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This month, Brian Colón is featured on the cover of Norteño Magazine as representing the “New Generation in New Mexico Politics.” Norteño is a Hispanic published regionally distributed magazine with a focus on culture, business, politics and education in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. Since 2002, the magazine has highlighted cross-cultural issues of interest to Native Americans, Hispanics, and Caucasians and served as a channel relevant to their needs and interests.

In addition to a four-page article, the May 2010 issue includes an endorsement for Brian’s bid to become New Mexico’s next Lieutenant Governor. Below is the “Letter From The Publisher,” and the full article about Mr. Colón is available here.

“Last but not least it is my favorite pastime in NM, Politico season! I am proud after much thought and consideration to endorse mue bien amigo General Brian Colón for the Office of New Mexico Lieutenant Governor, you can get to know him on page 4! I gave him the nick name of General due to the fact that as Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico I was proud to serve as a solider, I humbly ask all of my friends and readers to help in the effort!"

Joseph J. Torres, Publisher/CEO
Norteño Media Group, LLC

Brian Colón, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor, released a statement today saying his campaign showed strong statewide grassroots support when he filed his campaign finance report with the NM Secretary of State's office today. The report showed 80% of the contributions coming from supporters who gave $250 or less.

"We have received more than 1,500 contributions from more than 1,000 donors from all corners of New Mexico. I am especially pleased that some many supporters have contributed more than once as they continue to reinvest in our campaign," Colón said in a written statement. "In difficult times like these, I'm honored to have so many Democrats supporting our campaign because they share my belief that now is the time to rebuild our economy and invest in public education to help prepare our children for the jobs of tomorrow."

Continue reading after the break.

Alamogordo Daily News

By Laura London, Staff Writer

Brian Colón, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor of New Mexico, stopped in Alamogordo on Thursday night on his campaign and spoke at a candidate meet and greet at the Waffle and Pancake Shoppe on White Sands Boulevard.

Steve Brockett, owner of the restaurant and former Alamogordo mayor, kicked things off with a story about Colón, whom Brockett first met when Colón stopped at his restaurant on a sales route. Colón was working his way through law school at the time.

Brockett shared another story about Colón, who was chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico for two and a half years until he resigned in October 2009. Brockett said he called Colón last year and told him the superintendent of Alamogordo Public Schools wanted to close the elementary schools at
Holloman Air Force Base and in High Rolls.

Brockett said that afternoon Colón called back to tell him he had a meeting with the governor and the education secretary, and that he would let Brockett know how it went the next day.

"The next day he called me up and he said, 'This is not going to happen, but you can't say anything
about it,'" Brockett said. "That was a very polite way of telling the mayor of Alamogordo to keep your mouth shut because Bill Richardson wants all the credit."

Joe Ferguson, Alamogordo city commissioner, was next to speak. He introduced himself and mentioned he is running for the District 51 seat in the state Legislature, as is Sue Medina.

Ferguson said he has known Colón for a while, and Colón is different from the rest of the politicians Ferguson has seen. For one thing, Ferguson said Colón means what he says.

"The legislators and all that, they never call you back. But guess who does Mr. Colón," Ferguson said. "You call him, he's going to call you back. And he will do what he says. You ask for something, he'll get it done for you."

Colón then spoke, sharing some of his background. He said he grew up in an impoverished family in Valencia County. He said when he was growing up, his family stood in lines for commodities when the trucks would bring government cheese and other food to town.

He noted now those in need use the more dignified EBT cards at grocery stores.

"But I remember the old days," Colón said. "That is the lens I look through when I think about how we're going to lead this state. We're going to lead this state with dignity, and we're going to make it better for the people that are coming behind us."

Colón said he was the first in his family to attend college and graduated from New Mexico State
University in 1998 after spending 10 years taking courses, doing various jobs and starting different small businesses to pay his way through school.

"I was on the 10-year track," Colón said. "And for those of you who think of the professors I
wasn't on the tenure track, but I was on the 10-year track."

Colón then went on to law school at the University of New Mexico and graduated in 2001.

