Free Republic

John Dendahl, the firebrand conservative who ... [ran] as the GOP's nominee for governor, is leaving New Mexico. His reasons: family considerations and what he says is widespread corruption and the refusal of most public leaders to stand up to it. Gov. Bill Richardson, who trounced Dendahl in 2006, was a prime target of Dendahl's criticism. He said Richardson "has expanded what I think is corrupt conduct in government in New Mexico and people of New Mexico have accepted it." "To govern through intimidation and fear and retaliation is corrupt conduct. ... To me, corruption goes beyond breaking laws. It's...

As New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson has embraced a far-reaching agenda and pushed— sometimes at breakneck speed— to make sure it became reality over the past four years. The former congressman, U.N. ambassador and energy secretary has targeted everything from how New Mexicans are taxed and how they cast ballots to how they may travel in the future. ~~ snip ~~ And for just about every accomplishment the governor cites, there are those who accuse his administration of being better at big-splash announcements— made with an eye toward the 2008 presidential race— than the hard work of governing. Richardson dismisses...

Emergency Medical Technicians were across the street from the Bernalillo bank parking where Paige McKenzie was attacked. An ambulance took her quickly to the University of New Mexico Hospital. And McKenzie counts among her friends a New Mexico sheriff and a GOP gubernatorial candidate. But there are no clues as to who may have attacked McKenzie or why. She remained at the University of New Mexico Hospital today. McKenzie, a spokeswoman for Republican John Dendahl, was assaulted Wednesday night as she drove home. She apparently stopped to fix a flat tire around 7:20 p.m. when she was attacked, said Bernalillo...

Bernalillo police have released a description of the suspect in Wednesday's brutal attack on a veteran political worker. Paige McKenzie, 41, of Rio Rancho, suffered head trauma in the attack, which occurred about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the First Community Bank on U.S. 550 in Bernalillo, police said. McKenzie, the campaign spokeswoman for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Dendahl, remained at University of New Mexico Hospital on Friday. Bernalillo police chief Fred Radosevich said she was in serious condition. A Bernalillo police news release describes McKenzie's attacker as a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, 175...

Buoyed by strong Democratic support and a notable showing among Republicans and conservatives, Gov. Bill Richardson has a wide lead for re-election over Republican challenger John Dendahl. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters surveyed in the Journal's first poll of the season said they would vote for Richardson in the Nov. 7 election. Twenty-eight percent backed Dendahl. Eleven percent were undecided, according to the statewide poll, which was conducted last week and had a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points. Four percent said they wouldn't vote for either candidate. The poll was based on a sample of 674 registered voters...

Republican governor candidate John Dendahl isn't exactly courting the teacher vote. In reacting to test results announced this week, Dendahl said public school teachers skimp on basics because they are too busy teaching the "three S's— sexuality, self-esteem and socialism." "Instead of teaching the three R's— Reading, Writing and 'rithmetic, schools are too busy trying to teach the three S's," Dendahl said in a statement this week in which he criticized Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson for academic problems in New Mexico public schools. Dendahl, in a telephone interview with the Journal on Friday, said he believes "most of the teachers...

Gov. Bill Richardson's re-election campaign on Friday criticized Republican candidate John Dendahl for ''slapping offensive stereotypes on New Mexico Hispanics'' in recent comments about drunken driving and immigration. Dendahl said during a radio talk show earlier this week that lawmakers have failed to adequately deal with the problem of repeat drunken drivers because ''the Legislature understands that statistically ... too many people who are repeat offenders happen to have Spanish last names.'' He went on to say that lawmakers will not enact tougher legislation against repeat drunken driving offenders because they're concerned ''that would be racist.'' Dave Contarino, chairman of...

Gov. Bill Richardson will fly later this month to a pair of political gatherings where a "Who's Who" of potential Democratic presidential contenders are flocking together. Richardson is scheduled to be the featured dinner speaker July 22 at the Florida Democratic Party's biggest fundraiser of the year— an event also scheduled to include Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and retired general Wesley Clark. Then it's off to Denver for a July 24 speaking engagement at the Democratic Leadership Council's conference, which also is to include heavy hitters Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind....

This is strictly a hunch, but I'm guessing Gov. Bill Richardson wasn't in the best mood last week after realizing that his seemingly smooth path to re-election could turn into a pretty rocky road. I refer, of course, to the news that bomb-throwing former Republican Party boss John Dendahl would replace mild-mannered physician J.R. Damron in the race against Richardson. New Mexico political reporters relish this story, and for good reason. We thrive on colorful quotes and conflict, and Dendahl will inject plenty of both into this previously listless race. No one is saying with any real conviction that Dendahl...

The Bill Richardson campaign-money machine kept churning last month. In his bid for a second term as governor, Democrat Richardson took in more than $824,000 last month, according to his campaign-finance report filed with the state Thursday. That brings the total he has raised for re-election to more than $8 million -- about the same amount he raised for his 2002 campaign. Richardson, who has at least a dozen full-time employees on his campaign staff, spent more than $1.5 million last month, leaving just under $5 million in the bank. Meanwhile, Richardson's Republican opponent, John Dendahl, was not able to...

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...

John Dendahl replaced the candidate (Damron) who won the primary election for governor. As I type now, Mike Santullo (from the AM radio show Santullo Sucks) is being interviewed on KKOB AM. John Dendahl certainly has the ability, will and cajones to give Big King Bill Richardson a run for the money.

Damron withdraws from gubernatorial race; former GOP chairman replaces him Last Update: 06/17/2006 6:12:59 PM By: Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Former state Republican party chairman John Dendahl is the party’s new nominee to challenge Democratic Governor Bill Richardson. State Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh says Dendahl, 67, was nominated by unanimous voice vote Saturday at a Republican State Central Committee meeting in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque, N.M. -- It looked like Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson would coast toward re-election until Saturday when his little-known Republican opponent dropped out of the race and the GOP named a more aggressive candidate. J.R. Damron never got much traction in his campaign and was so far behind Richardson in fundraising that some GOP insiders questioned whether he could compete against the popular incumbent. The Santa Fe radiologist who has never held elected office addressed delegates at the Republican State Central Committee meeting and left without talking with reporters. About 100 party members from across the state then gave a...