A New Year, A new Adventure

On August 21, 2007 I announced my intention to run for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 June Primary. There were a lot of circumstances which comprised my decision to run and my decision to announce so early. Bill Richardson was running for President and rumors were rampant that win or lose he would be leaving the Governors office early. After meeting with family, friends and longtime political advisers I decided to run for Lieutenant Governor and to announce the campaign early. The main reasons for the decision were the following.

1. My friends, advisers and myself felt Lt. Governor Diane Denish would be a shoe in if not unopposed for the Democratic nominee for Governor. I really felt that I could make a difference on many issues which I felt were important to the middle class. Not coming from a high income family, not being a lawyer or a high brow politico was something I felt was lacking in the roundhouse. I truly felt we were lacking a majority of progressive democrats who understood the hardships which typical middle and low income families endure.

2. With Lt. Gov. Diane Denish having a solid foundation in Southern New Mexico we felt she needed a Hispanic from Northern New Mexico to balance the ticket and bring in much needed Hispanic votes.

3. We all felt Lt. Gov. Denish would be Governor by Jan-Feb 2009 with Richardson leaving office early.

4. In order to get noticed by Lt. Gov. Denish I would have to begin the campaign early. I am well established politically in Santa Fe County however I did not have strong connections to state wide politics. The goal was to get on Lt. Gov. Denish's radar screen for a possible appointment.

5. It was felt by us all that my lack of connections to state wide politics could be a positive. Even though we did not foresee the scandals and accusations that would later hit the Richardson Administration we did foresee some citizens had become weary of the Richardson Administration and my lack of connections to the administration could be a positive for a Diane Denish run for Governor.

So, I announced my campaign for Lieutenant Governor in August of 2007. In January of 2008 Governor Richardson dropped out of the presidential race and rumors were still rampant that Richardson should leave office at the end of the year. Barack Obama then won the Democratic Primary for President in June and was well on his way to a win in November. At the time it was believed that Bill Richardson would leave soon after the inauguration in January of 2009.

I had reached out to Lieutenant Governor Denish in the weeks prior to my announcing my run for Lieutenant Governor and we were not able to meet. In early 2008 I made more attempts to meet with her and we had sill not been able to meet. This was the first of many roadblocks I began to encounter. In 2008 I had concentrated on meeting Democrats across the state and getting my name out there. In 2009 I began trying to raise money for the impending race. While many were talking about running for Lieutenant Governor and many were rumored to be considering running, I was still the only candidate actually announced. While running in three different elections for Sheriff. I did rather well raising money within Santa Fe County. I was however, encountering a lot of difficulty in raising money for the Lieutenant Governor race. Donors who had given to me in election after election were not donating for this campaign.

Some wanted to wait and see how things would shake out after the Governor left and the Lieutenant Governor ascended to the Governors seat. Others had heard that there was a favorite who would be appointed and they did not want to do anything that could offend an appointee who may not be me. One even claimed they were advised by those in the roundhouse to hold off donating to anyone until "things had a chance to shake out in the Lt. Gov's Race". I did some checking and this was found by me to be true. Some of these donors had given thousands to me in the past and had held fundraisers for me but they were not willing to get involved in the race at this time. This was disappointing to me and would be the beginning of a death blow to my campaign.

The interesting thing to me was how many business owners were not outright saying it but they seemed to be in fear that if they donated to the wrong person it could affect their business with the state. Now I am not saying it was any type of pay to play or corruption but rather cautious large business owners who needed to keep a good relationship with the upper levels of state government and feared making a mistake in their donations. I think that in my county races the donors felt they could make donations based on people they liked or in some cases I know the same donor gave to both me and my opponents but they did not feel that in local races it could come back to bite them later.