Colón said he has been able to break the cycle of poverty in his family with the help of Democratic
values.

"My son, who is 12 years old, will never know what it is to use an EBT card," Colón said. "He will never know what commodity lines are."

Colón said he has an obligation to serve the Democratic Party because he is a product of Democratic values, which allowed Colón's father to receive health care services when he needed them, put food on the family's table when they had no money and allowed Colón to attend college.

"So that's why I have enjoyed serving as chairman of the Democratic Party," Colón said. "And
that's why when I got the call to look at this race for lieutenant governor, I felt I had an obligation to answer that call."

Colón said he understands New Mexico doesn't all sit on Interstate 25. He said the Rio Grande corridor is important for economic development, but so is the rest of the state. He said the state must invest in corridors outside of I-25.

Colón said small business is the economic backbone for the state of New Mexico, and he understands how difficult it is for small business people as he has been one. He said he will be a small business advocate as lieutenant governor.

Colón said to have positive economic development, it is necessary to invest in education.

"But we also know something else: We can't continue to do things the way we've always done them in New Mexico and expect a different result," Colón said. "Our dropout rate is an abomination ... We have got to start conversation about changing the way we try and deliver education in New Mexico."

Colón encouraged all Democrats to participate in their local county convention and get elected to go to the state convention March 13.

Dawn Provencher announced the local convention will be Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. at the Alamo Senior Center.

Contact Laura London at llondon@alamogordonews.com.

Brian Colón says his strength is making connections and bringing people together. It’s what has made him successful in life, and he says it’s a big factor in the work he did as chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.

Now he wants to use his abilities to make the “largely undefined” lieutenant governor’s office the conduit between New Mexicans and their government – like the constituent services staff does in a congressional office. He also wants to use his ability to make connections to help solve the state’s problems.

“My vision for the office is what I’ve always done – bringing people together to come up with solutions to critical issues,” Colón said during a recent interview in Las Cruces.

Though the primary race isn’t until June, Colón is off to a quick start. He raised $277,000 in the five weeks he was in the race before the October finance reports were due, topping all of his opponents though they had been in the race longer than him. Two other Democratic lieutenant governor candidates each raised about $150,000 for their campaigns. The others were far behind that.

“It was very humbling to realize… that the response we got was exceptional relative to the field,” Colón said. “I was trying to catch up. I was just trying to get a respectable report out there, because I only had five weeks.”

Still, Colón faces lots of opposition in the primary. Also running are Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, state Sens. Linda Lopez and Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque, State Rep. Jose Campos of Santa Rosa and retiring Mid-Region Council of Governments Executive Director Lawrence Rael.

“We’re going to keep working,” Colón said. “That’s what I’ve got. We’ve got hard work. We’ve got blood, sweat and tears.”

‘If it wasn’t for Democratic values and programs…’

Colón, 39, grew up in Valencia County. His parents – both disabled – ran the flea market in Bosque Farms, and he started working with them when he was 10, opening shop at 6 a.m. on weekends.

“I hated it at the time,” Colón said. “I think now it’s the reason I learned to connect with individuals.”

The flea market was the center of town. The area’s incorporation movement was discussed there; politicians showed up to solicit votes. Being in such an atmosphere, Colón said, “was the beginning of who I was going to grow up to be.”

Colón attended college at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces – moving in and out of school more than once and starting small businesses in between to help pay for it. He then attended law school at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Growing up with disabled parents, Colón said community and government programs, such as welfare and student loans, are the reason he succeeded in becoming the first in his family to attend college.

“If it wasn’t for Democratic values and programs, you don’t get to grow up to be a lawyer,” he said.

Education and economic development

It’s because of his belief in community and Democratic Party values that Colón wants to be lieutenant governor. Though the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, he said it’s primarily the governor’s job to deal with policy issues.

Colón said he sees the potential for the lieutenant governor to compliment that in the executive branch by becoming the office New Mexicans know they can call for help when they have problems with any aspect of government at any level.

