Free Republic

Businessman Louie Sanchez remembers growing up in a trailer in the South Valley where he said he learned the value of hard work. It’s those working class roots he wants to emphasize when he launches a bid for the U.S. Senate on Monday. Sanchez will join a growing Republican field that includes former New Mexico State University professor Gavin Clarkson; anti-abortion advocate Elisa Martinez; and Albuquerque contractor Mick Rich in the race to replace Democrat Tom Udall, who is not seeking reelection to a third term. U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján and accountant Andrew Perkins are seeking the Democratic nomination....

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said in seeking to make history and capture a U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico he'll have to give up a few of his favorite activities: marathon biking rides, hanging out in his northern New Mexico "dream" home and tuning out news about President Donald Trump. But he can't promise he won't smoke an occasional joint. Johnson, who served two terms as New Mexico governor in the 1990s and gained national attention as one of the first mainstream politicians to call for the legalization of marijuana, announced Thursday that he's...

On August 20, Emerson Polls released a poll for the New Mexico U.S. Senate race. The results: incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich 39%, Libertarian Gary Johnson 21%, Mick Rich 11%, undecided 30%. If Johnson does outpoll Rich in November, that will be the first time since 1970 in which a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate placed third in any general election. In 1970 in New York, the Republican nominee, Charles Goodell, placed third behind the Conservative and the Democrat. Also in 1970 in Virginia, the Republican nominee, Ray Garland, placed third behind independent Harry F. Byrd, Jr., and Democrat George Rawlings....

Mick Rich, who served as president of Albuquerque-based Mick Rich Contractors for over 30 years, is ready to take his hard hat to Washington. The Albuquerque-based Republican filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in February and will run against Democratic incumbent Sen. Martin Heinrich.