It was a big awakening for me and showed me the stark differences between a local and a state wide race. By spring of 2009 I had five other announced opponents who were out campaigning and starting to raise money. Governor Richardson was no longer leaving and it was clear that the next Lieutenant Governor would have to become Lieutenant Governor the old fashioned way, by being elected. While I tried to talk issues and issued platforms statements, some opponents concentrated on raising huge sums of money and were being very successful at it. Other candidates put tens of thousands of money from their own pockets and borrowed tens of thousand from banks in order to compete with the couple of candidates who were from one hundred and fifty thousand to a quarter of a million dollars. Even today several of my opponents have no issues or platform statements on their website and speak little about the issues and much about their success at raising money. On October 13, 2009 we all had to report the money raised so far. One candidate had raised over $250,000 and two had raised around $150,000 although one did so through loans of $100,000 to his campaign. The other three candidates including myself had less than $20,000 raised.

After all the campaign finance reports came out I decided to go into hiatus on raising money. I needed to make a decision as to whether I would be staying in the race. Until I decided for sure I did not want to take any additional money while I was unsure of my position on staying in the race. We did begin to gather petition signatures which were needed to garner a place on the ballot. In addition to gathering petitions we reached out to State Convention Delegates to see where we were in garnering the 20% needed to get on the ballot in June as well. A lot of voters don't realize that they are the last to decide who wins a race or not. There are numerous hurdles candidates need to get over before voters ever get to see their name on a ballot. One of these is getting past the delegates at the State Democratic Convention. One of my opponents has a decided advantage in that arena having been Chairman of the State Democratic party for over two years. I expect him to take well over the 20% of delegates in the convention leaving the rest of the candidates to fight over what remains.

By Thanksgiving it was becoming increasingly clear I was in for a huge uphill battle. I decided to take the holidays off the campaign trail and make a decision and announcement after the new year. I have met thousands of people who have really supported me, if not with money but with their heart and words. Many of my supporters are everyday people who in today's economic times could not afford to give money to political campaigns while they are facing job loses, furloughs, and fear of just keeping their houses. While the middle and low income people of New Mexico are the ones needing representation and change the most they are the ones least able to pay for the influence they need at the roundhouse. I do feel we have some great candidates running for Lieutenant Governor and I also feel Diane Denish is in touch with the plight of middle income residents of New Mexico and will represent them well. I truly hope the next Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico will remember that as the state faces tough economic times that we must not forget to bail out the people as quickly as the state and nation bails out industries.

I also feel that the state has been remiss in meeting with state employee unions and negotiating cuts and ideas to save money rather than handing down orders, furloughs, and cuts without input from the union members. That is why we have unions to give employees a voice in what happens to them.

At least two candidates have approached me for endorsements should I get out of the Lieutenant Governors race. I am considering whether I endorse and if I do who it would be. So, if you have not figured it out by now I am leaving the race for Lieutenant Governor. It is really too bad that the one thing the media, bloggers, and political operatives care about most is how much money a candidate can raise. The issues, the person are secondary in a state wide race to money.

I lost my first run at political office in 1998 when I first ran for Sheriff. I learned more from that loss than my subsequent two wins for the office of Sheriff. I can honestly say I learned a whole lot from my attempt to become the states next Lieutenant Governor. I have no regrets and the lessons learned will only help me in anything I do in the future. I have never been one to make New Years resolutions. I have always thought you should make decisions on your life and any changes on a day to day basis and not just once a year. So I start this new decade and New Year with a new adventure. The great thing about life is you never know where the road will take you.

When I was a young son of a single mother I would have never guessed in a million years I would even have an opportunity to run for Lieutenant Governor. I would have never guessed I would be Sheriff of Santa Fe County, meet three presidents and numerous movie stars and have the great life and family I now have. I am truly blessed. To all those who have supported my candidacy I hope I have not let you down. I have always been very pragmatic and logical in my decisions, (my wife says I am too logical and not emotional enough), She is probably right and I am constantly working on that. Logically I was not in a position to win. However, I have run races before where I have lost and come back to win another time, so don't count me out.

Thank you all for your support, whether in an elected office or not I will always be an outspoken advocate for you and for what is right. To my wife and children thanks for putting up with a life in politics, few realize what you go through and the price you pay for having me as a husband and father. I do realize the sacrifices you have made and I appreciate it more than I could ever show you.

Join us this Sunday!

Just a quick reminder of our reception this Sunday at the beautiful home of Pawan and Amrik Dhindsa in Santa Fe on Sunday October 11, 2009.

