NMPolitics.net’s most-read stories of 2011

Interested in knowing which articles published on this site in 2011 had the most reads? Here’s the list of the 10 most-read articles:

1. Report details allegations against Murphy, published May 14 • Third Judicial District Judge Mike Murphy allegedly said he gave $4,000 to get appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Bill Richardson in 2006, and told several people that other judicial applicants had to give money as well, according to witness statements. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

2. Rick Santorum and Sarah Palin – running in 2012, published Feb. 21 • Following along in my who’s running and who’s not series, I write today to tell you that former Senator Rick Santorum is running for president in 2012. And if I ever questioned whether Sarah Palin was running for president (and I did), I no longer do. • By Sarah Lenti • Commentary • Read it again.

3. Trustee’s wife also charged in firearms case, published March 14 • The wife of a Columbus village trustee indicted last week on charges related to being part of an illegal firearms trafficking ring has become the 12th person charged in the case. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

4. Third candidate may join Cruces mayoral race, published June 9 • The dynamics in this year’s Las Cruces mayoral race may be about to change with the entry of a third candidate who would portray himself as an outsider running against two politicians. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

5. Chief justice says he didn’t buy his job, published May 24 • A statement in a law enforcement report might imply that the N.M. Supreme Court’s chief justice may have paid a bribe in exchange for his job, but Charles W. Daniels says he did no such thing. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

6. Gary Johnson’s zinger heard ‘round the world, published Sept. 22 • Yes, former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson is still a presidential candidate, though most people paying marginal attention to the GOP primary probably didn’t know it – until Thursday night. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

7. After the Giffords shooting, a crossroads, published Jan. 10 • We the people, and our politicians, political groups and media, all share some of the blame for this tragedy because we have tolerated – and some of us have even used – violent rhetoric that only serves to spread hate and division. Now we have to decide where to go from here. • By Heath Haussamen • Commentary • Read it again.

8. Meet Gov. Martinez’s ‘top adviser,’ published Feb. 14 • Some would call Jay McCleskey brilliant – the Karl Rove of New Mexico, perhaps – while others would say he is notorious and lucky. Whatever the case, he’s currently the most successful political operative in New Mexico, and hugely influential. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

9. Citing Citizens United, PAC jumps into Cruces mayoral race, published Sept. 8 • A Rhode Island corporation is forming a political action committee that will work to elect Las Cruces mayoral candidate Michael Ray Huerta in a move that’s designed to push the limits of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United case. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

10. Feds probe claim of a payoff to hide Richardson affair, published Dec. 1 • A federal grand jury is investigating an accusation that former Gov. Bill Richardson had supporters pay off a woman during his 2008 presidential campaign to keep quiet about their alleged extramarital affair, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. • By Heath Haussamen • News • Read it again.

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