By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico Watchdog
SANTA FE, N.M. – The story from New Mexico made headlines across the world, outraged millions of Americans and led to a renewed debate about an assault on civil liberties in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
But civil libertarian Radley Balko has doubts about [...]

By Rob Nikolewski │ New Mexico Watchdog
SANTA FE — At least 63,900 people in New Mexico have been notified they’re going to have to change their individual health care policies — some must do it within a matter of months while others can wait until end of next year — according to a review by [...]

Gov. Susana Martinez seems to have kept her approval-ratings winning streak intact.
In a poll released by KOB-TV in conjunction with the polling outfit Survey USA, 66 percent of New Mexicans are happy with the job she is doing.
For nearly a year and a half, the Republican governor — the first Hispanic female governor of any party in the U.S. — has finished with [...]

One man in Nambé improperly voted in 26 elections since 1998 as a registered Democrat.
A woman in Sandoval County had illegally cast a ballot in nearly every election since 2005, registering as a Republican.
Both people were legal residents but not citizens of the US and came forward to New Mexico election officials after they learned their [...]

New Mexico Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez (D-Belen) told reporters on Monday morning (Jan. 21) that “there might be some other pieces of legislation to be introduced” in the current 60-day legislative session concerning gun control after five people were shot and killed in Albuquerque over the weekend.
“These tragedies need to stop,” Sen. Sanchez said [...]

Gary Smith’s slow drive on New Year’s Day has sent him back to jail … and he could end up sitting there for a while.
On Wednesday (Jan. 2), Albuquerque Police Detective Lorenzo Garcia re-arrested the former congressional candidate embroiled in one of the most bizarre scandals in New Mexico politics on charges of aggravated stalking.
“We [...]

Just in time for the end of the calendar year comes the weirdest story in New Mexico politics for 2012 — and that’s saying something.
The Santa Fe Reporter just posted that former Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives in the 1st Congressional District Gary Smith has been arrested after detectives from the Albuquerque [...]

One of the surprise victories in the November election was turned in Lee Cotter, who knocked off Mary Jane Garcia, who had served in the New Mexico Senate for 24 years.
But did Cotter win the race as much as Garcia lost it?
“I think it was a combination of both,” Cotter said.
We had a chance to [...]

Nearly a week after Election Day, there are still plenty of questions surrounding why voters in polling locations across Rio Rancho — the third-largest city in the state — had to wait between three to four hours to cast their votes.
Some Republicans are accusing election officials of voter suppression in the GOP-leaning area, the Sandoval [...]

Gadi Schwartz and Peter St. Cyr of KOB-TV have another great investigative piece.  This time they show how easy it is for non-citizens to vote in New Mexico.  Secretary of State Dianna Duran says her office lacks the resources to verify citizenship and has requested assistance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  As Election [...]