Sunday October 11, 2009 2pm to 5pm
39 West Chili Line Road, Santa Fe New Mexico

I hope you can attend. There is no minimum donation and heck if you can’t donate but want to come out and show your support I would love to see you.

More info and a map can be found here.

Where have I been?

I am getting a lot of inquires as to where I have been lately. I apologize for my recent absence online and at some events. My wife Antoinette's mother passed away Sunday after a battle with cancer. We will miss her. The services are Friday and I will try and get back into the swing of things (blogging, twitter, FB, and campaign as well as doing my full time job of Sheriff) This weekend.

On another note,

Heath Haussamen has a poll on his website for the Lieutenant Governors Race. Please take a minute and vote for Greg Solano for Lieutenant Governor. Thank You!

http://www.nmpolitics.net/index/

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Hear Greg on KRSN AM 1490 Los Alamos!

Thursday, August 20, 8:30-9:30 am KRSN AM 1490, Los Alamos

Sheriff Solano will be in the studio speaking with Miro about public safety issues in Santa Fe County, and his campaign and platform as a Democrat for the 2010 Lt. Governor’s Race.

Hear web cast at http://www.krsnam1490.com/venusinterviews.htm

Join Toby Keith and Help the Campaign!

The Solano for Lieutenant Governor Campaign has been given two tickets to the Toby Keith Concert in Albuquerque on August 20, 2009. Along with the tickets comes two meet and greet backstage passes which will allow the lucky couple to go backstage just before the concert and meet Toby Keith. You will get a professional photo taken of you with Toby and you will each leave with an autograph picture of Toby.

This is a drawing and all you need to be entered is to make a $20 donation to Gregs Campaign at:

http://www.actblue.com/contribute/entity/22510

You can donate any amount and you will receive one drawing entry for every $20 donated. So for example if you donate $100 you will get 5 entries. The donation for drawing tickets is valid only for donations made from July 24, 2009 to 5 pm August 18, 2009. The winning ticket will be drawn on August 18th, 2009 and the winner will then be notified and must meet me at the concert on August 20th, 2009 to get your tickets and passes.

Thanks for you support and Good Luck!

P.S. Here is a video from his last concert in September 2008 in Albuquerque. I took it while I was his special guest. This also included back stage passes and a great time! The winner will have the time of his or her life!

Would you like to meet Toby Keith backstage?

Guess what ! Toby Keith has just donated two tickets to his concert at the Journal Pavilion with Trace Adkins in Alb. on 8-20-2009 and two backstage passes to a meet and greet with him backstage! Join Antoinette and I backstage with Toby Keith!

We will be raffling them off soon for donations to my Campaign for Lieutenant Governor!

Keep an Eye on this blog for more information to be posted by Monday!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Birthday USA! Happy 4th everyone. Be Safe and Have fun! Look for me in the Rio Rancho July 4th Parade! The Undersheriff , Robert Garcia will be at Santa Fe's Pancake Breakfast on the Plaza.

Sheriff Solano Releases list of Ethics Reforms he would support on his web site.

On my Road to the Lieutenant Governor Blog I have a copy of a News Release issued today which outlines my ethics proposals for the State of New Mexico.

Making Waves.

My Campaign for Lieutenant Governor is starting to make some ripples in the New Mexico political waters. See my Road to New Mexico Lt. Governor Blog for more!

Check out Solano for Lt. Gov Blog for new posts!

Its getting busy for the 2010 election cycle and I am starting to see opponents at the same gatherings and meetings I attend. See my Road to New Mexico Lt. Governor blog for details!

Photo of me speaking at the BCDP Meeting in Albuquerque Thur, June 18, 2009

New Mexico State Democratic Central Committee Meeting

I attended the New Mexico Spring State Democratic Central Committee Meeting on Saturday April 25, 2009 both as a voting member and as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. My weekend started for my wife Antoinette and myself at the Albuquerque Country Club on Friday afternoon where State Auditor Hector Balderas had a reception to honor State Chair Brian Colon. Afterward there was a welcome reception at the Hyatt Regency Hotel hosted by Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish. My Wife, a good friend and I had a late night and then checked into a reasonably priced hotel for a few hours of sleep.

