"Pardoning--smardening--I don't care." That is the unforgiving position of prominent Republican Shirley Leslie on the state senate candidacy of fellow R John Ryan who was pardoned by Gov. Johnson for the crime of breaking and entering into Leslie's ABQ North Valley home back in 1980.

Leslie made her comments in an interview with the Weekly Alibi's Tim McGivern, who further quoted Leslie as saying, "I think it would be a sorry thing to put him in there. It would certainly degrade the office."

The proverbial straw that has broken the camel's back on this one is the attempted extortion Ryan and two other men tried against Leslie. They stole paintings of her dead husband and son and wanted money for their return.

"It was no child's play, it was a dreadful thing," Leslie recalled and added that police had to live with her and her children for several months while she received numerous threatening phone calls.

Leslie also disclosed that Ryan, a former executive director of the state GOP and ex-staffer for Senator Domenici and the late Congressman Skeen, "came and rang my doorbell, but I had no interest whatsoever in talking to him."

All this adds fuel to the fire blazing in this senate district which is being vacated by State Sen. and ex-GOP Chair Ramsay Gorham who Ryan declared he would run against, but Ramsay left the seat and her chairmanship, making Ryan the sole GOP candidate on the June 1 primary ballot. Ryan was fired by Gorham as ex. director shortly after she took over as chair.He will face ex-Los Ranchos mayor and Democrat John Hooker in the November election.

WILL VOTERS FORGIVE?

Political pros commented to "NM Politics with Joe Monahan" about the heated contest earlier (see July 20) and said the race could be influenced by Leslie's willingness to forgive and forget. Her unwillingness to do so gives Hooker, or other parties, an opportunity to try to tilt the seat to the Dems.

Ryan, 42, issued a letter to 10,000 households in the district earlier this month in an effort to take the issue off the table. But Ryan's letter did not detail the blackmailing charge. He says the charges had been fully reported in the press, but State Dem Party Chair John Wertheim latched on to that and dubbed John "sweep it under the rug" Ryan.

Leslie is a former GOP National Committeewoman and a heavy contributor to GOP causes. Domenici has stuck by his former aide, helping him raise funds at a party in D.C. earlier this year. Ryan, a lobbyist/consultant, will have a well-financed campaign while Hooker still lags in the money department. But the emotional statements by Leslie put this race front and center regardless of who has the biggest campaign kitty.

Leslie gave no indication that she would take further public positions against the Ryan candidacy, such as writing her own letter, but her public statement, sure to be widely circulated by Ryan's rivals, is damaging enough.

Meanwhile, former State GOP Chair John Dendahl is sticking by his guy calling Ryan a man who has "grown up to be a class act." Leslie is a close friend of Gorham's so the race could be a replay of the bitter party fight of late last year when the Dendahlites forced Gorham's resignation. In turn, the GOP State Central Committee ousted chief Dendahlite Mickey Barnett as GOP National Committeeman, replacing him with ex-state Rep. George Buffett.

The bottom line on all this: Shirley Leslie will not forgive John Ryan. Will the voters? Stay tuned.

INSIDE THE LOS ALAMOS SCANDAL

The Los Alamos security scandal has the defense-oriented politicos hungry for the very latest. I have the place where they can find it. defensetech.org is a blog run by freelance reporter and defense specialist Noah Shactman who also writes for the Chicago Tribune. Nineteen Los Alamos employees were placed on leave as the investigation widened Thursday. The director of the lab said some employees were in "suicidal denial" about what was happening at the facility. Shactman is deep into this one and will keep you updated on all the angles. A tip of the hat to KKOB's Larry Ahrens for the alert.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.....

The ABQ Tribune did an in-depth feature on our blog Wednesday. Because of you, we are read widely and having more fun than ever. Thanks for making it possible and remember to e-mail me or phone in (505)243-4059 your political tidbits so we can keep up on the fast-spinning world of our beloved La Politica. Here's the Trib story.

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There may not be much news coming out of the Democratic National Convention, but it's a free trip and a chance to hang with the political high and mighty for New Mexico's intrepid political news corp. And don't forget, this is a convention with a big local angle as Big Bill chairs the quadrennial event opening Monday.

Most of the major NM news organizations will be sending reporters to Boston but there are a few notable exceptions.

KOB-TV's Neil Simon and KOAT-TV anchor Doug Fernandez will head East to cover the confab, but KRQE-TV has opted out and will not send a rep because they don't see much news happening. For the ABQ Journal, new political reporter Andy Lenderman will team with Washington bureau reporter Michael Coleman to handle duties for the morning daily.