But that doesn’t mean Colón isn’t talking about policy issues. He said he’s supportive of the campaign platform of the Democrat’s likely gubernatorial nominee, current Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. In addition, the top issues he lists on campaign literature are “equal rights for all,” affordable health care, high-quality education, accountability and ethics, “robust, green economic development” and “working with organized labor for fair wages and safe workplaces.”

Colón’s wife is a teacher, so he knows about the challenges educators face. He said he’s a big fan of charter schools, knowing that giving parents and students options can help improve education.

He also said education must be approached in the context of economic development. New Mexico is positioned to take the lead in developing renewable energy, but building transmission lines and increasing storage capacity are key to making that happen. Educating a workforce with this goal in mind is critical, he said.

Colón said he’s also supportive of increasing the focus on educating parents about the importance of early childhood development, a critical area to a healthy New Mexico.

Ethics, fiscal crisis

Colón said transparency and accessibility are the foundation for improving ethics in government. He noted that when he was state Democratic Party chairman, he made sure journalists had his cell phone number and e-mail address so they could always reach him and hold him accountable. He mentioned the problematic 2008 presidential primary run by the party – a situation that earned him and the party a great deal of criticism.

“I’ve been through the fire, but I tried to stay accessible,” Colón said.

He acknowledged that the state, and many members of his own party, have been embroiled in scandal in recent years, and said he’s “intrigued” by a recent proposal from Think New Mexico to ban all political contributions from contractors and lobbyists. He also mentioned as important issues putting the state budget online in a searchable form and also creating reliable online databases of state contractors and campaign contributors.

“It’s gotta be readily available to the public – and again, when it’s not, I want people to be able to call the lieutenant governor’s office (for help),” Colón said.

“It’s that type of attitude that I brought to the Democratic Party, and I want to bring to state government, that I think encourages good behavior,” Colón said.

There’s another big problem Colón wants to help solve – the state’s economic crisis that could lead to a budget shortfall of as much as $1 billion in January. Though lawmakers will plug that hole before the next governor and lieutenant governor are sworn in, Colón said there will be plenty the next governor and lieutenant governor will need to do to pull the state out of the crisis.

“Obviously, this is one of the biggest challenges the state has faced in a long time, and we’ve got to bring together some great minds,” he said, adding that he wants to “devote some real, substantial energy to bringing stakeholders around the table and come up with some real, creative ideas to address the budget shortfall.”

“That has always been my strength,” Colón said.

Full Article

News is all over the Internet this morning — and has been confirmed by my sources — that Brian Colón will resign his position as chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico later this week and announce that he’s running for lieutenant governor next year.

Colón, 39, enters an already crowded primary field, but many Democrats expect him to compete heavily for the nomination.

770 KKOB-AM reporter Peter St. Cyr reported that the party’s first vice chair, Annadelle Sanchez, will become interim party chair, and a special election to replace Colón will be held within 60 days.

Colón did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But news of his plans immediately put another significant piece in place for Democrats. State Auditor Hector Balderas, who had been considering running for lieutenant governor, instead announced his intention to seek re-election this morning.

“With just 30 brave employees and one of the smallest budgets in the state, we have created an expectation and a reality that New Mexico will have an independent voice to speak on behalf of taxpayers and on the real conditions of our government,” Balderas said in a news release about his first term as auditor. “There is much more important work to be done.”

Already in the lieutenant governor’s race are Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano and state Sens. Linda Lopez and Gerald Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque. New Mexico State University Regent Javier Gonzales; Lawrence Rael, who heads the Mid-Region Council of Governments; and former U.S. Navy officer and current law student Matthew Padilla have said they are also considering entering the race.

Sources believe Rael is likely to run.

Colón is a lawyer and works for the Albuquerque firm Robles, Rael & Anaya. The law firm is currently suing two defendants in the housing authority scandal on behalf of the State Investment Council to try to recover millions of dollars in lost bond money.

Colón also chairs Popejoy Hall’s board of directors and serves on the board of trustees for the Albuquerque Community Foundation. He has been chairman of the the Democratic Party of New Mexico since 2007.

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, also a former-state Democratic Party chair, is the only declared 2010 gubernatorial candidate, though Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez says he’s formed an exploratory committee.

