Posted on 08/21/2004 7:06:20 PM PDT by woofie
President Bush will return to New Mexico next week for the second time in a month and will make campaign stops in all three of the state's congressional districts, his campaign said Friday.
The latest visit, on Thursday, underscores again the importance of New Mexico votes to both Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry, a political observer said.
"New Mexico will be the closest contest in the mountain region, and both the Bush and Kerry campaign know that," said Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff. "And although we have only five electoral votes, in a close national contest that could make the difference."
Kerry also has made repeated visits to New Mexico, most recently making a two-day whistle-stop trip across the state by train earlier this month.
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is expected to visit Albuquerque on Aug. 28, although he is not yet on the ballot. Supporters are gathering nominating petitions for a Sept. 7 deadline.
Bush on Thursday is scheduled to be in Las Cruces at 9:05 a.m., Farmington at 12:05 p.m. and Albuquerque at 3:10 p.m.
"The fact that he's going to three different cities, I think, demonstrates the importance of New Mexico strategically to the Kerry and the Bush campaign," said Sanderoff, who heads Research and Polling Inc. in Albuquerque.
"John Kerry and John Edwards will return to New Mexico often between now and the election," Kerry's New Mexico spokesman, Ruben Pulido Jr., said Friday.
The executive director of the Republican Party of New Mexico said the president's time here is well spent.
"From the very beginning of the election we've known that this was going to be a tough campaign and that New Mexico was going to play a key role in it," Greg Graves said Friday. "And I don't think anything has changed ... When he goes places it activates our base and it changes people's minds or brings undecideds into the president's column."
Bush lost New Mexico to Democrat Al Gore by 366 votes four years ago. This will be the president's fourth visit to New Mexico this year.
Most recently, Bush made a campaign stop in Albuquerque on Aug. 11. He also spoke in Albuquerque in March and visited Roswell in January. Vice President Dick Cheney held a rally in Rio Rancho on July 31.
Kerry has visited New Mexico four times this year, including a May 4 trip to Albuquerque and a stop here before the state's Democratic presidential caucus in February.
He and running mate John Edwards held a rally in Albuquerque July 9 and then both returned to the state on a train tour this month, holding public events in Las Vegas and Gallup on Aug. 7 and 8.
Nader plans a news conference at the Albuquerque International Sunport at 4:15 p.m on Aug. 28. Later that evening, he plans to sign copies of his book, "The Good Fight," from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at an Albuquerque venue to be announced, said Carol Miller, volunteer coordinator for Nader's campaign.
Miller says Nader needs 14,527 signatures to get on the New Mexico ballot and supporters expect to turn in more than 20,000 on or before the Sept. 7 deadline.
"New Mexico is where the action is," Sanderoff said. The campaign has been "great for our economic development, especially all the advertising that's been bought on television."
Its not Greece but it is a foreign country...
If the President stopped at the Imus Ranch would the "I" Man throw Kerry overboard?
LoL!
LoL!
' . . is going to backfire . . . yada yada . .'
My folks got an invite to see him in Farmington and plan on attending.
My family had tickets, too. I talked to them while they were at the rally but before President Bush arrived. They said the crowd was huge--and loud! I so wish I could have seen him! Have you talked to your parents this evening? I can't reach anyone....
Nope, but they were asked to work the event by the party.
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