POLITICAL ROUNDUP
Days until election: 73
Safety on: The U.S. Department of Education reportedly wants to let states buy guns for teachers, and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants none of it.
The New York Times reported Thursday about the possibility that the federal education agency could use a loophole to allow states to use grant money intended for academic enrichment to purchase firearms.
Congress could ban such use of the grant funding through legislation, the Times noted.
Lujan Grisham, the Democratic candidate for governor, issued a statement saying she planned to do just that, calling the prospective Education Department move an abuse of authority.
“Both educators and law enforcement agree that arming teachers is not the solution,” she said. S.O.S.: The race for secretary of state is down to two. Libertarian Sandra Jeff has withdrawn from the contest. That leaves incumbent Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Republican Gavin Clarkson. Jeff hung up on a reporter when reached for comment Thursday. But in a letter to the Secretary of State’s Office dated Aug. 17, Jeff wrote that she had assumed “unforeseen personal obligations.” Chairman Chris Luchini said Thursday that the state party had solicited interest from other potential candidates but that no one had stepped forward yet to take Jeff’s place on the ballot. Jeff’s bid was a long shot. She had been a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives known for siding with Republicans. She fell short of the number of petition signatures needed to qualify for the ballot to run for a third term in 2014 and lost her seat representing part of the Navajo Nation. She unsuccessfully tried to oust Sen. Benny Shendo, D-Jemez Pueblo, in a Democratic primary in 2016. Jeff switched parties earlier this year, registering as a Libertarian. It is not the first shake-up in the race for secretary of state, though. The Republican nominee, JoHanna Cox, dropped out over the summer after the Albuquerque Journal brought to light pending lawsuits against her that allege legal malpractice. The party later nominated Clarkson. Signed, sealed, delivered: Las Cruces reports unusually large turnout in a recent bond election — the first in New Mexico under a new state law that requires conducting all special elections by mail. About 25 percent of voters returned ballots, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. Usually, turnout in local elections ranges between 5 percent and 10 percent, the newspaper reported. Voters approved each of the four bond proposals on the ballot. The results may bolster hopes for voting by mail. Proponents of the idea have argued it will boost turnout. However, some local government officials, such as school board members, have worried higher turnout may lead to the defeat of more bond proposals. In any event, it may prove more expensive for school districts than in-person voting, as governments will have to cover the cost of sending ballots to voters and the cost of postage. Local residents may get to try voting by mail soon. Santa Fe Public Schools is considering a special bond election next year. Chile versus chili: When the attorney general is betting on sports, you can be sure it is now legal, for real. More a “friendly wager” than a bet, but still: There’s more on the line in Las Cruces this weekend than a 1-0 start to the college football season. New Mexico State plays host to Wyoming in a nationally televised season opener, and the attorneys general of the two states have made it a bit more interesting. “If by some miracle, coach [Craig] Bohl and your Cowboys prevail, I will send you some of New Mexico’s finest green chile and pistachios,” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas wrote to Wyoming Attorney General Peter Michael. “Be advised that if by some miracle the Aggies prevail, you will be pleased, and I think delighted, to enjoy some of Wyoming’s finest hand-crafted chocolates and Chugwater Chili,” Michael wrote back. Both teams won bowl games last season, New Mexico State for the first time in 57 years.