2006 Election Returns

What's wrong with this picture?

...And sometimes the Road Runner just hunkers down and sits. He realizes that he’s not the one who's so cuckoo!

There comes a time when ones conscience has to take precedence over the social expectation of voting for one of two candidates in a race. I have been very close to this campaign, maybe too close. I have seen things I cannot stomach from representatives governing in my name. I left blank the decision in several races. I leave it to my fellow citizens to choose who will represent me; I choose not. A pox on both houses!

I went to get coffee at Starbucks this morning and they had Christmas decorations up. I said how could they have Christmas decorations up before the election is even over? The woman next to me said it might be Christmas before this election is over!

We still don't know who the Congresswoman from New Mexico District 1 will be.

Through about 98% of the vote count, Democrat Patricia Madrid was ahead. Then Torrance County came in and incumbent Republican Heather Wilson went ahead by 310 votes. Since then, her count has gone up by about 1,400.

Bernalillo County Clerk and victorious Secretary of State candidate Mary Hererra’s election officials are still hand counting messed up ballots that voters spoiled, or the optical readers couldn't read, or were outstanding "in lieu of," and provisional ballots. A red-eyed Hererra is shown here at the county warehouse 25 hours after the polls closed, still without a resolution. If it weren't so close it wouldn't matter, but it's down to every last vote.

I'm sure we're in for a recount and possibly court action. At least one heavy Republican precinct got 150 paper ballots delivered for 2,200 registered voters and they ran out within the opening hour. Voters left. Big problem in a race this close; otherwise it wouldn't be such a concern.

In other races, Republicans imploded. Nastiness abounded. There was more money spent on negative ads in this TV market than anywhere in the country.

Unofficial returns:

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman got 70.4%.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson got 68.7%.

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. N.M. District 3 (Northern N.M.) Tom Udall got 74.5%.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. N.M. District 2 (Southern N.M.) Steve Pierce got 59.8%.

Incumbent Republican Commissioner of State Lands Pat Lyons got 52.0%. Except for Wilson/Madrid, that is going out at close to 50-50, it was the closest down-ballot race and only Republican win. Lyons, who had tons of oil and gas money, went negative on former two separate term land commissioner Jim Baca. Baca would not go negative and went from three points up to seven points down in a ten-day spread, eventually losing by eight. Negative campaigning worked in this race.

It should be interesting to see what happens to the current Republican Party leadership. Unfortunately, I think that the far right wing, which is now in control, is going to be replaced by a group, which is even further to the right. A leadership fight is already brewing among many party faithful. According to sources who are not willing to go public yet, there may be an attempt at removing the current leadership under State Republican Party Chairman Allen Whe, left, seen here on election night, and his paid staff headed by Executive Director Marta Kramer.

My current line as a Republican is that I went to a Republican Party one night and woke up the next morning in church.

From insiders I am learning there is a feeling that the party needs to recognize that they are outstripping their own true base, which is not the extreme right.