The dust has barely settled on 2018 midterms in New Mexico, but already there are four key takeaways from Tuesday’s election results: I. Voter Turnout Spike Clearly voters in New Mexico were energized and motivated to turn out to the polls with a total turnout of 54.87 percent – which was only 7.49 percent shy…
Year: 2018
Ethics Commission: Amendment 2
“Ethics” and “politics” are often words we think of as polar opposites, but many states are trying to improve how they handle ethical issues involving public officials. As of this year, 44 states have ethics commissions, which are responsible for investigating ethical issues regarding legislators, state employees, candidates, etc. New Mexico is one of the…
The Battle for New Mexico’s Energy Future
A common message from liberal Democratic candidates this year involves the promotion of renewable energy, a notable shift in political messaging strategy. Up until recently, the conventional wisdom was that climate change and related issues were the concern of only a limited number of environmentalist activists but not a concern to the average voter. In…
Three Way in New Mexico’s Senate Debate
On Friday, October 12th, New Mexico had a unique Senate debate. The debate strayed from tradition, presenting candidates from three parties instead of only two. The debate blurred the tribal lines between Republican and Democrat, “left versus right” and challenged the normal talking points often seen or heard on conventional broadcast media. This gave New…