1. New Mexico's House Members Explain Votes on Abortion Amendment

The politically thorny issue of abortion almost derailed House passage of a landmark health care bill Saturday night. Here's how and why New Mexico's U.S. House representatives voted on the controversial abortion amendment. First, the amendme

Word count: 390

2. Teague to Vote Against House Health Care Bill

 Rep. Harry Teague said late Friday he will break ranks with his fellow New Mexico Democrats and oppose a landmark health care bill expected for a vote on the House floor as soon as Saturday.   Reps. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, also Dem

Word count: 371

3. UPDATED: Gary Johnson's Potential Presidential Run in 2012 Hits YouTube

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is up on YouTube with a cutting-edge new ad touting his unique resume in a bid to drum up enthusiasm for a potential presidential campaign in 2012.   The short animated video, set to propulsive techno music, des

Word count: 284

4. Sen. Harry Reid: Health Bill May Slip to Next Year?

The seemingly endless health care debate might drag into next year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled today.   This AP story filed today has Reid backpedaling on a year-end timeline. This development already has Democrats screaming for Re

Word count: 109

5. Udall's Wife Wins Presidential Appointment

What does Jill Cooper Udall - wife of Sen. Tom Udall - have in common with Sarah Jessica Parker, Edward Norton, Forest Whitaker, Yo-Yo Ma and Anna Wintour? President Barack Obama has appointed them all to the President's Committee on the Arts and the

Word count: 191

6. Obama's Domestic Policy Advisor Talks to Journal About Economy, Insists White House Not a "Boys Club"

Melody Barnes, director of President Obama's Domestic Policy Council and his newest golfing partner, called the Albuquerque Journal today to trumpet some positive - and for this White House, much needed - economic news. She also took a moment to disp

Word count: 421

7. New Mexico's Sens. Like Senate Health Bill as Starting Point

As soon as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced he would include a public option in the bill he brings to the Senate floor, critics pounced with even some moderate Democrats signaling opposition.   There is no single reason for the oppositi

Word count: 426

8. Udall Honors Fallen New Mexico Soldier, Police Officer on Senate Floor

Sen. Tom Udall today went to the Senate floor to honor a New Mexico police officer and soldier killed in the line of duty this year.   You can watch a video of the Democratic senator's remarks here.   Here is some information about these men,

Word count: 260

9. Health Bill Clears Finance Committee, Bingaman Votes Yes

After months of sometimes contentious negotiations, the Senate Finance Committee passed its health care overhaul bill and one of the legislation's key architects - Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico - voted in favor of it.   The low-key lawmaker sai

Word count: 364

10. Bingaman Says Capitol Hill Health Care Debate Far From Over

If you were thinking that Congress might wrap up its months-long national health care debate soon, think again.   Sen. Jeff Bingaman, in his weekly call with New Mexico radio reporters today, said the debate is likely to extend into November - and

Word count: 232

11. Heinrich Still Calling for Public Option

A public option for health insurance might be on the ropes in the Senate, but Rep. Martin Heinrich is among 48 U.S. House members who vowed today to keep fighting for it.     Heinrich was also among a group of Democratic lawmakers who spoke at a

Word count: 183

12. Bingaman Supports Public Option But it Fails In Committee

Sen. Jeff Bingaman – a longtime, vocal supporter of a public option for health insurance -- voted twice today to include one as part of a health care overhaul bill in the Senate.   However, both amendments failed to pass the Senate Finance Commi

Word count: 290

13. Rep. Lujan Urges Obama to Reject Troop Increase in Afghanistan

Count Rep. Ben Ray Lujan among those members of Congress resisting a push for more troops in Afghanistan.   The New Mexico Democrat signed onto a letter with 57 of his House colleagues today urging President Obama to reject a troop increase. In a

Word count: 865

14. Roll Call Says Bingaman Critical to Health Care Bill

Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call is out with a piece this morning that describes New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman as the pivotal player in this week's Senate Finance Committee deliberations on health care.   "All Democratic eyes will be on Sen. Jeff

Word count: 495

15. Obama, New Mexico Politicos Mourn the Death of Sen. Ted Kennedy

Word count: 1239

16. Political Handicapper Says Congressional Democrats in Grave Trouble

The August recess/health care issue has turned potentially disastrous for congressional Democrats, according to a respected Washington political prognosticator.Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report says the Democratic political landscape has been

