Democracy for New Mexico

Senators Engage Air Force on Aggressive Kirtland Fuel Spill Cleanup

U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall are asking the Air Force to partner with county and state authorities to “conduct further scientific and technical analysis” to determine the scope of the Kirtland jet fuel leak and develop contingency plans for the continued safety of the drinking water.

The Senators, who met with Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Terry Yonkers in Washington last week for an update on the plume, wrote to him today in support of the Air Force’s goal to cleanup the spill and ensure the area continues to meet federal drinking water standards in the future.

“We welcome your goal to aggressively remove fuel to stabilize the spilled fuel plume by 2017,” they wrote. “We realize that significant uncertainties remain, but agree it is important to set a strong goal to ensure protection of drinking water.”

The lawmakers also recommended that the Air Force continue to work in cooperation with the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) and the New Mexico Environment Department to continue supporting area well monitoring, evaluating the nature of the plume, and regarding the progress of the cleanup efforts.

“We recommend the Air Force continue to work cooperatively with the New Mexico Environment Department to ensure that the full size, extent, and characteristics of the fuel spill are known,” the Senators wrote. “In the past several years, public estimates of the size of the spill have ranged from one million gallons to twenty-four million gallons. While cleaning up the spill is most important, such a broad range indicates that full characterization is incomplete. We urge the Air Force to take a precautionary approach and do what the appropriate scientific and technical experts recommend to characterize this spill.”

The full text of the letter is below: May 24, 2012

The Honorable Terry Yonkers
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics
1670 Air Force Pentagon, Washington, DC 20330-1670

Dear Assistant Secretary Yonkers:
Thank you for visiting with us last week to discuss the cleanup of the Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) fuel spill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We truly appreciate your ongoing attention to protecting the health and environment in and around KAFB.

Continue reading "Senators Engage Air Force on Aggressive Kirtland Fuel Spill Cleanup"

5/25: Elect Mary Ellen HD30 Launch Party

Friends, today I launch my campaign for New Mexico State House District 30 seat. The republicans want to gain control over the NM House of Representatives, we can not let them. Everyone who is running for office needs help. Unfortunately it takes money and lots of it these days. So, if you have no plans for this Friday evening of your 3 day Memorial Day weekend, please come to contribute to my campaign, socialize, and have fun.

Dear Congressional District 1 Candidates

As this Congressional District 1 race heats up a bit more everyday this blog is trying to remain neutral. Maybe some of you reading this will disagree but we are. There have been intense arguments written in the comment section of the blog of people venting against their opposing candidate and talking up their candidate. Unless the comment was posted verbatim in another comment thread, the comments have remained as is, unedited, but yes we do check for really off base bad destructive comments and remove them. 

As you know or don't know DFNM Meetup endorsed Eric Griego for the CD1 candidate of their choice. Now we are at the very very very worst time of campaign primary season. I receive guest blogs daily laying out negatives and postives. There is no way the information within the guest blogs can be traced down, so I really do try not to put up something that is real destructive. Barb's philosophy on this blog was we are democrats and most of the time any of the dems running for office will be way better than an R.

And that is the main point, whether the democrats in CD1 choose: Marty Chavez, Eric Griego or Michelle Lujan Grisham, Democracy for New Mexico blog will be 200% behind them. I have very close friends living in my house since Barb passed, and we talk for hours about politics. We take it seriously, we want the best candidate to help this state and the country. Honestly, it is a tough choice who is the best candidate to help us out of this mess we are in. What we are certain about is; we need help out here big time. I still maintain what my experience has been in my race for state rep 30, practically every door I knock on has underemployed, unemployed, overworked and sickness in their home. That is the facts.

Like what Leslie L said in the journal today, paraphrasing; watching the debate on Saturday evening, "good thing she wasn't taking a shot every time one of the candidates said I will be fighting for you." I looked up the word fight in the thesaurus to see if I could suggest another word. What I found I liked the best were the antonyms for the word fighting: advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote.

In summary, I have not voted yet. I generally wait to the election day. But we are all democrats and we should be careful of the circular firing squad. We know each of the candidates is tough, you have to be to be running, I say we democrats are blessed with three wonderful candidates. Sure they all have their imperfections but they all are beauties next to another R in the US House of Representatives. 

For myself, I thank each of you for running and having your whole life picked apart. We need jobs, we need healthcare, we need a safe environment, we need civil rights, we need education, we need compassion.

