From the Columbia Journalism Review article:

“…it’s pretty remarkable that a state like New Mexico, which has just over two million residents and consistently reports some of the highest poverty levels in the nation, can have something like NMPolitics.net. The site is an example of what is perhaps the one knowable truth of local Internet journalism: Not every market can support an Internet startup on a grand scale, but the right reporter in the right place can create something no single journalist ever could have previously, and give his community a small gift in an age when small gifts matter.”

Read the full article here.

The well-read D.C. publication Politico has named me one of 50 politicos across the nation  “who will be a force to reckon with in the 2012 cycle.”

Those selected include consultants, fundraisers, candidates, television personalities, tweeters and four bloggers. I’m one of the four.

“Starting an all-politics website five years ago was not without risk for Heath Haussamen. Frustrated by budget cuts and what he calls ‘the dumbing down of news,’ he quit his newspaper job at the Las Cruces Sun-News in New Mexico with no real sense of whether the online venture would succeed,” a Politico article about me states.

“Now NMPolitics.net – supported by advertising and donations – stands out in the Land of Enchantment for its smart, nonpartisan political coverage and analysis,” it states. “Haussamen still runs the multilayered site on his own.”

“In 2008, he traversed the state covering the presidential race and gained a reputation for thoroughness and speed,” the article states. “Expect more of that in 2012, as the increasingly diverse state hosts open Senate and House contests, in addition to the presidential race.”

Politico says its intent with the “50 politicos to watch” feature was to take a look “at the new generation of candidates, bloggers, fundraisers, consultants and media standouts who will be a force to reckon with in the 2012 cycle.”

You can read Politico’s article about the four bloggers it selected here, and find the homepage for its “50 politicos to watch” feature here.