More On The Southern Congress Battle, Plus: Big Day At NM Supreme Court

We're getting a sense of deja vu with Yvette Herrell. In '18 when she lost the southern congressional district to Xochitl Torres Small by less than 4,000 votes she and her consultants decided not to respond to a powerful ad calling her ethics into question. Now two years later a similar ad is being aired against her by an outside PAC. Her response? No response. Mistakes add up--even little ones

Herrell's newest ad is pretty solid, if not a game changer of any kind. It takes on Torres Small for her vote in favor of universal background checks for gun buyers and tries to pigeonhole that into being unneeded "gun control." The ad is done by Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace who comes off convincing. The transcript:

I'm Sheriff Tony Mace and I don't like being lied to. Two years ago Xochitl Torres Small promised to protect our Second Amendment rights. But she sold us out and voted for gun control. I'm a Democrat but Torres Small won't get my vote. I'm backing Yvette Herrell. She has a record for protecting our gun rights and standing with law enforcement. Join me in voting for Yvette Herrell for Congress.

XTS got elected last time in part because of a strong ad showing her out hunting. The Herrell attack is a small bite and the response is handled by the Dem Party:

As the Las Cruces Sun-News wrote on 11/4/2018, "she also favors common-sense restrictions like universal background checks on gun sales." 

That’s what she said she’d do and it’s exactly what she did, voting with Democrats and Republicans to expand background checks to keep guns out of criminal hands, something 87% of New Mexicans support. In Congress, Torres Small has consistently put New Mexicans first, breaking with her party when they sought to extend the gun sale waiting period from three days to ten.

Meanwhile XTS has come with a gun ad of her own once again showcasing her shooting prowess and smiling at the shooting range as she does it. She’s clever, Yvette. And the clock is ticking. 

We're still flying by radar in the south. There has been no public polling since the contenders began their TV campaigns. Back in early July in a GOP survey they were tied at 46 each.

COURT ACTION

A big day at the NM Supreme Court today and it will be live-streamed. From PBS:

New Mexico PBS will carry the livestream of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m. in a case that focuses on the decision by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to re-impose its ban on indoor restaurant dining. The link will be this YouTube link. The New Mexico Restaurant Association filed the suit seeking to block the administration and wants public records made available showing the data behind closing indoor dining.

Prior to the hearing today MLG announced that the public health order wil be amended to allow indoor dining at state restaurants up to 25 percent capacity. She also said churches will now be permitted to go to 40 percent capacity during services, up from 25 percent.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2020