Campaign Updates

Ethics and corruption is the biggest barrier to changing New Mexico.  If we want a stronger economy and a better education system, we need to start with open, honest ethical government.  After all the uproar lately about what's going on in the Secretary of State's office, I think it's time we take a stand to end corruption and bring transparency to state and local governments.  As citizens of New Mexico, we deserve to know what's going on and hold our government officials accountable.  As a Lt. Governor candidate, I felt it was important for me to stand on the side of openness ... so starting today all my campaign contributions will be posted in real time on my website.  Click on the "Supporters" tab for a list of contributors to my campaign.

The NM Legislature just ended their first special session last week.  They ended up adding over two hundred million dollars in new taxes, including new taxes on food and higher taxes on everything else we buy.  The worst part of this fiasco is almost nobody believes the budget is really balanced … and most expect another special session in the fall to deal with ever declining revenues.  Will we just continue to put bandages on this problem, or will we finally get serious and start the hard work of remaking state government from the top down?
I’m really excited about our opportunities this November … it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really do what’s right for all New Mexicans. Join us in our fight to take back Santa Fe!

Like most people in New Mexico, I was surprised (and a little relieved) the NM Legislature failed to agree on a budget at the end of the past session.  The combination of too much legislation and not enough leadership was too much for 30 days, so they adjourned without passing a huge tax increase. The only problem is they will head to Santa Fe again in the next few days and try again.  The House wants very few spending cuts and 300 million in new taxes, the Senate wants a few more cuts and only $180 million in new taxes (the infamous tortilla tax).  My guess is, knowing the Legislature, we will end up with something in the middle ... a budget compromise with more new taxes and less dealing with the out-of-control spending that has been going on in Santa Fe for the past few years.  Republicans have been creative and courageous about new budget ideas, more spending cuts and lower taxes, but without any support from the 4th floor, they don't have enough votes to create the budget we really need in New Mexico.
Next year we will have a new Governor and Lt. Governor, let's work to make sure we have the right fiscal team to help bring common sense to Santa Fe. 

As we get all around New Mexico and visit with people, we hear a lot about state government that doesn't work very well.  From building permits to driver's licenses ... from low high school graduation rates to remedial college classes ... we're not getting our money's worth.

The NM House of Representatives, for the first time I can find, is passing a budget to the Senate that's not in balance.  The proposed budget is roughly 310 million dollars in the red, and the House is hoping they can pass enough tax increases or the Senate will make the necessary cuts to have a balanced budget in two weeks.  I think it's wishful thinking on their part ... it will be interesting to see how many special sessions we'll have this year in the attempt to balance the books.

Budgets can be challenging.  Finding ways to make state government less expensive and more efficient takes a lot of patience, civility, insight and experience.  Those of us that own businesses, make payrolls and pay taxes understand how important it is for our customers, employees and stockholders to talk to each other and work together to be successful.

There have been some very interesting proposals out there to make New Mexico better.  The next Governor and Lt. Governor will have a lot of work to do, re-organizing and re-energizing state government ... making sure we do the job we need to do, without raising taxes or burdening our grandkids with unbearable debt.

Linda and I left Clayton on Wednesday to begin a two week campaign swing. We started in Harding County, went to Farmington and Rio Rancho, and this weekend we’re in Las Cruces.  Next week, we’ll be in Santa Fe, Ruidoso, Silver City, Deming , Albuquerque and Taos

We’ve seen so many new places and have met so many great people.  We’ve been to county meetings, TEA party rallies, FRW luncheons … we’ve visited with groups as small as two and as large as a hundred. People are very concerned about the issues we talk about … education, the economy and ethics seem to be the most discussed so far.  They support what I bring to the GOP ticket.  Voters like that Linda and I own a small business, we’ve made payrolls and paid taxes. They appreciate the eight years I spent in the NM Legislature, including six on the Finance-Budget committees, helping me understand state budget issues better than most.  Finally, they like that we come from a small community, with rural, family values and a strong work ethic

Linda and I spent a lot of time considering a state-wide campaign.  Could we handle the challenges of managing a campaign on our own?  What about being on the road every week?  I can tell you now, after almost five months on the campaign, that we’re enjoying it tremendously. Traveling over 1,000 miles a week, sleeping in hotels, eating on the run … has given us this great opportunity to really understand what people are thinking, what issues are important to them, and (most importantly) what they think the solutions might be.

So, to all the people who have been so supportive and shown us so much hospitality … Linda and I say “thank you”.  And to all those we haven’t met yet, we’re headed your way.

Linda and I want to wish you and your family a very happy, successful and prosperous New Year!

This week Linda and I got a chance to work with the Clayton Rotary Club to provide food and gifts for families that might do without this Christmas.  We've been doing it for years, but we never get over all the emotions that come over us; We're sad for families that are struggling, we're happy when we can help brighten the holiday and we feel tremendously blessed to be in a community that takes care and watches out for each other.

As we gather our friends and families together for Christmas, Linda and I hope we all remember those who are away from their families protecting us and keeping us safe.

  Merry Christmas to you and yours, from the Moore family.

Over the last few months, Linda and I have talked to people from Hobbs to Farmington and from Clayton to Silver City.  We've met a lot of people and are hearing a lot about what's wrong with NM state government and how a new administration might tackle these challenges.

Last week, we had a chance to spend some time with agriculture producers from all over New Mexico.  One issue that came up over and over was how often state government gets in the way.  Too often, state government stymies economic growth, creates unnecessary roadblocks to a good education for our kids and makes rules and regulations that lack common sense.

One example would be the proposed emissions cap regulations that the environmental improvement board is considering.  Unlike the federal cap and trade debate that's going on in Washington, these regulations would cap, then reduce emissions without any way for offsets or trade.  It would only affect businesses that operate in New Mexico, making them uncompetitive and probably putting them out of business ... losing jobs and economic activity in our state.  On the other hand, other companies would be free to build power plants all around our borders in surrounding states.  The jobs and money would go there, but any emissions would still be with us, since air currents don't pay attention to state boundaries.  Plus our utility rates would be much higher.  I'm not a fan of federal cap and trade either, but the proposed NM cap only would be a disaster.  All of this would be done by a small board making rules on their own, not through debate, discussion and consensus in the state legislature.

We may not always agree about the size of government, but we should all be for a government that works for all of New Mexico ... simply, efficiently and as inexpensively as possible.

Linda and I own a grocery store and, as you can imagine, we've been really busy this week, helping customers find the right turkey and all the special ingredients that make a holiday meal perfect. 

I love Thanksgiving, not just because of the business or the food (all of which helps), but because it's a holiday that's all about gratitude. It's easy this year, when the economy is challenging and the political wars are going at full speed, to focus on the negative and forget how truly blessed we all are.

So this week, Linda and I will focus on all the good things in our life ... our family, our many friends all over New Mexico, our great military men and women around the world, our health, a warm place to live and good food.  We hope you enjoy this special holiday and that you, too, are grateful for your many blessings. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families from the Moore's!

Many thanks to Heath Haussamen for his poll on the Lt. Governor's race ...

Moore wins non-scientific poll on GOP lt. guv primary

By Heath Haussamen • 9/20/09, 5:55 pm

The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site said Brian Moore would defeat J.R. Damron in a Republican primary race between the two for lieutenant governor.

Of 120 votes cast, 93, or 78 percent, went to Moore, while 27, or 23 percent, went to Damron.

As Heath says, the poll is not a scientific poll, but hopefully it indicates a fairly high level of support among his readers.