Congressional District 1 Race Latest Poll Results

Wow, what an interesting race for our New Mexico Congressional District 1. The race reminds me of a great horse race with the all out sprint to the finish line. However, let's face it, the correct analogy would be a one year marathon. We are down to the last 13 days today, and the most current poll shows a total shift of all positions in this hot race.

NM-1 breaking news in ROLL CALL according to the latest polling, Senator Eric Griego is in the lead with 35% of likely Democratic Primary voters in the race for NM's 1st Congressional District.  Here are the brand new poll numbers the story mentions:

**NEW** May 15-16 poll showed:
35% Griego
30% Lujan Grisham
28% Chavez

Feb 28 - March 1 poll showed:
37% Chavez
30% Griego
24% Lujan Grisham

The polling also revealed Griego has the highest favorable to unfavorable rating of the three candidates:
48-16 for Eric Griego
44-18 for Michelle Lujan Grisham
41-35 for Marty Chavez

(Details: Both were conducted by GBA strategies and included 400 Likely Democratic Primary Voters, MOE +/- 4.9%)

The following was released from the Griego Campaign:

“I’m proud of the surging support behind my campaign to fight for what we say we believe as Democrats,” Griego said.  “Our lead in the poll proves that New Mexicans want to elect a leader with a long, consistent record of taking on the status quo and powerful corporate interests to fight for reform and middle class jobs.”
“We’re winning because New Mexicans support Eric’s unwavering commitment to protect Social Security and Medicare, hold Wall Street bankers accountable, and fight for core Democratic values,” said Ed Yoon, Griego’s campaign manager.  “And we will win on June 5^th because we are out-raising, out-communicating, and out-organizing our more conservative opponents.”

Then there is this poll released on NM Politics with Joe Monahan's blog this morning: Lujan Grisham polls 34.7%, Griego garners 33.9%, Chavez comes with 22.3% and 9% of the 728 likely Democratic voters in the 1st Congressional district who responded to the automatic phone poll said they were undecided. The margin of error in the survey is 3.62%.

This press release issued from Lujan Grisham Campaign:  

"Michelle has seized the momentum and is now tied for the lead in the race for Congress! Michelle has 35 percent of the vote, surging 11 points from February polling. She is tied with Eric Griego. Support for Marty Chavez, the former frontrunner earlier this year, has plummeted significantly, from 37 percent in February to 23 percent now."

Some of the interesting polling statistics that Joe Monahan shares with us on his blog are the following:

"Lujan Grisham, who has made direct appeals to women voters, actually trails Griego in that category, if only by a tad. Griego wins 37% of women to Lujan Grisham's 33%. Chavez gets 22%. But Griego gets 43% of liberals to Lujan Grisham's 34% and Chavez's 18%.
Democratic women are more liberal than Democratic men who tend to be more moderate.
Among men, Lujan Grisham edges out Griego. She gets 37% to Griego's 31%. Chavez gets 23% and the remainder are undecided,
Griego holds a slight lead among Hispanics, but they are bunched up among the three hopefuls all of whom are of Hispanic heritage. Griego scores 35%, Lujan Grisham 29% and Chavez 28%. Anglos give Lujan Grisham 39%, Griego, 34% and Chavez 18%." 

Destination Education Tour with Hector Balderas

On Friday May 18, I accompanied New Mexico State Auditor and U.S Senate candidate Hector Balderas as he traveled across the state on his “Destination Education” tour.  Balderas had students from Wagon Mound—many of whom were featured in Balderas’ recent ad—with him.  UFC fighter John Dodson, another New Mexico native, also traveled with us on the campaign bus.

  
Balderas to grads                    John Dodson w Mrs.B 

Our first stop was at Albuquerque High School, where Auditor Balderas gave the keynote address at the farewell assembly for the graduating seniors.  Balderas’ touching and inspiration speech to over 1,500 students and staff congratulated the seniors for overcoming great adversity in order to graduate.  Balderas also challenged the students to never let the obstacles ahead stop them from achieving their dreams.  “If you have a plan, work at that plan, and never give up, the world will get out of your way.  I know this because I lived it,” Balderas said.

After Balderas’ speech I had the opportunity to get on the campaign bus with Balderas, the students, and Dodson.  It was great getting a chance to talk to the kids from Wagon Mound and hearing why they are so inspired by Balderas’ candidacy.  These Wagon Mound kids were very excited and very proud of their home legend Hector Balderas. The kids were also thrilled to hear about Dodson’s path and career. I asked the kids what they liked about Hector and the video is below.