Steve Terrell, veteran political writer for the Santa Fe New Mexican, will also be in Beantown. Steve is already grumbling that because of his late arrival he will miss the clambake and lobster broil party Big Bill is throwing Saturday. Maybe Steve will get to go to P.F Chang's with the Big Fella just like the Journal reporter did a couple of weeks ago. Steve and I are from the old school; if there's no free food at a political event, what's the point?

The ABQ Tribune's Shea Andersen must be nursing a bit of disappointment upon learning that his paper will not send him or anyone else to the Boston party. Scripps-Howard, the paper's parent will, however, provide reams of copy on the event. Too bad though. The two young, aggressive newspaper scribes, Andersen and the Journal's Lenderman, could have had some fun competing against each other in Boston, to the benefit of their readers.

As for what to watch, the interplay between the Guv and national media and how he performs as chair will be interesting. Also, not all Hispanics are enthralled with Kerry and we should keep our eyes open for any dissent. I will have special insider reports from the convention next week.

ROMERO: WE CAN WIN, REALLY

She has a million in the bank. He'’s got 300 grand. And, as I wrote Wednesday, (see July 21) that does not bode well for Richard Romero in his contest to oust GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson. However, as you might expect, the Romero campaign has it's own spin on my take. Here it is:

“You are living in denial if you think this race isn't competitive. Look at Romero's $$ two years ago and today. Look at the poll numbers and Romero's name ID today and 2 years ago.

(National political analyst) Charlie Cook put this race in his first paragraph when talking about a Democratic National trend. It seems you are slow to see what the rest of the nation knows. You have one of the hottest Congressional races in the nation in your own backyard."

MY TAKE TWO

Well, that's not the first time I've been charged with being slow. But every two years the ABQ congressional race is pegged by the national pundits as "one to watch." Trouble is, since the district was invented back in 1968, it has NEVER elected a Democrat. Maybe I am showing my age, but history still means something. Romero has a shot, but he is the definite underdog and observers from both sides tell me it will take a picture-perfect campaign to unseat the incumbent.

Even a "national trend" towards the D's may not be enough. Remember, we have had Democratic landslides in the Prez race here in years past (92', 96') and it did not translate into a win for the Dem congressional contender. With that in mind, it might be wise for Romero to avoid getting excited about what is happening in other races and concentrate on what is happening in his own backyard.

THE BLOG IN THE TRIBUNE SPOTLIGHT

ABQ Tribune political reporter Shea Andersen hit the streets Wednesday with an in-depth look at "NM Politics With Joe Monahan" and how its been received by our state's political community. They even scared little children by running a couple of photos of your blogger. Thankfully, the photos are not on the Trib web site, but the complete story is. So if you want to learn more about your writer
check it out here.

Unfortunately, Shea's report was fair and balanced and not the puff piece I thought I would get when I tried to bribe him with a free cup of Starbucks.

Thanks to all of you, my loyal readers, including my critics who keep me on my toes, for making us part of your daily, weekly or monthly routine. I'd like to think our efforts have given folks just a bit more insight into what makes the world of La Politica go round.

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New Mexico and Big Bill are still on the radar of the national media as they visit the swing states of Campaign 04' seeking clues on how the big show will end in November. New York Times reporter Rick Lyman spent some time in the state recently and reported that our Guv, chairman of the Democratic National Convention kicking off Monday in Boston, was a "gleeful workaholic and media-hungry control freak." Here's his profile of Big Bill. (registration required)

As for how New Mexicans will vote, the Times hedges, even though they cite the latest poll showing Kerry moving ahead. Here's the NYT analysis. (registration required)

Meanwhile, ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez, who hustled to get a slot to attend the convention, has decided not to attend and will concentrate on business at home, according to friends.

HEATHER IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The GOP National Convention won’t be held until early September in New York City, but bigwig R’s want to maximize the help they give to ABQ Congresswoman Heather Wilson, so they have already announced that she has been given a speaking slot at the big confab. It won't be in prime time, but it will give Wilson maximum attention in the NM media and also serve to help the R’s persuade female voters to vote Bush-Cheney. Her Dem opponent, Richard Romero, knocked Wilson’s high-profile speaking assignment saying she will just speak to delegates about the "failed polices” of Bush.

But there's no glossing over that being one of just a dozen or so convention speakers is a nice little coup for Heather in a congressional district that could get wobbly for her if the campaign heats up in the Fall.

