For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Contacts: Tomás Garduño, Campaign Manager, 505-301-6671

Garduño Campaign Calls on Griffin to Apologize; Stop Push Polling

ALBUQUERQUE (Wednesday, September 26, 2007). Starting early this morning voters in City Council District 6 received an anonymous "push poll”-- or calls that pretended to be a poll but whose purpose was to include negative information about Rey Garduno. Push polling is universally denounced as an unethical campaign tactic.

In violation of the city’s ethics code, the calls were anonymous and when voters pressed the caller to disclose who was paying for the calls, the caller either hung up or said they could not disclose that information. Later it was revealed that candidate Joanie Griffin paid to have the calls made.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 26, the Journal asked Griffin if she was behind the anonymous push poll, which she admitted she was.

As late as 7:30pm, Griffin did not change the phone script to include a disclosure nor did she stop the calls from being made.

"Push polls are universally denounced as unethical campaign tactics. They mislead the public to think they are participating in a legitimate poll when are in fact the purpose is only to malign candidates. I am disappointed that she stooped to this level," said Rey Garduno.

"The fact that she did unethical push polls was bad enough. Even though she admitted to the wrong doing she still allowed the calls to continue in violation of the city’s ethics code. At a minimum, Griffin should apologize to the voters in District 6 for engaging in unethical dirty campaigning," said Rey Garduno.

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