After about an hour drive we arrived in Santa Fe and met with Representative Luciano “Lucky” Varela and Santa Fe School Board Member Linda Trujillo outside the State Capitol.  The students delivered the letters they had all written explaining what education means to them.  A couple students even read their letters aloud.  Varela and Trujillo were clearly touched and inspired that students traveled so far to express their thoughts and concerns.

After only two stops on the tour I was exhausted and headed back home. The campaign, on the other hand, was forging ahead, heading to Las Vegas, Taos and Española.                

Women Speaking to Women

The following post is provided by Contributing writer Lora Lucero.

Eric Griego has the support of many women in the CD-1 race for the US Congress.  I gathered some of my women friends together to speak to our sisters, mothers, and daughters about why this race is so important, and why women support Eric to champion our issues in Washington DC.  Please check out my short video below.

Hear State Senator Dede Feldman share about Eric's determination to stand up for women's rights.  Eric not only supports Roe v. Wade, but also considers women's rights essential to decisions on medical privacy. As a State Senator, Eric stood up to conservative anti-women forces and opposed legislation designed to erode family planning rights, criminalize abortions, and force minor victims of even incest or rape to obtain parental permission before receiving care.

Thanks to Senator Dede Feldman, Representative Mimi Stewart, Marit Tully, Loretta Naranjo Lopez, Barbara Grothus, Melinda Smith and Deborah Marez-Baca for participating in this first video.  More to come in the next few days. 

Guest Blog: Please Help Me Defend The House by Representative Brian Egolf

An important message from Rep. Brian Egolf.

May 16, 2012,  Dear Friends,

New Mexico is at a critical crossroads, and I am writing to ask for your urgent help. In this last session, Democrats held only a narrow margin in the State House of Representatives: 36:34. With the upcoming November election, that slim majority is under dire threat. Democrats already lost one seat in redistricting, so we must gain seats in November or there will be a Republican Speaker of the House, and Governor Martinez will have the rubber stamp legislature she wants. We cannot risk losing control to a Tea Party-controlled Republican majority.

Because this threat is so serious, I have started a PAC, called the New Mexico Defense Fund. Its mission is to preserve and grow our House Majority and thus stop the divisive political agenda pushed by Republicans around the country today – the war on women, the deep cuts in critical education funding, the elimination of important programs to support a strong middle class, the restriction of minority voting rights and the denial of civil rights to citizens. I cannot sit back and just wait for this to happen in here, so I am asking you to join me in a very important fight. All funds raised will directly support Democratic State House candidates in critical seats this fall.

If Republicans pick up even one seat, I will lose Chairmanship of the House Energy & Natural Resources Committee and be replaced by an anti-conservation Republican. I would no longer be able to use my position to stop Governor Martinez’s overt efforts to roll back common sense environmental protections that keep our water and natural resources safe. Other important committees would also be chaired by Republicans, and that means the Governor’s Tea-Party agenda will sail through the legislature.

Please stand with me on May 29 at our kick-off fundraiser and be as generous as possible. It will be at the home of Debbie Fleischaker & Kathleen Fontaine from 5:30 - 7:00 (details are in the invitation, attached here). I know that the demands on political donors right now are as high as ever. Nevertheless, raising funds and using them strategically and deliberately to hold onto the State House is critically important to our future.

Your invitation to the event is enclosed along with a remittance envelope in case you are unable to attend but would like to contribute. Please note that the envelopes are addressed to my campaign, but if you make you check payable to the New Mexico Defense Fund or make a similar notation for credit card payment on the envelope, your generous contribution will be used directly to support other worthy Democrats in key races.

As always, I am grateful for your support and your help with this critical endeavor.

Sincerely, Brian

P.S. In the span of 15 years, Texas quickly became a Red state after nearly 120 years of solid Democratic control. Please don’t think that it couldn’t happen here and make your contribution today to the New Mexico Defense Fund.

KAFB Jet Fuel Spill 3 Times Larger at 24,000,000 Gallons? by David McCoy

Photo above from Save the Water website.

From David McCoy, Executive Director of Citizen Action New Mexico wrote on Thursday, May 17, 2012;

Thanks for your continuing interest in the KAFB jet fuel crisis. I've attached an affadavit to what I heard Mr. William Moats, a geologist from the New Mexico Environment Department say. I received information that Dr. Davis (NMED) confirmed hearing Mr. William Moats' statement to me, but says nobody really knows the size and they don't know Mr. Moats' basis...

