Lawsuits loom over New Mexico outcome

Lawsuits loom over New Mexico outcome

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Unless the presidential election is a blowout, the Land of Enchantment will see lawsuits challenging the outcome, a key Republican state party official predicts.

The New Mexico GOP contends that Bush will win the state, barring instances of voter fraud.

Greg Graves, executive director of the New Mexico GOP, said: "The honest ballots counted will give President George W. Bush a narrow victory" and the state's five electoral votes. Just a few feet from Graves's office, Scott Jennings, executive director of New Mexico's Bush campaign, said the president would beat Kerry "in a free, fair election."

But Graves anticipates that, in addition to 615,000-620,000 legally cast votes, there will also be "15,000 to 20,000 fraudulent votes," which could hand the election to Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry.

In any case, a close election will translate into legal challenges of the outcome, Graves said. "Every time a fraudulent vote is cast, it disenfranchises those of us who obey the law," he added.

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