I want to start an on-and-off series of posts on why I think Democrat Martin Heinrich is THE Democrat we want to win NM-01 in 2008 and why I think his name should be added to the Blue Majority list and why he needs to be picked up and supported by Dkos.
Yes...this is a ENDORSE MY F*&$ING CANDIDATE, KOS!!! diary. Jump in.
NM-01 Overview
NM-01 is a rather strange district (map)in my mind. It encompasses the Albuquerque metro area and a huge swath of rural New Mexico that has little relation to Albuquerque. Although the majority of registered voters in NM-01 are Democrats, the odious Republican Heather Wilson has held the seat since 1998. In fact, no Democrat has ever held this seat.
Every two years, Wilson barely holds on to her seat. In 2006, she beat former NM Attorney General Patricia Madrid by less than 1000 votes.
What I see as part of the problem (and again, this is my own opinion) is that the Democrats who have chosen to run against Wilson in the past are all tainted by our less-than-clean NM politics. When I was making calls for Madrid just prior to the 2006 elections, I was surprised at just how many Democrats told me they were not going to vote for Madrid because they perceived her (rightly or wrongly) as corrupt. They werent going to vote for Wilson either. They were going to "sit-out" that race and hope for a cleaner Democrat the next time around.
The other thing is that Wilson is a powerful campaigner. She's really good. And ruthless.
In any case, she's out. Wilson is running against Steve Pearce for the GOP nomination to run for the Senate seat being thankfully abanoned by Pete Domenici (and thank God that guy is on his way out).
Right-Winger Darren White, Bernalillo County Sheriff, seems to have the GOP nod to take over from Wilson and keep the seat in Republican hands. In fact, Domenici has endorsed him. I'm not really going to get into Darren White at the moment other than to say he's not a very agreeable character. The wonderful New Mexico FBIHOP has documented his racism and use of racial profiling the money he's getting from John Boehner and his ties to the Bush/Cheney machine. Clearly not the guy we want....but I'll dive deeper into that pool in another post.
This should, by all accounts, be a Democratic seat. This is one of the seats we need to take seriously and target full on in 2008.
Martin Heinrich
I know there have been posts on Martin over the past six months (here, here,here,and Martin's own posts here and here. but lets review.
Martin is a 30-something Albuquerque resident who, prior to his election to the Albuquerque City Council, started his own small business, volunteered for numerous conservation groups, ran the non-profit youth outdoor education center Cottonwood Gulch and served as Governor Richardson's Natural Resources Trustee.
As an Albuquerque City Councilor, Martin fought to crack down on crime, raised the minimum wage, helped bring good jobs to the area, expanded Open Space, protected archaeological sites, initiated public transportation expantion, and worked to make New Mexico a leader in energy efficiency and alternative energy like wind and solar power.
What I've seen of Martin is that he is clean and honest. There is none of the ubiquitous NM corruption hanging around this guy. He also works to bring diverse groups to the table. He is innovative in getting things done. That said, he is also not afraid to take a strong position and fight for what is right as when he took on big business in NM to get the living wage passed.
Where is he on the big issues of the day? I am going to crib a bit from Booman's Open Seat Initiative Questionnaire and a few other places:
On Iraq:
I would've voted against going to war with Iraq. I've been a strong opponent of this war from the beginning. I first spoke out publicly against the war in Irag in 2003 when I was running for City Council in Albuquerque. I also went on record by voting for a resolution of the Albuquerque City Council which called on Congress to rescind the Iraq War resolution and begin the redeployment of American troops from Iraq. I've also participated in "Iraq Summer" events here in Albuquerque.
I believe that we must end the war in Iraq as soon as possible. I also believe that we need to combine our withdrawal with a diplomatic surge. This diplomatic surge must include multilateral and bilateral talks that bring both domestic and international stakeholders to the table to hash out a political solution that will bring an end to the violence. Given the mess George Bush and his allies in Washington have made, we owe a strong commitment to a political settlement to the Iraqi people.
