Latest in New Mexico Race: A Counter-Counterattack

Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire ^ | October 7, 2010 | Stephanie Simon

[CedarDave]

The attacks on Democratic Rep. Harry Teague’s personal character and his conduct as a businessman are intensifying in the tight race for New Mexico’s Second Congressional District.

A brief recap: Last week, Republican challenger Steve Pearce came out with a tough TV ad accusing Teague of pocketing $3 million from his family energy business, and then announcing — four days before Christmas — that he would eliminate his employees’ health insurance.

Teague responded with testimonials from five employees praising his integrity.

Now, Republicans are pointing out that three of those employees were co-defendants in a sexual-harassment lawsuit brought against Teague’s companies in 2008.

A female employee claimed that she was subjected to unwanted physical contact and sexual remarks from two of the defendants and that a third declined to investigate her complaints and later demoted her. She also said she had complained to Teague but he failed to respond.

The lawsuit was settled out of court; Teague’s campaign would not disclose details. Teague has said he took the complaint seriously and does not allow harassing behavior in the workplace.

[CedarDave]

I'm waiting for Steve to come out with some ads on how he kept staff, Anglos and Hispanic alike, on the payroll during the oil industry downturn in the early 1980's. Plus how he has supported Hispanics with scholarships. These ads were positive winners in his earlier campaign. I just hope he's saving them for the next couple of weeks.

[CedarDave]

NM list PING!

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)

[Lancey Howard]

Excellent!
It’s good to see a GOP candidate with the guts to launch a smashmouth campaign.

[ASOC]

AH yes, an election year where, fianlly, the (R) party has taken off the gloves.

How did that go

“You gonna see somethin’ you ain’t never seed before!”