New Mexico
Republicans spend big on Spanish-language ads in New Mexico, with hopes ‘Trump could change’ 20-year blue streak
Republicans believe they can win New Mexico for the first time in 20 years — and conservative advocacy groups are spending big on Spanish-language commercials for the last two weeks of the election.
“New Mexico is the dark horse this presidential cycle,” Jay McClesky, a longtime political strategist for Republicans in the state, told The Post. “New Mexico hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 20 years but Trump could change that.”
Sources say groups including the conservative advocacy group Election Freedom, as well as RFK Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again PAC, have ramped up their advertising efforts for a final push.
Election Freedom’s $5 million ad blitz is primarily going to pay for Spanish language ads that highlight how Kamala Harris and New Mexico’s Democratic senator Martin Heinrich have created inflation and allowed a surge in illegal immigration as crime rises — two issues voters in New Mexico overwhelmingly say they are focused on.
“President Trump is making huge inroads with Hispanic voters and is actually leading among Hispanic men in multiple internal polls,” McClesky said.
According to polling from KAConsulting, Harris is up just three points in New Mexico — a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020 — with an additional three percent of the population saying they remain undecided.
Internal polls conducted by the Trump camp, meanwhile, show a race that is nearly neck-and-neck, thanks in part to RFK Jr.’s support, sources said.
RFK Jr. — who was polling at 8% in New Mexico before throwing his support behind Trump in August — has moved some of his supporters to the right, which has helped put the state in play, sources add.
Kennedy, who now promotes the slogan “a vote for Trump is a vote for Kennedy” on his campaign materials, has also ramped up his ad spend in the state over the last few weeks.
Trump’s support among Latino voters has jumped to 40% this year — more than double the 19% of latino voters he won in 2016. While 47% of voters in New Mexico are Hispanic, which means the so-called Land of Enchantment is seeing a dramatic shift in polling, voters all across Southwestern border states are undergoing a transformation.
Catalina Miranda, a 26-year-old Tucson, Arizona, auto industry worker with family in the border town of Nogales, said she is voting for Trump because “a lot of Republican values align with Mexican values.”
And Erika Moreno, an El Paso, Texas, mother who is also the small owner of an online furniture store, said she will vote for Trump come November. An immigrant from Mexico who arrived in the US 24 years ago, she is fed up with the Biden-Harris administration for the countless illegal migrants who have filled her city’s downtown streets and turned it into a dangerous place for native customers.
“Folks are angry at her [Harris] here because people don’t want to come shop at the stores for fear of being assaulted, for people sleeping on the streets. Our taxes are paying for migrants to live in hotels,” Moreno said. “If Harris could not be a good border czar, how can she guide the whole country?”
In 2024, New Mexico had the highest violent crime rate of any state in the US, with 781 incidents per 100,000 people — more than double the national average.
“Biden won handily in 2020 because he ran as a centrist, but as Harris gets exposed as a far left candidate, that will move voters,” McClesky added.
“New Mexico has shifted blue but it’s not liberal or progressive … especially with respect to the border and crime,” he added. “Albuquerque [the most populous city in the state] voters in particular are focused on crime.”
Additional reporting by Joseph Treviño
New Mexico
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New Mexico
Two men arrested for deadly shooting outside Frontier Restaurant
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Police arrested two young men on murder charges after a deadly shooting outside the Frontier Restaurant near the University of New Mexico.
Police said 19-year-old Junior Lewis and 20-year-old Evan Rogers are in custody and both face murder charges.
Police said both men are set to face a judge Saturday.
Investigators said they found both suspects inside Rogers’ dorm room at UNM.
The shooting happened in the early morning hours Thursday just south of Central between Cornell and Stanford.
Police said the man who was shot died at the scene.
New Mexico
Find out how New Mexico hospitals rank for patient safety
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
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