The death penalty is already an issue in a Las Cruces Senate district, even before the special session that begins Friday.
Although that session is primarily aimed at the state’s budget deficit, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez is also asking lawmakers to reinstate the death penalty in convictions involving slain police, corrections officers or children.
Some suspect Martinez wants to put Democratic House and Senate members on the record opposing the death penalty to use against them in campaign advertising.
But Sen. Lee Cotter, a Las Cruces Republican, sent a mailer this week attacking his opponent, Rep. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat on the issue.
“Jeff Steinborn has crossed the line,” the mailer reads. “Steinborn doesn’t believe that people that murder our brave police officers and innocent children in cold blood deserve the death penalty.”
Steinborn was endorsed by Las Cruces Police Officers Association in the primary election, but the association hasn’t endorsed in the general election. Steinborn did vote to abolish the death penalty, but he said that doesn’t mean he doesn’t support law enforcement officers.
“It’s disgusting,” he told NMID in an interview. “I think there’s nothing more offensive than trying to say that you don’t stand with a murdered policeman. It’s the kind of mud we expected to be slung in this election.”
Republicans are trying to hold on to their majority in the House, which they won in 2014 for the first time in 60 years, and gain a majority in the Senate in the November elections.
The Senate District 36 face-off between Cotter and Steinborn is considered one of the more competitive races in the 112 legislative contests.
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Of course, the Republican didn’t say the Democrat does not “stand with a murdered policeman” as the Democrat alleges. The Republican alleged the Democrat crossed the line by claiming certain murderers do not deserve the death penalty.
But then, the way you play advocacy journalism is you pretend you are just reporting the facts when you let two sources sling mud. When your preferred source mischaracterizes the other side, you let them have the last word and you don’t “fact check.” When the other side ventures straw man arguments, that is the time to “fact check.”
Of course it is just a political game to Martinez. Governor Martinez probably has her Christmas party plans made, but she has no suggestions regarding the budget. I never saw such incompetence. Her single goal in the special session is to attack Democrats in the state legislature. This is a typical Jay McCleskey political tactic. McCleskey, Martinez’s political consultant, also runs the “Advance New Mexico Now” Super PAC. Big Texas money continues to flow into this PAC. The money is to used on negative campaigns against Democratic state legislators. DEMOCRATS BEWARE!
http://www.mccleskeymedia.com/about/