It will take a lot of money for Romero to turn up the temperature and he could not have been encouraged by Heather’s latest finance report showing her with more than an a million bucks in the bank, compared to Richard's 300 grand. It seems only a series of high-profile TV debates, or a big misstep by an incumbent, gives a congressional challenger any hope these days. Good luck getting either.

How huge amounts of money is driving the political train was driven home by the Kerry campaign Tuesday which sent out a news release bragging that it had raised nearly $100 million in the last quarter, the most ever by any Prez candidate in a three month period. It seems financial prowess is the key platform plank of both the Dems and the R’s.

BE PART OF OUR BLOG

Make our site---www.joemonahan.com--one of your 'favorites.' Bookmark it now and send a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? E-mail me or call 505-243-4059 for details. And thanks for e-mailing me your news tips and comments. There's a link at the top right of this page.

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ABQ North Valley State Senate candidate John Ryan may be trying to put his mistakes of the past behind him by writing an open letter about his troubles to prospective voters, but the political pros don't think you have heard the last of Ryan's youthful escapades.

The 42 year old Republican, seeking the seat being vacated by Ramsay Gorham, sent a letter to 10,000 households explaining his breaking and entering felony conviction when he was 18 years old and asked voters not to hold it against him; that he had learned from his errant ways and was suitable for Roundhouse service.

But Ryan did not mention in his letter that it was the home of prominent ABQ North Valley Republican Shirley Leslie that he broke into and that it was pictures of her dead husband and son that he stole and tried to use to extract ransom from Leslie.

One political pro asks: "What about Shirley? Is she ready to forgive him? Or will she write a letter to counter Ryan's? It's an important question because if the victim of the crime is not ready to forgive him, it could influence whether the voters will."

Another politico with extensive campaign years said it's possible "a third party" such as a victims rights group could still take on Ryan. "Obviously, Ryan was going for a preemptive strike to dilute any future attacks, but I don't think his letter means he has bought immunity, especially because of the blackmail over the photos. Most voters there aren't aware of that part of the story and in his letter he doesn't mention it. I think it leaves him vulnerable to renewed attack."

RAMSAY'S REVENGE?

John Hooker, former Los Ranchos Mayor and Ryan's Democratic Senate rival, has so far let the media carry the load. He calls the whole saga "interesting." Ryan has the support of Senator Domenici who he once worked for, but not of former GOP Party Chair Gorham, who fired Ryan as executive director of the state GOP when she took over from John Dendahl. State Dem Party Chair Wertheim ripped Ryan's letter, but State GOP Chair Allen Weh has been quiet.

Gorham has been out of the state much of the time since being ousted by the Dendahlites from the party boss spot. One source says her home in the North Valley is for sale. But my panel of pros also wonders if Gorham will take on Ryan.

"Ramsay could cause him some serious heartburn if she wrote a letter or did a phone call to Republicans in the district saying they would be better off without him. After all, she has had that senate seat for eight years," declared one strategist.

WHO WINS THIS ONE?

Ryan, who is a lobbyist/consultant with Washington connections, has raised over $30,000 for the contest while Hooker has just 3 grand in the bank. Hooker has not said whether Big Bill's PAC will come thru with cash. The district is 43% Democrat and 41% Republican, but my experts say they expect the district's "voting performance" to be about 54% GOP.

Without his past problems, Ryan would be a shoo-in, but some R's worry that Ryan hit too soon with his preemptive strike and that the Dems may have a shot at the seat. "No one knew who John was. He could have laid some groundwork before announcing to the world his felony conviction. Voters would have had something to compare it with," analyzed one GOP insider.

Still, most smart money gives Ryan the edge in the race. But they are waiting to see polling numbers before making the call. They also want to see what Hooker comes with against Ryan, if anything, and if Big Bill makes a play.

Ryan was pardoned for his youthful crime by GOP Governor Johnson. He is about to find out if the court of public opinion is as forgiving.

ALL BILL, ALL THE TIME

Not Again! Yes, Big Bill's ever-expanding Santa Fe news bureau now has a sports division. Dennis Latta, a 24 year veteran of the ABQ Journal, will pack his bags and head North to head-up Bill's NM Sports Authority, aimed at attracting professional sports exhibitions and the like. Latta's salary was not disclosed when the appointment was announced, but the concept of a sports office is sure to be fodder for the talk-show hosts as NM lacks any major professional sports franchises and already generates a lot of attention and money from the Lobos, Aggies, Isotopes etc.

Latta joins a long line of news reporters who have taken jobs with Big Bill including the Journal's Bill Hume and Loie Fecteau. A bunch of TV news guys are also flacking for the PR heavy Guv. Maybe we should add Editor-in Chief to his job description.

