Santa Fe County Clerk Valerie Espinoza is riding high from the defeat of incumbent Democrat Secretary of State Mary Herrera by Republican Secretary-elect Diana Duran, who received 57.6 percent of the vote. The defeat concludes a two-year-long fracas between Espinoza and Herrera.

This visualization shows the unofficial vote tally in the Nov. 2, 2010 New Mexico gubernatorial race, won by Republican Susana Martinez, alongside county by county voter registration stats. So what happened? View the data and weigh in.

While political pendulums are expected to swing, the rapid shift in the zeitgeist since 2008 is enough to give even the most sanguine of observers a bad case of whiplash. And for those of us who are less-than-sanguine at the prospect of a Republican takeover of Congress--not to mention New Mexico’s executive branch--abject fear might more accurately describe our attitude going into the Nov. 2 election.

Democrats clearly noticed Republican candidate Tom Mullins’ recent surprise strong showing in his race against Democratic incumbent Ben Ray Luján in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Resident Evil newbies may find the fourth installment of the film series lacking in backstory. Zombie fighter Alice (Milla Jovovich) confines explanations to brief expositions via a clumsy conceit of a video diary she’s recording for the sake of posterity.

Anyone expecting an apologist tone from Why We Hate the Oil Companies will be disappointed. Author John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil Co., doesn’t offer many mea culpas in his “straight talk” about Americans’ relationship to oil companies and energy policies. But he does deliver, as promised, an “insider” view from his time within what is perhaps the country’s most vilified industry.

There’s nothing like eight months of icy winter lockdown to make you really appreciate summer. And this winter felt particularly punitive, so we’re really ready to start appreciating.

Although he retired after more than 25 years as a public health doctor for the state, Victor La Cerva remains committed to the violence prevention issues to which he devoted his career. As of July 1, it will be legal in New Mexico to bring concealed weapons into restaurants with beer and wine licenses. In response, La Cerva is planning a public awareness campaign.

New Mexico voters will head to the polls June 1 following a disheartening year of political scandals and economic hardship. Frustration with government is palpable on the campaign trail—and understandable.

Former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall died on the morning of March 20, at the age of 90, peacefully, according to a statement issued from the office of his son, US Sen. Tom Udall, D-NM.