I will seek to predicate any additional Iraq funding with the safe, honorable and timely redeployment of our troops. I also believe that as we begin to bring our troops home to their families, we must simultaneously engage in a diplomatic surge that brings both international and domestic stakeholders into bilateral and multilateral discussions. It's a complex diplomatic situation and there are a multitude of stakeholders involved at all levels. Therefore, we must be inclusive, bring everyone together and forge a landmark governing consensus that prioritizes stability and the well being of the Iraqi people.
On Civil Liberties:
I stand with Senators Tester and Feingold. In the 1930s, my father and grandparents left Nazi Germany because they could not and would not live in a fascist state. In Congress, I will honor my family's legacy and of all those brave men and women who fought to defeat fascism in Europe. I pledge to stand fast and challenge those who advocate for the abridgement of our civil and constitutional rights and liberties. We are first and foremost a nation of laws. That is what makes America great. We should not turn our back on those laws, especially the first amendment to the Constitution, the moment they become inconvenient.
Since 2001, when Senator Feingold stood strong as a lone voice of reason that stood up for the Constitution in the United States Senate, a bipartisan coalition now agrees that many of the components of the original Patriot Act were indeed unnecessarily abusive. Americans should not be subject to a McCarthy-like government fishing through our library records or breaking into our homes without our knowledge.
I believe that we should scrap the Patriot Act and replace it with a new American security bill that strengthens our defenses against terrorism while protecting our civil liberties.
Instead of infringing upon our Constitutional rights, this legislation would focus on increasing security where we're most vulnerable to a terrorist attack. Specifically, we should work to improve port, border and transportation security while ensuring that our civil liberties are protected.
On FISA:
I would've voted No on this legislation.
We must stand up for freedom and our Constitution. The Fourth Amendment in the Bill of Rights reads..."The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
Wiretapping American citizens without a warrant violates our civil rights. I believe that the government has no right to listen in on our phone calls without first pursuing a warrant. Granting this kind of authority to government opens up a Pandora's Box full of opportunities for abuse and would have our founding fathers rolling over in their graves.
I oppose amnesty for telcos who violate our civil rights and who violate the law. I believe that sets another dangerous precedent. All people must be treated equally under the law - regardless of one's wealth or influence. I teach my children that when you do something wrong - you get punished for it. And, just as petty criminals get punished for committing crimes, so too should the Scooter Libby's and the telcos of the world who commit crimes.
On the Bankrupcy Bill:
I would've voted against the Republican bankruptcy bill. The bill didn't do a single thing to regulate the predatory lending industry, whose practices often contribute to bankruptcy and lower rates of home ownership. Predatory lending is serious problem today and I want to make sure they are more tightly regulated. For example, people should not be charged huge fees for paying off their mortgage early, but that practice is common. Moreover, given today's shaky sub-prime lending market, people are much more likely to lose their homes and have to subject their families to considerable hardship.
On Taxes and fiscal policy:
Overall, I believe that we need to pursue tax policies that reward hard work and innovation. We should make sure that our tax structure provides incentives for wage earners, those who are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, and those who actually create new, clean jobs. I support targeting tax relief toward poor and middle class working families as well as toward entrepreneurs who create new clean, green jobs that reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We can pay for tax cuts like these by closing the loop holes in our current tax structure. Loop holes that are designed to reward big oil and multi-millionaire hedge fund managers.
Fiscal responsibility includes both responsible taxation that benefits working families, but it also means that the government needs to be more efficient and effective when spending taxpayer money. As such, I support comprehensive earmark reform that brings earmarks currently shrouded in secrecy into the light of day. Increasing transparency will decrease the amount of wasteful pork that makes it into our budgets by shining a bright light on projects not deserving of federal funds.
On health care:
400,000 New Mexicans are without healthcare. Hundreds of thousands more are underinsured or one paycheck away from being without health care. That's a travesty. I believe that we must find a way to provide quality, affordable health care for every American.