At 8,000,000 gallons the spill is still the largest, deepest and greatest threat to any City's drinking water aquifer in the history of the nation. 24,000,000 gallons may represent Armageddon for Albuquerque's Aquifer. I am hoping the Water Utility Authority seriously gets on top of the need for saving the Ridgecrest wells by 1.) demanding a plan for water treatment now from the Air Force and 2.) demanding that the LNAPL plume be stopped. If water treatment is not installed at Ridgecrest and the wells are simply shut off, the plume may travel to 40 city wells to the north. Surely, the economic benefit brought to ABQ by the Air Force cannot be greater than the value of our drinking water for homes, businesses, health and a future.

There is a WUA meeting next Wednesday May, 23 in the City Council chambers. The public can speak although the limit is usually 2 minutes. It would be good to turn out a lot of people.

The WUA should demand that the Air Force state NOW how it will treat the Ridgecrest wells. Shutting down Ridgecrest is not an option because the plume may continue to be drawn to the north to 40 other wells. Water treatment needs to be put at Ridgecrest starting immediately. If the LNAPL plume is not stopped, the water will be worthless, unless no one minds the taste of diesel fuel.

Continue reading "KAFB Jet Fuel Spill 3 Times Larger at 24,000,000 Gallons? by David McCoy"

$642,000,000,000 (billion) for the War Machine "Ike was Right"

$642,000,000,000.00 for Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Budget, 8 billion more than what Obama or the Defense Secretary even asked for. I bet the Department of Education would love 8 bil more for their FY2013.

When will this craziness stop? CD1 Congressman Martin Heinrich voted yes, CD2 Congressman Pearce voted yes, CD3 Congressman Lujan voted no. Heinrich voting with Pearce is not good. Heinrich's press release is at the end of this post. To see how Congressional votes across the Country were cast for this bill see this article.

This kind of obscene money spent on war and defense has got to stop. 88 billion still going over to Afghanistan for 2013, that is $1.5 bill every week. Think of what this Country could do with $1.5 bil every week. The bill funds a missile defense site to be built on the east coast, that the military itself opposes, old star-wars garbage, and even Russian cold war garbage. We have gone insane, when we will fund things the military does not even want and threaten drastic cuts to social security for our seniors which is desperately needed now, we have gone insane.

Ok yes there are jobs that come from all that obscene money for people in NM. At Kirkland mainly, yes these jobs have real people working in them, but it is time we ask; do we spend our precious tax dollars on space war or fireman, Russian cold war or teachers, more nuclear weapons or solar energy, fixing the San Juan coal plant that we know is killing people which will cost $800 mil, or 1.5 bil for another week in Afghanistan?

Heinrich says in his statement below: "H.R. 4310 includes language that restores these missions, and includes $25 million for the continuation of the ORS program and $45 million for the continuation of STP. The United States Air Force (USAF) estimates that there are 68 jobs at the KAFB ORS headquarters office, not including the New Mexico small businesses that contract with and provide support to ORS. Further, the USAF estimates there are 74 jobs at the KAFB STP office." So let me do a quick calc...that is 142 jobs for $70 mil tax dollars. Not a good return I say. Maybe if it was even 1,420 jobs or 14,200 jobs for 70 mil I would be more in favor. If you are one of those 142 people working on this project you are psyched, but if you are us underemployed and unemployed, we are not so psyched.

How about the constant drum beat of the funding social security, and medicare costing the country too much money. We have paid into this fund for all the years we have been working, let's face it, it has been used as a slush fund for other war machine spending. It is time we stop being a super power around the world, rebuilding and protecting the world meanwhile our own needs go untended. Our seniors struggling, our children slipping more and more behind. Channel 7 is having a debate tonight with the CD1 Candidates I hope they ask how each of the candidates would have voted for this bill.

Continue reading "$642,000,000,000 (billion) for the War Machine "Ike was Right" "

Mary Ellen Broderick Formally Announces Candidacy for NM House Distrist 30

My Name is Mary Ellen Broderick and I am very proud to be running as a Democrat for NM House District 30.

It is my intention to be a citizen legislator, not a career politician; I wish to bring a fresh voice of an average citizen to the roundhouse.

My professional career is as a licensed architect. I have worked on a number of wonderful projects in the 30 years I have practiced. My career has taught me to listen, to be detail oriented, and to know who my client is. I have managed very large complex projects, and through this process I have learned excellent negotiating skills. I have worked on many public projects in my career and consider myself a very good steward of our tax dollars when building any project.

