Free Republic

State Rep. Richard Berry scored an impressive victory Tuesday with an outright win over three-term incumbent Martin Chávez to become Albuquerque's next mayor. "We had a message that resonated with voters in Albuquerque, and we worked hard," said Berry, a general contractor and two-term Republican state representative who campaigned as a "common-sense" business owner with conservative themes. ...Berry maintained a 5 percentage point or better lead over Chávez throughout the night and finished above the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff election next month. Richard Romero, the third candidate in the race, was trailing, with about 21 percent....

Richard “RJ” Berry appears to be winning a plurality of the absentee votes posted to the Bernalillo county Web site moments ago. Berry now has 41.62 percent of the vote compared to 36.03 percent for incumbent mayor Martin Chavez and 22.18 percent for former state Pro Tem Richard Romero.

Not only was Republican Richard J. Berry elected mayor of Albuquerque yesterday, but the G.O.P. also took control of the Albuquerque City Council, as the New Mexico Independent reports: GOP challenger Richard Berry surprised even himself Tuesday, knocking off longtime Democratic Mayor Martin Chavez and avoiding a two-man runoff while doing it. Berry, a two-term Republican state legislator, bested Chavez in convincing fashion, collecting nearly 44 percent of votes to Chavez’s 35 percent. Richard Romero received nearly 21 percent of the vote. Only provisional ballots remained to be counted early Wednesday. ... City Councilor Michael Cadigan lost a bid Tuesday...

The New Mexico Senate voted to abolish capital punishment, a measure already approved by the lower House that Governor Bill Richardson must sign before it goes into effect, the Senate said on its website. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 24-18 to strike the death penalty from its law books. Democrat Richardson, who last month withdrew as President Barack Obama's pick to be commerce secretary, has not made clear whether he agrees with the repeal measure or plans to veto it, but lawmakers said they expect him to sign it into law. Supporters of the measure argue that replacing the death sentence...

Governor Richardson is working hard behind the scenes, trying to convince state lawmakers to vote for one of his favorite pieces of legislation; the deeply controversial domestic partners bill. The governor is using his formidable persuasive powers to pull uncertain lawmakers his way, but there are powerful forces at work on the other side too, mainly religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church. The bill would give unmarried couples, gay and straight, the opportunity to have the same legal rights as married couples. The Senate is where the bill will sink or swim.

SANTA FE — "Technically alive" was the best supporters could say about the future of a domestic partnerships bill Monday after a possibly fatal 5-5 vote in a Senate committee. The tie vote left Senate Bill 12 stalled — perhaps permanently — in the Senate Judiciary Committee as one Democrat sided with Republican opponents and another Democrat left the committee room before the vote was taken. Though supporters of the measure described Monday's vote as a setback, Gov. Bill Richardson, who supports the idea of domestic partnerships, might seek to exert his influence in an attempt to move the bill...