Word count: 127

17. Heather Wilson Blasts Judiciary Comittee, Justice Dept. on Iglesias Matter

Former Rep. Heather Wilson, who today was thrust back into the controversy surrounding the dismissal of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico, has provided the Journal with a statement that accuses the House Judiciary Committee of inaccur

Word count: 645

18. New Information on Domenici, Wilson, Rove, Miers and former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias

The House Judiciary Committee moments ago released thousands of pages of interview transcripts and emails that reveal new information about the roles that former Sen. Pete Domenici, former Rep. Heather Wilson, Karl Rove and former White House Counsel

Word count: 1158

19. Udall Pledges Support for Sotomayor

Sen. Tom Udall spoke on the Senate floor yesterday lauding Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Udall, a former New Mexico attorney general and federal prosecutor, focused on Sotomayor's empathy and the positive effect that could have on her d

Word count: 55

20. President Obama Calls Cash for Clunkers Overwhelming Success

Conservative commentators are ridiculing the controversial "cash-for-clunkers" car program that ran through a billion dollars in less than a week, but President Obama says it's an "overwhelming success." The White House just sent out a statement

Word count: 200

21. U.S. House Building Evacuated

The Longworth House Office Building - where Reps. Harry Teague and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico have their offices - has been evacuated for a suspicious package. Here's the notice Capitol Hill police sent staffers: "This is a message from

Word count: 97

22. Rep. Martin Heinrich is Hottest Guy on the Hill

The Hill newspaper has officially proclaimed Albuquerque's own Rep. Martin Heinrich as the Most Beautiful person on Capitol Hill in its annual listing of the top 50 Hill hotties. The first-term Democrat, lovingly photographed in moody black-and-

Word count: 151

23. Ex-NM GOP Chief John Dendahl Scorches Anti-Nuke Power Crowd in Denver Post Op-ed

Former New Mexico Republican Party Chairman John Dendahl is still throwing political bombs, and in a Denver Post op-ed today he targets Al Gore, Gov. Bill Richardson, Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, the late Arizona Congressman Mo Udall, and others. D

Word count: 153

24. Waiting at the White House While Obama Deals With a Political Brush Fire

President Obama invited 10 newspapers - including the Albuquerque Journal - to the White House today to discuss health care, but he ran a little late in order to deal with some other business, including the uproar over his comments on the Henry Louis

Word count: 508

25. Bingaman: Senate Won't Complete Health Care Bill Before Aug. Recess

The Senate won't meet President Obama's goal of completing health care legislation before it begins its recess on Aug. 7, Sen. Jeff Bingaman told me this morning. "That's not going to be possible," the New Mexico Democrat conceded. "But I'm stil

Word count: 575

26. Rep. Lujan Unveils Map Showing 3rd District Stimulus Projects

Curious about where federal stimulus money is being spent in northern New Mexico? Rep. Ben Ray Luján just used Twitter to unveil his new "Recovery at Work" interactive map, which shows you where certain projects have been - or will be - launche

Word count: 178

27. Rep. Harry Teague Unsure About Cause of Climate Change

Does Rep. Harry Teague think climate change is real?

Word count: 9

28. Teague Wasn't Forced To Vote For Cap-And-Trade Bill

There has been quite a bit of talk lately about District 2 Rep. Harry Teague voting in favor of the Waxman-Markey American Climate and Energy Security Act ("cap-and-trade bill"), particularly because he represents the gas and oil dependent part of th

Word count: 49

29. T. Boone Pickens Praises Teague's Support of Natural Gas

T. Boone Pickens - the billionaire Texas oil man turned green energy crusader - had some kind words for beleaguered Rep. Harry Teague in Washington this morning.  Teague, a New Mexico Democrat and fellow oil man, has taken some hard shots f

Word count: 324

30. National Democrats Respond to Steve Pearce Campaign Announcement

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee responded to Steve Pearce's announcement today that he will seek the 2nd Congressional District seat he held from 2003-2009. Rep. Harry Teague, a Democrat, currently holds the seat. Here's my blog

Word count: 266

31. UPDATED: Steve Pearce to Seek 2nd District House Seat Again

Word count: 26

32. Heather Wilson Headed to Sudan, Talks 2010 Guv Race

Word count: 463

33. GOP Blasts Teague on Cap-and-Trade Bill

Rep. Harry Teague probably saw it coming, but the national and state Republican parties are hammering him for supporting a sweeping House energy bill last week. The National Republican Campaign Committee today began using robocalls and radio ads