Full Article

In September the New Mexico Democrats set a goal of registering 30,000 new voters in 30 days. They registered a little more than 35,000. Part of the success is due to Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon's 33 county strategy. With 16 days until Election 2008 Colon tells us the strategy is really a coordinated ground effort around the state. In this engaging interview, Colon says democrats are carrying the message of change to all four corners of the state.

Colon says his 33-county strategy is modeled after DNC Chairman Howard Dean's 50-state strategy and he's encouraged with the amount of young people participating in huge numbers.

Colon predicts a "clean sweep." He says he's confident the state's congressional delegation will be all-blue. He says after the election the Democrats are prepared to lead the country through this critical time in the nation's history.

He also said this year's legislative elections are important because they will determine re-districting following the 2010 census.

Earlier in the week, DNC Chairman Howard Dean made two 770 KKOB staffers honorary Vermonters. Listen to his interview with News Director Pat Allen and hear why?

Dean says this year's presidential election reminds him of the race in 1960. He says it's "Change" vs "More of the Same." Deans says he's looking forward to see how it plays out.

Dean says New Mexico is a critical swing state, and the Dems are putting an emphasis on the West and wants to win Colorado and Nevada as well as the Land of Enchantment.

Who knew 32 years after I first visited Montpelier, Vermont (during the country's Bi-centennial) with my family that I would be giving honorary "Vermonter" status. If Dean only knew that my dad parked the RV in front of the state capital so we could eat dinner on our way around all the revolutionary battlegrounds.

Thanks to LP at NMFBIHOP, who covered Howard Dean's trip to New Mexico in August, and shot all these great photos.

Full Article

(Scroll down for the most recent numbers from other candidates)

According to her campaign, gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish raised a million bucks between early May and early October, and has $2.2 million on hand. That's likely to be the most raised by the candidates running in 2010, but we'll keep you updated as other reports come in today.

While she may have the biggest bank, the quickest candidate today was lieutenant governor candidate Greg Solano, who has already emailed in his report. (He raised $11,865.) Other candidates: please do the same and send your reports directly to us, so that we can finish our stories with your numbers in time for tomorrow's paper. (It's unclear how soon it will be before the Secretary of State's web site is updated with the reports.)

UPDATE, 1:36 p.m.

Democratic Lt. Gov. candidate Lawrence Rael says he's raised $127,000, including a $15,000 loan to himself. and GOP gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh said he pulled in more than $559,000, including a $250,000 loan from himself.

NOTE: all of the numbers I have so far came from the candidates' campaigns, not the Secretary of State's web site. I still don't see where these reports are going to be filed. Can anyone help me? (I haven't received a response from the SOS's office yet.)

UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner just emailed that he's raised. $255,852, which includes a loan of $243,552.

UPDATE, 2:30

Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino says he raised $22,000, including a $3,700 loan from himself.

UPDATE, 2:58 p.m.

The Secretary of State's Office just emailed two links for finding information on today's filings. They are here and here. Best I can tell, however, they are not completely up to date, as I typed in two candidates I know have filed already, and they are not listed.

UPDATE, 3:04 p.m.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Susanna Martinez raised $141,265, according to her campaign. Her press release doesn't include her full report, but says she has $130,658 on hand.

UPDATE, 3:26 p.m.

(Anyone interested in interning for me? I've got a great little campaign finance database project for you to work on. . .)

UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.

State Rep. Jose Campos, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor, has filed his report. He raised $148,368, including $100,000 in loans. (Those loans, however, are not listed on Campos' cover page, just on the inside of his report.)

UPDATE, 4:40 p.m.

Former chairman of the state Democratic Party Brian Colon says he raised $264,203 in cash, with no loans. So far, Colon, seeking the lieutenant governor spot, is the lead fund raiser for that post.

Update, 5:00 p.m.

GOP candidate J.R. Damron for lieutenant governor said he raised $3,500. That total includes a $500 contribution from himself and a $3,000 loan to himself, he said.

UPDATE, 5:29

Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, a GOP candidate for governor, reports she raised $20,945. Former state Rep. Brian Moore says he collected $4,500 this period.