I’m not doctrinaire about how we get there, but I believe we must make affordable health care to every American. I think we should build on successful health care programs like Medicare and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). It is unconscionable that the politicians in Washington get the Cadillac health care plan at taxpayer expense while denying basic coverage to so many children in New Mexico and across America. If it is good enough for the politicians in Washington, it should be good enough for all our families.
On the Minimum Wage:
I favor indexing the minimum wage to inflation. There are many times in our history when the MW was substantially more valuable in real terms than it is today (equivalent to $8 or $9/hour). That makes a real difference to a single mom working two jobs to make ends meet.
Indexing would make our gains for working families more permanent.
Endorsements
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The Fix (WAPO) has named Martin the front runner in the election.
- UFCW Local 1563
- Pueblo of Jemez
- Pueblo of Zia
- named CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance
- American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino
- State Senator Cisco McSorley
- State Representative Danice Picraux
- State Representative Antonio "Moe" Maestas
- State Representative Mimi Stewart
- State Representative Gail Chasey
- State Representative Al Park
- Albuquerque City Councilor Ken Sanchez
- Albuquerque City Councilor Debbie O'Malley
- Albuquerque City Councilor Michael Cadigan
- Albuquerque City Councilor Isaac "Ike" Benton
- Albuquerque City Councilor Rey Garduño
- Edgewood City Councilor Brad Hill
- Former Bernalillo County Commissioner Steve Gallegos
- Former Mayor of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque John Hooker
- Public Regulation Commission Vice-Chair Jason Marks
- Dr. Miles Nelson, Democratic candidate for Congress, 2004
- Antonio Sandoval, Albuquerque Political Activist
-
New York Times bestselling author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
The Challenge
On Wednesday, Democracy for New Mexico reported:
Wow. I heard from someone close to Martin Heinrich's campaign for Congress in NM-01 that his end-of-year fundraising total will come close to $500,000. That's almost half a million dollars, folks. The Heinrich campaign ended the third quarter last year having raised more than $318,000 since he entered the race in April. To date, he's raised more than $112,000 of his campaign funding online via ActBlue from 664 supporters -- always a good sign.
This is one sign that Martin is serious and willing to fight full-on for this seat. He's not kidding around and we need that.
D4NM continued:
The others contending for the NM-01 Dem nomination are Michelle Lujan Grisham, who's a former Secretary of the New Mexico Public Health Department, and Albuquerque attorney Robert L. Pidcock, who entered the race this week as a long shot. I don't know how much Grisham has raised to date overall, but she's received a total of $17,850 online at ActBlue from 58 contributors -- well below Heinrich's totals there.
Two other Dems who were in the running in NM-01 have left the field. Attorney Jon Adams withdrew to run instead in NM-03, while teacher and activist Jason Call withdrew when AFSCME unanimously endorsed Heinrich's candidacy.
Despite Heinrich's prodigious fundraising and widespread support in the first district, former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil Giron is reportedly now testing the waters and pondering entering the race.
Among progressives in NM-01, Martin is the clear choice. The problem is that, as well as the fund-raising is going for Martin, he is going to face a well-funded GOPer backed by the national party and they are going to go full out to keep this seat in GOP hands. And we Progressives cannot risk having old-style Dems such as Grisham and Giron running for this seat. I think that Martin needs national help from Kossacks and national exposure.
Martin is clearly THE Progressive in this race. His values match ours and we need to fight for this seat. I'd really like to see Martin picked up and FP'd for Blue Majority and get alot more play here. In other words:
ENDORSE MY F*&$ING CANDIDATE, KOS!!!
In the mean time, you can support Martin thru Act Blue
FULL DISCLOSURE: I dont work for or in conjunction with the Martin Heinrich for Congress campaign. That said, I have been a good, personal friend of Martin's for nearly 10 years. Nothing in this post has been approved or vetted by Martin or his campaign. These are my opinions.