Earlier this month, Governor Bill Richardson dropped a political bombshell on New Mexico and the nation by withdrawing his name for consideration to serve as the Commerce Secretary for President-Elect Barack Obama. This week’s edition of “New Mexico in Focus” will look at the impact Richardson’s decision will have on his future, the upcoming legislative session, and on Lt. Governor Diane Denish. “New Mexico in Focus,” KNME-TV, channel 5’s weekly one-hour news show, will air on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. and will repeat on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 a.m.
When Richardson withdrew from consideration, he said that he did not want to be a distraction to the beginning the Obama presidency while an investigation into “pay-to-play” allegations involving his administration linger.
This week, co-host David Alire Garcia sits down with Steven Allen, executive director for Common Cause NM, Trip Jennings, senior writer for the New Mexico Independent, and University of New Mexico Political Science Professor Gabriel Sanchez to discuss what will happen next for Gov. Richardson and New Mexico.
The panel will also discuss Richardson’s decision, along with the state’s new congressional delegates being sworn in, the upcoming Albuquerque mayoral race, and answer the question “is a cold cheese sandwich for some APS students a stigma or a solution?”
Joining co-host Gene Grant are regular panelists political consultant Whitney Cheshire and Jim Scarantino, moderator for NewMexicoLiberty.com, and guest panelists Jon Knudsen, with DukeCityFix.com and UNM political science professor Lonna Atkeson.
Producers of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ are Kevin McDonald and Kathy Wimmer. Closed captioning has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1812; e-mail: etodd@knme.org