Meanwhile, the new Democratic state party Chairman, Javier Gonzales, just pointed out that Denish has raised more than all the GOP candidates combined. . .

I better get finished writing a story for the newspaper tomorrow so I can meet my deadline. More updates later as warranted.

Full Article

What a start for Lt. Governor candidate Brian Colón! In fact, Brian made history of sorts by raising big funds so quickly. He also topped the total raised by his main competitor by about $130,000.

Since announcing his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor about six weeks ago on August 31, 2009, the former Democratic Party State Chair raised $277,034, including in-kind contributions totaling $12,831. He has $251,049 cash on hand as of the October 5th filing deadline. No candidate for Lieutenant Governor in recent New Mexico history has raised more than a quarter million dollars this early in the campaign, according to a statement released by Colón's campaign.

“I am humbled by the broad support our campaign received from New Mexicans in each corner of our state,” Colón said. “Folks have lined up enthusiastically behind our campaign because they share my commitment to providing high-quality education, creating new green jobs, and implementing transparency and ethics reform in government.”

Colón raised $264,203 from 667 cash contributions. The campaign averaged more than 18 donations a day and raised more than $40,000 online. Click for a copy of the report (xls) he filed with the Secretary of State today.

Colón announced his candidacy on August 31st at a kick-off fundraiser that raised more than $50,000 and was attended by more than 500 individuals.

“Our campaign continues to grow both by the number of financial supporters and by the hundreds of New Mexicans who have hit the streets to collect thousands of petition signatures from all 33 counties for filing next spring,” Colón said.

By way of comparison Colón's main rival for the Dem Lt. Governor slot on the ballot, Lawrence Rael, raised a little more than $147,000 for his campaign, despite having started his fundraising earlier in the process, ending the period with $105,000 on hand. Rep. Joe Campos raised more than $148,000, although that includes a $50,000 loan from his wife and another $50,000 loan from a bank. Campos spent almost $19,000 and ended the period with almost $130,000 on hand. Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano reported raising $11,865 and spending $7,192.50. No other Dem Lt. Gov. candidates have so far reported on their fundraising.

Of course money isn't everything in politics, but Colón's prodigious early fundraising cements the perception that he's a serious player in this race, and demonstrates that he has support all over the state. In other words, at this point in the race, Colón is the candidate to beat -- at least in terms of early fundraising, widespread appeal and just plain hard work.

Full Article

Brian Colon was the two-term Chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico before resigning to run for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico in 2010. Colon received his bachelor’s and law degrees from New Mexico State University. Just after graduating from law school, Colon served on the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association’s Board of Directors. Mr. Colon is currently a partner at a civil practice.

Colon is an active member of several boards in his New Mexico and Albuquerque communities. He currently also chairs the Board for Popejoy Hall, the Center for Arts at the University of New Mexico, and the Albuquerque Community Foundation. Brian has also been a member of several other boards including the State Bar of New Mexico Committee on Diversity since 2003, the New Mexico College Success Network, and the New Mexico State University Alumni Association. The New Mexico State Bar Association named him the 2004 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year.

Brian Colon gave an impassioned speech in support of marriage equality during the New Mexico Democratic Party’s vote to include marriage equality in their official party platform, a measure that ultimately passed. You can watch an excerpt here:

Freedom to Marry salutes Brian Colon as a Voice for Equality!

**Make your NOMINATION for a Voice for Equality today!

Full Article

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Former Democratic state chairman Brian Colon was the leading fundraiser since May among a crowded field of candidates running for lieutenant governor.

Colon had receipts of $277,035 and a cash balance in his campaign of $251,049 as of last week, according to the latest financial reports filed with the secretary of state.

Democratic Rep. Jose Campos of Santa Rosa and Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments Lawrence Rael, each raised about $148,000. Three other Democratic candidates each collected less than $30,000 for their campaigns.

Former state Rep. Brian Moore of Clayton raised $4,450 for his campaign for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor and Santa Fe physician J.R. Damron collected $3,500.

Full Article