I am a lesbian who has been in a 23 year committed relationship. Recently, in December 2011 my life partner, Barbara Wold, passed away do to colon cancer. It was a short 3 months from diagnosis to death, and I was blessed to be able to be by her side every day the last weeks and days of her life. Now I enter a new phase of my life.

Barb and I had been involved with local grassroots activism for many years here in Albuquerque. Together we founded Democracy for New Mexico.com in 2004, also in 2004 we began the Democracy for New Mexico monthly meet ups which continue to this current day.

Now is the time to bring my life experiences together for a purpose. As a woman along with my architectural background and minority status as a lesbian and my involvement in issues and activism has brought me to this point of running for NM State Representative.  You cannot change things by being on the sidelines; you have to be on the field. And most people I talk to in my district whether Democrat's or Republican's agree there is much to change in politics at this time.

People in HD 30 are suffering from the same problems other communities and citizens of our great state of NM are suffering from: Lack of jobs, stagnant pay, deteriorating homes, crime, serious health problems, education concerns, and the political climate being stuck and toxic.

It is my hope I can work on these very real problems facing my neighbors and community, to produce real solutions, and bring dignity and fairness back to New Mexicans residing in House District 30. My sincere hope is that my votes and voice at the legislature will help other struggling New Mexicans across this great state.

Please come and celebrate with me and help me embark on this new path. I will be having a launch party on May 25, 2012. See invite here. Mark your calendars. Also if you cannot attend please donate to my campaign by following this ActBlue link.

Heinrich in New TV Ad: I’ll Never Stop Fighting for New Mexico

Martin Heinrich released his third television ad in three weeks today, one that assures voters that he will “fight for the things New Mexicans have worked so hard for.” The new spot highlights the jobs Heinrich saved at Kirtland Air Force Base and his effort to stand up for seniors and stop Republican attempts to weaken Social Security and Medicare. The ad will air in both the Albuquerque and El Paso media markets.

Since he was elected to Congress in 2008, Martin Heinrich travels home almost every weekend to meet with the people of New Mexico. From day one, Martin has put the interests of his constituents before the special interests and knows that the best ideas don’t come from Washington, they come from the folks back home. That is why he organizes job fairs, speaks directly with small business owners, visits with veterans at the VA hospital in Albuquerque, and meets with seniors to discuss how he's protecting their Social Security and Medicare.

House Republicans Abandon Bipartisanship on Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act

Congressman Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico’s Third District spoke on the House floor today in opposition to a partisan House Republican bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Below are his remarks as prepared.

“Madam Speaker, it is with great disappointment that I rise today in opposition to this bill, not because the issue of violence against women is not real, but because this House bill does not do enough to address domestic violence and to protect women.

“Sadly, instead of taking action on the bipartisan bill that has passed the Senate and that meets the need to protect America’s women, the Republican majority has chosen confrontation over compromise with a bill that is seriously limited, including in the protections it offers to Native American women.

“The Senate version is a comprehensive bill that addresses the seriousness of violent crimes targeted toward women, including in Indian Country. I represent 17 of the 22 Native American tribes in New Mexico and I will tell you that tribal families are all too often ravaged by domestic violence. Unfortunately, violent crimes committed on tribal lands go unprosecuted more often than they should because of loopholes in existing law and neither this bill nor the manager’s amendment adequately protect Tribal communities.

“It was my great hope that House Republicans would rise to do the right thing. Don’t hide behind excuses. Do the right thing. Let’s close the loopholes that allow abusers to get away with violence, especially against Native American women. It is not right that abusers game these loopholes to abuse their victims. Reject this bill and take up the bipartisan Senate bill.”

Chavez for Congress New TV Ad: Marty Can Take the “Hits”

Today, former Albuquerque Mayor and current Congressional candidate Marty Chavez debuted a new television ad titled “Hits.”

Set in the historical Jack Candelaria/San Jose gym and filmed with local professional boxer Josh "Pit Bull" Torres (7-1-1, 5KOs), the spot reinforces that to get things done in Congress, you have to be able to take the hits from powerful interests.

Throughout his career, Marty has always taken the hits on behalf of New Mexican families. Whether it was as the ONLY elected official to testify to save Kirtland Air Force Base and nearly 7,000 jobsⁱ, standing up to developers to pass one of the toughest green building codes in the nationⁱⁱ, suing the Bush Administration over greenhouse gas emissionsⁱⁱⁱ or supporting President Obama's fuel efficiency standards^iv, Marty has proved tough enough to get things done, even in the most hostile environments.

