Like a lot of you, I had a good laugh when I heard that the Romney campaign thought New Mexico was in play. Well, seems like they've woken up and smelled the chilies roasting:
Republicans pull 3 key staffers from Romney election effort in New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In the latest sign that Republicans are failing to gain traction in New Mexico, national party leaders are pulling three key staffers from their effort here to elect Mitt Romney.
Party officials confirmed Wednesday that the GOP Victory campaign's director, Hispanic outreach director and communications director will be transferred to more competitive states as part of a shift in the Republican National Committee's resources.
The happy news doesn't stop there.
While New Mexico early in the campaign was also considered a battleground, it never really became competitive. The National Republican Senatorial Committee recently pulled $3 million in television ad time it had reserved on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson...a recent poll commissioned for the Albuquerque Journal showed Obama leading Romney 45 percent to 40 percent...That same poll, conducted Sept. 3-6 by Research & Polling Inc., of Albuquerque, showed Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich leading Wilson 49 percent to 42 percent.
Meanwhile, Republican Governor Susana Martinez
reads the writing on the wall:
Susana Martinez Rejects Mitt Romney's "47 Percent" Comment
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez joined the chorus of Republicans criticizing presidential nominee Mitt Romney for his dismissing of 47 percent of voters, saying they will vote Obama because they are dependent on government services.
Just several weeks ago, Martinez spoke on Romney's behalf at the Republican National Convention, but she was quick to distance herself from the candidate's controversial remarks.
"We have a lot of people that are at the poverty level in New Mexico, but they count just as much as anybody else," Martinez said, according to the Albuquerque Journal. "There is a net that does allow them to be caught and taken care of, whether it be through medical services, whether it be food services, whether it be with funding for apartments, for housing.
"I think, certainly the fact that New Mexico provides that safety net is a good thing," she added.
Adiós, Mitt. No deje que Arizona le golpeó en el culo en su camino de salida.
UPDATE: Thanks to sodalis in the comments for a good link to the state of play in NM House races. Michelle Lujan Grisham, she of the magic middle name (well, if you are in NM it is) looks likely to keep the the seat Martin Heinrich is vacating in Dem hands. The other other two seats will likely stay with their incumbents: Ben Ray Lujan (D) and Steve Pearce (R).