The next morning we were on our way to the Kiva Room at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The three of us passed out business size cards with information on the Lieutenant Governor Race and my run for it in 2010. For the first time I had a potential opponent out handing out stickers with an announcement she would be running for Lieutenant Governor as well. I took some pictures in between shaking hands and talking to old and new friends. Below I have some of the pictures.

Here the crowd shuffles into the 3 floor of the convention center.

Governor Richardson showed up for a short time to greet Democrats in the lobby but never gave a speech in the auditorium.

Brian Colon was re-elected as the Party Chair.

The Audio Visual Guy keeps things moving along.

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish speaks to the crowd.

Senator Tom Udall makes a point in his speech.

State Treasurer James B. Lewis demonstrates his great speaking abilities.

Congressman from my district Ben Ray Lujan addresses the crowd.

Here I share a laugh with my local Ward Chair Connie Salazar

State Auditor Hector Balderas takes the stage.

Secretary of State Mary Herrera gives her report to the Democrats.

Here I catch both Representative Brian Egolf and the New Mexican Reporter Steve Terrell Twittering. (or is it tweeting?)

Congressman Harry Teague addresses the crowd as Chair Brian Colon looks on.

The Santa Fe New Mexican Reporter Steve Terrell sits near Albuquerque Journal Reporter Dan Boyd and the two watch the speeches from a safe distance.

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A Return to Blogging for the New Year.

I am not sure anyone noticed but I took an unplanned respite from blogging for the last couple of months in 2008. I am not one for resolutions however, I did say I would return to this blog in 2009. As luck would have it the day I decided to sit down and blog again became the biggest news day to hit New Mexico since the last big news day in New Mexico.

Governor Bill Richardson dropped his nomination proceedings to the Commerce Secretary position offered him by President Elect Barack Obama.

I probably can't add more to this than every local and national news source has added since the bombshell dropped Sunday Morning. My phone rang constantly for about two hours after the news hit the airwaves. Most wanted to see what my take would be on the Lieutenant Governor race of 2010 which I had previously thrown my hat into.

It is early to say a lot, I like many will be watching the Pinon Nuts as they fall from the trees. I am the only candidate who has expressed an interest in Lieutenant Governor who has no ties to the Richardson administration and his fundraising efforts. Other than a $50 ticket here and there I just have never had the funds to attend and donate to the countless $1,000 or more a plate dinners, round tables, and other functions. I have never been appointed to a high paying job or position in State Government. Of course I am not saying that if you have ties to the Richardson Administration that you are automatically tainted and I actually hope that for the sake of New Mexico and its recent string of corruption trials that the whole CDR Investigation is a wash and no illegal activity occurred.

I have not given up on the race for Lieutenant Governor and my resume was in the hands of Lieutenant Governor Dianne Denish and her transition team. This recent event was not one I nor most others were expecting but it is in line with the string of political firsts that have occurred throughout 2008. From Senator Pete Dominici's departure to the loss of Heather Wilson to Steve Pearce, and then the great democrats sweep of congressional seats, culminating with the election of the first Democratic Black President, 2008 was an astonishing political year which seems now to carry on into 2009 for New Mexico.

An interesting side note, CDR Financial Products the company involved in the investigation which triggered Governor Richardson's pulling his name from the Secretary of Commerce broke the top 100 of googled items on Jan 4, 2009. Google has a feature called Google Trends where you can see the top items googled on a particular day. Coming in at number 100 was CDR Financial Products. As part of the feature you can see the time of the day an item peaked and where in the country the largest hits came from. The largest number of hits 7% came from Albuquerque N.M. . As you can see in the chart below provided by Google Trends the hits peaked at 11:00 am just 40 minutes after the news of Governor Richardson's withdrawal hit the national airwaves.



One final interesting side note Republican Mike Huckabee took 3 of the top 100 spots in the top 100 googled searches, 11th, 24th and 37th. Because people can search for name, website, and other variations or spelling errors typed in to google's search feature persons can make the list in more than one spot. Interesting, anyway it is good to be back writing again. I want to end this with a wish that 2009 is a good year for all of you, yes it is already Jan 5, 2009 but it is never to late to wish good for someone.

