Tipping Point New Mexico

On this week's episode Paul and Wally recap the election results. It was a blue "tsunami" election with New Mexico going bluer, but much of the country switching from GOP to Democrat. What does it mean for the nation? How about the Supreme Court? What about New Mexico? You don't want to miss this thoughtful analysis with honest discussion, not partisan posturing. We go through it all!  In other ne...

On this week's Tipping Point NM interview Paul sits down with Dalva Moellenberg. Dal is an attorney currently representing a variety of agriculture and energy interests in a Surface Water Permitting Rule process.  If adopted, this new rule could have some profoundly negative effects on these and other industries making the permitting process more complicated and less certain than it is now.    Don...

Paul and Wally make their predictions for the 2026 elections. They put forth final Senate and House numbers and discuss the winners of the Hull, and Cunningham races as well as Amendment 4.  There are some important issues being voted on around the region and West. Divestment kerfuffle targeted at Elon Musk highlights peril of government ownership of businesses. The latest on discussions of our ro...

On this week's interview Paul sits down with Scott Hindman, Founder and Executive Director of Excellent Schools New Mexico. Paul and Scott discuss Scott's decision to get involved in New Mexico education policy after being drafted to play Major League Baseball. How his organization works to improve actual schools and their approach to education, and the impacts and benefits of charter schools and...

RGF participates in debate over Amendment 4 . Albuquerque Public Schools is  looking for input on school closures . $456 MILLION in  overruns from various New Mexico IT projects . Is  Voices for Children coming around to our perspective ? Why can't/won't New Mexico Democrats bring prosperity to NM ? Trump  touted the benefit of high oil prices (gasoline) over the weekend. Here's why Americans and...

with Cyndi Bohannon and Dr. Victor Gamiz, two of the volunteers behind an exciting new project called "Judge the Bench."  You can find more details at:  https://judgethebench.com/ If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the number of judges on New Mexico's ballots. If you've ever wished for some objective information about the quality of judicial opinions in New Mexico and especially how they deal with...

On this week's conversation Paul and Wally discuss early voting and their voting plans. Both recommend voting in expanded early voting. There are some Albuquerque local ballot issues that should draw skepticism from voters. Paul and Wally analyze them. Two Supreme Court justices are up for retention. Our reasons for opposing retention are straightforward. Paul will be debating Bob Perls on Saturda...

On this week's interview Paul sits down w/ former New Mexico Rep. Bob Perls and current chair of the NM Forward Party for a friendly conversation/debate on Amendment 4 which will be on ballots this November. If passed the amendment would pay legislators an annual salary of approximately $68,000 annually. Bob and Paul agree about many reforms needed for New Mexico's Legislature and electoral system...

On this week's Tipping Point conversation. Paul and Wally discuss the polling numbers in the  Hull/Haaland gubernatorial race . They also discuss the numbers in the Greg Cunningham/Gabe Vazquez numbers from the Albuquerque Journal. Paul and Wally discuss the Haaland/Hull "debate" Hull's simple plan for eliminating the personal income tax is eminently reasonable. The  "plan" for this November is fo...

On this week's interview episode Paul sits down with former Reps. Janice Arnold Jones and Robert Aragon. Both are longtime Republican activists who have served in many roles over the years and are now on the Executive Committee of the Bernalillo County GOP. The County Party just released a rather detailed  "Affordability Agenda"  which includes numerous detailed proposals, mostly relating to taxes...

MLG's "free" childcare program won't be "free" for everyone after all. Federal school choice regs have been published. MLG is on the clock. ABQ's electric buses haven't been on the roads since December. More issues with Amendment 4 on this Fall's ballots. Paul and Wally take a closer look at the ballot. The cost of Ozempic for Medicaid patients doubled between 2023 and 2025. New Mexico Senate Demo...

This week's interview is with Jonathan Williams, President and Chief Economist of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). They begin with a conversation about the organization's "Rich States, Poor States" report which measures how all 50 states fare on various economic indicators. New Mexico ranks 35th. What would happen if New Mexico eliminated its personal income tax? In the second par...

