, understands what makes this country great. As a decorated military veteran, Steve served our country with honor and distinction. As a successful business-owner, he has created real jobs for New Mexico...

Former Sen. Pete Domenici's (R-N.M.) son is edging toward a gubernatorial run in New Mexico. "I'm looking very seriously at it," Pete Domenici, Jr. (R) told the Albuquerque Journal. "I'm going to make a decision in a few days." Domenici, an attorney who hasn't held elected office, said yesterday that he has been contemplating a run since before the holiday season and could launch a campaign shortly. If he does enter the race, Domenici would bring solid name ID to the four-strong Republican primary field. His father, a six-term senator who retired in 2008, remains popular in New Mexico.

From January 1995 to December 2002, Gary Johnson served as the Governor of the State of New Mexico, and was the first governor in the history of New Mexico to be elected for two consecutive four year terms. He was ranked among the nation's seven top governors in each of the Cato Institute's fiscal report cards between 1996 and 2002. Under Gov. Johnson's administration, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax increase in the state's history, the rate of growth in the state government was cut in half, half of the state's prisons were privatized, state Medicaid was...

Many first-time hopefuls for statewide office at least go through the formality of setting up an "exploratory" committee before officially announcing their candidacies. Not Republican Susana Martinez, the district attorney in New Mexico's Doña Ana County. She launched her campaign in her state's 2010 open-seat race for governor on Friday without going through an in-between stage. "I'm ready to get to work," she said Friday.

No major New Mexico news organization has had a sustained effort to focus light on, and critique, Richardson’s pay-to-play, his profligate spending, or his ruthlessness.

Democrats are realizing that winning the Hispanic vote is more critical than ever if they hope to carry Nevada in November. And so as Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin rallied supporters in Carson City on Saturday, Democrats were redoubling their outreach efforts to Latinos. To point: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson gathered with local Hispanic leaders for a discussion on the economy at the College of Southern Nevada before setting off to canvass, attend a Telemundo soccer tournament and deliver remarks at the Clark County Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner. The visit was one in a series of recent actions...