As President Bill Clinton said in endorsing Marty earlier this year, “I know that Marty will take on our big challenges, stand up to special interests, and fight to create clean energy jobs in New Mexico because he's proven time and again that he can get the job done.”

"Senator Phil Griego, Stop Hiding and Come Clean"

Yesterday marked the end of the 15 days the Secretary of State gave Senator Phil Griego to respond to the formal ethics complaint filed by challenger Jack Sullivan. Sullivan filed the ethics complaint against Griego for violating New Mexico campaign finance laws. Rather than answer the complaint, Griego has asked for more time, giving no indication how much time he needs to respond to the questions raised.

On April 27, 2012 Jack Sullivan submitted a letter to the Secretary of State's Ethics Division outlining incidents which Senator Griego unlawfully used his campaign account for personal expenses.

Specifically mentioned were expenditures of $955 for NFL Bronco tickets reported as a "constituent event," $7500 for new office furniture, and $2100 in credit card payments.

"Griego's delay is a stalling tactic. I believe the public has a right to know how they were served by the NFL tickets, golf trips or expensive new office furniture the Senator purchased," says Jack Sullivan, a former Santa Fe County Commissioner. "Now is the time for the Senator to come clean and answer the charges: is he illegally using lobbyist contributions to pay for his personal expenses?"

In the last two years, Senator Griego, who was not up for an election, received $92,000 thousand in lobbyist and corporate contributions and spent $83,000 thousand. He is the top democratic recipient of lobbyist campaign contributions, according to New Mexico Watchdog.com. The allegation suggests Senator Griego used much of his campaign funds on personal expenses like golfing, trips, and fixing his car.

Voter Conci Bokum, said, "I am sorry to hear the Senator's response.  I would hope he would respect voters and make the information available very soon."

New Mexico State Law [Sections 1-19-29.1 (A.2) NMSA 1978] forbids legislators from using their campaign account for personal expenses.

The law states that penalties for violating the Campaign Reporting Act should be referred to the attorney general or district attorney for further investigation and may include a civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars for each violation not to exceed five thousand dollars. (Campaign Reporting Act, 1-19-34.6 Civil Penalties NMSA 1978.)

Jack Sullivan is challenging Senator Phil Griego and Nicole Castellano in the June 5 Democratic Primary. Jack Sullivan has the backing of the American Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood New Mexico, Conservation Voters New Mexico and the Sierra Club.

For a copy of the complaint Jack Sullivan filed, go here.
For a copy of Phil Griego's campaign contributions for 2010-2011, go here.

New Mexican Attitudes On Marriage Evolving With President’s

From ProgressNow New Mexico:

Recent polling shows that New Mexican opinions on marriage equality are evolving much like those of President Barack Obama who today courageously announced his support for endinging marriage discrimination in the United States.

Polling shows a consistent increase in support for marriage equality, particularly in New Mexico. In 2010, a Bendixen & Amandi poll found that 74% of Hispanics (a group that comprises 46% of New Mexico’s population) support either marriage or marriage-like legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples. According to a 2012 PEW poll, a full 63% of young Americans say they favor same-sex marriage.

A December 2011 poll of New Mexicans found that support for same-sex marriage had increased 8 points over six-months and was nearing a majority. From the poll:

New Mexico joins its northern neighbor Colorado and nearby Nevada in a growing list of Southwestern states in favor of same-sex marriage.  When PPP last polled the state in June, voters were against legalizing it by a 42-48 margin.  In the intervening half-year, opinion has moved eight points, with 45% now wanting gay couples to be able to legally marry in the state, and 43% still against it.  The reason for the shift is that Democrats (from 34% to 28%) and independents (44% to 37%) have lowered their opposition by six or seven points.  Further, two-thirds of New Mexicans also still favor these relationships being recognized with at least the legal equality of civil unions.  That includes 78% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 41% of Republicans.

Since late last year, two cabinet members (HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Education Secretary Arne Duncan) and Vice President Joe Biden have publicly endorsed ending marriage discrimination. Today, President Obama threw his support behind what is perhaps the most important civil rights issue in a generation, becoming the first sitting president ever to do so.

Speaking to ABC News’ Robin Roberts, President Obama said that, “for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

With his statement today, President Obama has shown that he is in-touch with America’s changing attitudes on this issue.

“All families matter, plain and simple,” said Pat Davis, Executive Director of ProgressNow New Mexico. “Nobody should be discriminated against because of who they love or how they choose to live their private lives. President Obama’s statement affirms the American values of equality and mutual respect and the families of New Mexico applaud this final step in his evolution on this issue.”