Slight poverty improvement is hardly an accomplishment. The most interesting of  New Mexico's legislative races this fall is between trial attorney Lisa Curtis and Nicole Chavez. RGF opinion piece in ABQ Journal: Amendment 4 is a cash grab, not reform. Guest column: gluttony thy name is NM pension plan. Poll: New Mexicans overwhelmingly support school choice. Free Childcare will soon require copay...

There have been bills introduced and ample discussion in the media over the possibility of some kind of takeover of the utility known as PNM by the State of New Mexico. Shanley is sympathetic to the idea and certainly opposed to Blackstone as the next potential owner. Paul and Jaemes have a cordial but pointed conversation about these plans.

Deb Haaland proposes a data center moratorium while taking $87,000 from folks behind Project Jupiter. Hull has received nothing. NM's Supreme Court has allowed Project Jupiter permitting to continue. Did they dodge the environmental groups' best shot? Deb Haaland has seemingly backed out of the October 8 KOB TV debate . What's next?  Paul sat down w/ KOAT Channel 7 to discuss our opposition to Ame...

Paul talks with Peter Rice, editor of Downtown Albuquerque News , about the challenges and issues facing the area's businesses and residents.  They also address proposed projects including the Rail Trail and the Rail Yard.  

Gubernatorial candidate  Gregg Hull was recently criticized (unfairly) for his remarks, but Paul believes Hull is 100% correct on NM's dependency problem. The Tax Foundation recently ranked New Mexico 7th highest for tax collections.  It's new information, but the data is from four years ago (FY 2023). New Mexico is likely close to number 1 now.  Trump's plan to give every adult American $5,000 IF...

On this week's Tipping Point NM interview Paul sits down with Stephanie Slade. Slade is a journalist and author who works for  Reason , a libertarian publication. Slade discusses her new book " Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right " which highlights the need for virtue and liberty.  Stephanie was recently in Albuquerque for a Rio Grande Foundation sponsored event. 

Trump floats changing  New Mexico's name to "New America." A business poll shows how businesses feel about gross receipts tax (they really don't like it).  ABQ Journal polling finds plurality of New Mexicans support paying legislators. New Mexicans don't think the economy is very good. Inflation, cost of living, are top concerns for New Mexicans. Overwhelmingly New Mexicans support a data center m...

Paul interviews Larry Marker, a candidate for a United States Senate seat representing New Mexico.  Larry answers a series of tough questions related to the problems he will address if elected to the Senate. 

According to the  Albuquerque Journal's poll by Brian Sanderoff gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull is within 6 points of Haaland. What are the implications? What does Hull need to do to win?  As expected  New Mexico has nearly $1 billion in unexpected money.  Paul believes that figure will rise to over a billion by the time the session rolls around.  Despite the oil and gas boom New Mexico's econo...

On this week's interview Paul talks to Bob Perls. Perls is a former Democrat state legislator and also ran   New Mexico   Open Elections,  and the current chair and a candidate for US Senate from the  New Mexico Forward Party . Paul and Bob discuss semi-open primaries along with a wide variety of election issues facing New Mexico. Check it out!  

Paul is at the State Policy Network meeting in Orlando. What is going on there? Virgin Galactic slashes payments to Spaceport. NM Supreme Court puts permits on hold for Project Jupiter. San Juan County is "open" for data centers though. DeSantis calls for end to Congressional pensions (maybe for the Legislature as well?). Will Buc-ee's ever come to New Mexico? Not based on these comments. New Mexi...

On this week's interview Paul sits down with economist and  Texas-based free market policy consultant Vance Ginn. They discuss the importance of eliminating New Mexico's personal income tax. They then discuss the political and policy situation in Texas. Gov. Abbott recently issued a moratorium on data centers. Will a hard-left "progressive" be able to win the Senate seat? Finally, states are consi...

Former Democrat House  Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton  convicted on all counts. She was  paid by APS while in the Legislature illegally in addition to her corruption. There are two big problems with Democrats' primary plans. Paying the Legislature isn't a bad idea, but the ballot measure on this fall's ballots is. Welcome to NM job creators, get lost!   Rep. Stansburty has some "interes...