Word count: 323

34. Politico Quizzes Bingaman on Energy

Politico continues to focus on Sen. Jeff Bingaman's growing congressional clout, this time zeroing in on his role as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A couple of weeks ago, Politico looked at Bingaman's role in the

Word count: 127

35. Pete Domenici Undergoing Major Shoulder Surgery Today

Pete Domenici, New Mexico's longest-serving U.S. senator, is having shoulder surgery in Baltimore today. The former senator, who retired this year after a 36-year career, is having a reverse shoulder replacement at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Balt

Word count: 154

36. Senators Seek Possible National Park Designation for Valles Caldera

New Mexico's U.S. senators have asked the National Park Service if the Valles Caldera National Preserve could be included in the National Park System. The trust that governs the Valles Caldera is set to expire in 2020 and Sens. Tom Udall and Jef

Word count: 213

37. Rahm Emmanuel Says Immigration Reform Votes Aren't There

President Obama's chief-of-staff told reporters this morning that there aren't enough votes to pass immigration reform right now. This is not a big surprise, but as a journalist wading through the Washington double-speak I appreciate Emmanuel's

Word count: 73

38. Heather Wilson Pens Washington Post Op-Ed on Cyber Security

Rep. Heather Wilson - who has been lying pretty low since her defeat in last year GOP Senate primary election - turns up today with a high-profile op-ed piece in the Washington Post. Wilson, who served as New Mexico's 1st Congressional district

Word count: 355

39. President Obama and Sen. Bingaman Chat Outside the White House

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., shared a rare private moment with the president of the United States today after a bill signing ceremony at the White House allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco products.   It's unclear right now what they were d

Word count: 81

40. Former Domenici Aide to Run for State House

Nate Gentry, an Albuquerque lawyer and former staffer for Sen. Pete Domenici, has announced his candidacy for the New Mexico House of Representatives.  Gentry, a 33-year-old Republican, is seeking the District 30 Northeast Heights seat curr

Word count: 208

41. Rep. Lujan Introduces Net Metering Bill

Rep. Ben Ray Luján has joined with a California lawmaker to introduce a bill to spur more net metering, which would give Americans more incentive to produce their own power through solar panels and other renewable sources.  Under the proposal,

Word count: 486

42. Bingaman's Health Care Role Profiled in Politico

Politico compares New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman to laconic silver screen legend Gary Cooper in today's issue.  The political newspaper even goes so far as to describe the low-key Bingaman as "edgy" for being a Western state Democrat who opposed

Word count: 180

43. Sen. Bingaman's Energy Bill Clears Committee

After months of negotiations, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman finished work on a new national energy bill today.  Bingman, a New Mexico Democrat, hailed the legislation as a forward-thinking i

Word count: 426

44. Bingaman, Udall Both Met With Sotomayor Today

Word count: 208

45. Rep. Heinrich's Wednesday Night Floor Speech on Clean Energy

Watch it here.

Word count: 3

46. Louis Caldera Joins Center for American Progress as Senior Fellow

Former University of New Mexico President Louis Caldera - who resigned as director of the White House Military Office last month following an Air Force One photo op gone wrong - has a new gig.  The Center for American Progress, a self-descr

Word count: 256

47. Not So Fast: Another Hold on Tompkins Nomination

Yet another senator has placed a hold on Hilary Tompkins' nomination to become solicitor of the Department of the Interior. An astute reader (thanks Mike!) has alerted me to a new report in Energy and Environment Daily. While, Sen. Tom Coburn ha

Word count: 446

48. NM House Delegation Supports "Cash for Clunkers"

New Mexico's Democratic U.S. House representatives all voted for a bill Tuesday that would give Americans vouchers for up to $4,500 to buy new, more fuel-efficient cars - provided they turn in their old gas-guzzling "clunkers" and get them them of

Word count: 469

49. Former Rep. Steve Pearce to Speak to Anti-Abortion Group

Former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who is mulling a run for governor or a return to Congress in 2010, will speak to the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico later this month in Albuquerque. This is a natural constituency for the conservative Republ

Word count: 214

50. Sen. Bingaman Talks Health Care Reform at White House

President Obama is using the presidential bully pulpit to try to push major health care reform into law this summer, and on Tuesday afternoon Sen. Jeff Bingaman got a chance to hear about Obama's plans in person. I caught up with Bingaman on the

Word count: 395