Make our site---www.joemonahan.com--one of your 'favorites.' Bookmark it now and send a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? E-mail me or call 505-243-4059 for details. And thanks for e-mailing me your news tips and comments. There's a link at the top right of this page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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It's been a rough year for ABQ NE Heights State Rep. Bob White. First, he loses his House seat in a brutal primary campaign against fellow Republican Justine Fox-Young. Now, he’s been busted for smoking cigarettes. That's right. An ABQ fire marshall recently visited White’s business, The Print Stop, and told the lawmaker he was violating the tough, new ABQ anti-smoking ordinance! Turns out White regularly puffs away in his office, but because that office is under the same roof as his employees, he is in violation of the ordinance that prohibits smoking in public buildings,

Neither can White get any relief by going outside and lighting up in the parking lot. "They told me the smoke could seep in the building." White was lucky in one regard: he was issued a warning instead of suffering a $100 fine. Apparently one of White's employees or a customer blew the whistle on him. But White says he will continue to blow smoke, if not at the Roundhouse, in the privacy of his home.

As for Ms. Young, White is hoping the 25 year old will soon go to law school and only serve a single term in the House, giving him a chance to re-take the seat. In politics, hope still springs eternal.

FROM CIGS TO BOOZE

Down Carlsbad way it’s drinking that has put the spotlight on a race for state senate. The law partner of Dem contender Jeff Diamond, Bill Dials, 36, was busted for boozing it up and ramming his car into a parked Saturn in the SE NM city. But the story doesn't end there. The accident victim says 'the good ol' boy network' tried to cover up the incident.

Carlsbad visitor and crash victim David Weber of Wichita, Kansas says Dials should have been charged right away with DWI after the Memorial Day weekend crash, but he wasn’t. And, when the police report was issued to the local newspaper, Dials name was blotted out. Cops say Dials had to get medical treatment so a breath test could not be done at the time. A blood test later showed Dials well over the legal limit.

Diamond, facing Republican Vernon Asbill for the seat being vacated by Sen. Don Kidd, says Dials was placed on administrative leave right after the mishap. After Weber raised a stink, the Carlsbad cops faxed a revised report on the matter to the Carlsbad Current-Argus--this time with Dials' name included.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Republicans have been scoring the ABQ Journal for ignoring the millions of dollars Big Bill has taken in via campaign contributions and for his Moving America Forward PAC. But they were gleeful over the weekend when Journal investigative reporter Thom Cole hit hard and explored the links between Big Bill’s contributors and the awarding of a state legal contract. Subscribers can read the story here.

AND FOLLOW IT SOME MORE

And if Big Bill has so much dough on hand, (and he does) how come he didn’t let Dem State House candidate Janet Blair know that before she quit her race against GOP Rep. Eric Youngberg citing a lack of money as the reason? That's the question posed by one deep insider who offers this interesting speculation.

“I thought the Gov was prepared to back any viable Dem candidate? If they had done their homework I assume they would have realized that Youngberg was vulnerable. Did they abandon her in hopes of getting someone else in the race? If so, then who? And will that person get the dough they need to run against Youngberg? I can't imagine the Gov backing off from a chance to take out a Dendahlite (ex-chair of the state GOP). A favor to (State GOP Rep.) Joe Thompson maybe? "

Big Bill's PAC was indeed set up with the express aim of helping Hispanic politicos, but he recently announced money would be given to Anglo State Rep. Tom Swisstack, so the speculation by my deep insider from the Westside is intriguing.

The Guv did go light on Thompson when he was busted for DWI this year and Thompson and Youngberg are buddies. As for Youngberg being vulnerable, it’s true that most first-termers are, but from this corner Youngberg, along with State Rep. Tom Anderson and State Sen. Joe Carraro, have scored major points by coming on strong for Westside road relief and perhaps even a separate city for the long-suffering drivers out there.

The Democratic Party State Central Committee members from the Westside and Corrales district will get to name a replacement to take on Youngberg, if they choose to do so. Word is Bernalillo County Dem Party Chair Linda Lopez is looking. We'll keep you posted.

CAMPAIGN LAUGHS

Finally today, here's some brilliant bipartisan relief on the Prez race in movie form. Sit back and have a Monday laugh

Make our site---www.joemonahan.com--one of your 'favorites.' Bookmark it now and send a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? E-mail me or call 505-243-4059 for details. And thanks for e-mailing me your news tips and comments. There's a link at the top right of this page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
Not for reproduction without permission of the author