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Sheriff Greg Solano Endorses Barack Obama

As those of you who read my blog regularly know, I endorsed Hilary Clinton in the Democratic Primary Election. That election has come and gone and as I stated back in January when I endorsed Hillary, Barack Obama was also an excellent candidate and I would have no problem supporting him should he be the nominee. Well, he is now the nominee and not only do I whole heartily support Barack Obama, I ask each of you to do so as well. We need new effective leadership to undo the pain of the Bush Administration, John McCain is a war hero and has served his country well, I will not deny him that. However, he is not that different in his philosophical beliefs and his ties to the Bush Administration.

This country needs a clean break from the failures of the Bush Administration and no one represents that change more than Barack Obama. My wife and I had a chance to visit with him shortly when he campaigned in Santa Fe just before the June Primary. My wife Antoinette was an early Obama supporter and this was one of the few elections we have ever voted for different candidates. The split between my wife and I was very indicative of the split seen across our entire nation as almost half the nations democrats supported one candidate or the other. When I met him I must say I was struck by his magnetic personality and the presence of greatness I felt when around him. I have met several Presidents and Vice-Presidents and I must say he was different than most in the way he made you feel when you spoke to him. I have no doubt he will continue to have that effect on the public and this will carry him to a landslide victory. Most important is that you get out and vote in November no matter who your candidate is, second to that thought is my hope that you will join with me in electing Barack Obama as our next president.

Barack Obama and Sheriff Greg Solano backstage at the rally in Santa Fe New Mexico.

Antoinette Solano with Barack Obama backstage at a rally in Santa Fe New Mexico

P.S. Be sure and visit my Run for Lieutenant Governor Blog to read about my trip to Las Cruces!

A new post on the Solano for Lt. Governor Blog.

I have put up a new post on the Solano for Lt. Governor blog. It details my trip on Tuesday with about 20 other Sheriff's from throughout New Mexico as we toured the desert along the border between Mexico and Las Cruces. It was very informative and gave me a first hand look at the problems Sheriff's in Counties along the border are having.

Here is a pic with me standing on the back of an ATV with Under Sheriff Robert Garcia at the wheel as we tour the desert between Las Cruces and Mexico in Dona Ana County.

Decision made on Congressional Race.

I have made a decision in the Northern Congressional Race. I sent out this News Release today.

NEWS RELEASE- 12-10-07

Sheriff Greg Solano announces today that he will not run as a candidate for the northern congressional seat being vacated by Representative Tom Udall. Sheriff Solano will continue with his run for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 Primary Election. Sheriff Solano states “ My family, supporters and I have weighed the issues and the races of Lieutenant Governor and the House seat and have decided the place where I can best serve the citizens of New Mexico is in the Lieutenant Governors race. “

Sheriff Solano went on to say “I feel confident the Democratic Party will prevail in the Northern Congressional Seat and I look forward to supporting the Democratic candidate in the general election”. “Now is the time for New Mexicans to make real changes in Washington by electing Democrats for President and into all of the Congressional Races. We must turn away from those who have supported President Bush’s failed policies and wars”. Sheriff Solano wants to thank all those who emailed and called him expressing support for a congressional run. “It was very humbling to be asked by citizens and my peers to consider the run and I am very thankful for the support”.

Is Sheriff Solano In or out of the Congressional District 3 Race?

Visit my other blog for some insight into this.

Who wants to go see the Dallas Cowboys vs The Washington Redskins?

The Solano for Lt. Governor Campaign is having a Halloween fund raiser which will be held on October 26, at the Fraternal Order of Police on Airport Road in Santa Fe. The event is a dinner and dance which will culminate with the giveaway of two lower level 30 yard line tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs the Washington Redskins game in Dallas Texas on November 18, 2007. This is a sold out game that promises to be a great game between two division rivals. The cowboys are on a winning streak and being that the game is in Dallas the excitement for this game is at an all time high. Click here for information on how to donate to the campaign and have some fun while doing so!