New Mexico's Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Allen Weh issued the following statement on the Organ Mountains Monument:
"New Mexico has some of the most beautiful land in the country. While we absolutely need to preserve and protect this land, we are obligated to find a responsible balance between necessary conservation efforts and the welfare of human beings struggling to make a living in a state that is largely rural. This is especially true in a county where only 15 percent of the land is privately owned.
The way Barack Obama designated the Organ Mountains Monument is one more example of the federal government's heavy-handed over-reach.
It is absolutely inappropriate that Tom Udall, elected to serve the interests of all New Mexicans, supports this overreach."