Gov. Starts Ad Attacks On Dendahl (NM-Richardson)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | June 29, 2006 | Jeff Jones

[CedarDave]

Gov. Bill Richardson's re-election campaign on Wednesday launched its first advertising attack on Republican challenger John Dendahl— 11 days after Dendahl got into the race.

The one-minute radio bombing run questions the manner in which Dendahl replaced Santa Fe radiologist J.R. Damron as the Republican candidate for governor.

Richardson campaign chairman Dave Contarino, who has called Dendahl a "negative bomb-thrower," said in a prepared statement that the new ad is truthful. "Voters of New Mexico need to understand exactly how Dendahl operates and how and why he was selected by the Republican Party leadership," he said.

Dendahl said the Richardson ad is incorrect and misleading. He said the ad shows the Democratic incumbent is worried about the challenge and thanked the Richardson camp for assisting his name recognition with voters by using his name seven times in the radio spot.

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The ad features an ominous-sounding voice saying: "A secret meeting ... the order is delivered ... and the political candidate quietly goes away. Is it the Third World? The Middle East? Eastern Europe? No— it's the New Mexico Republican Party Central Committee and John Dendahl."

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The Republican Party's state central committee on June 17 nominated Dendahl as the party's new candidate after Damron pulled out of the race. Damron has said he was not pressured to step aside, and Dendahl said he did not order Damron to drop out.

[CedarDave]

Dendahl is a political "bomb-thrower" and with this opening salvo by the Rats, I look for return fire by Dendahl that exposes Richardson's corruption and political hatchet jobs on those who oppose him.

Of course Richardson's ads about himself show him transforming New Mexico into a virtual Garden-of-Eden with all his new programs coupled with tax-breaks (due to fast-rising oil and gas revenues).

[jess35]

Dendahl's job isn't to win the governors office, it's to peel back the top of the bright and shiny box the press has created for Richardson and show the nation the scumbag hiding inside.

[CedarDave]

Yes indeedy. Richardson is not likely to lose the race for governor, but hopefully enough light will be shown at his boundless ego, corruption and slimeball tactics against opponents and disagreeing supporters that will help defeat his presidential hopes. An example of his ego is that he has directed that all new transportation projects have his name on them -- they are labeled GRIP -- Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership