Next week will probably be the craziest and dirtiest one of Campaign 06' as the contenders, aided by consultants with one track minds, pour liters of drudge across our Enchanted Land in a final frenzied effort to move Mr. and Mrs. New Mexico to their side.

In a prelude of what is to come, there were new charges Thursday in the state Treasurer's race; Gary King's campaign launched a "truth squad" to unveil "Bibb's Fibs," a reference to R attorney general nominee Jim Bibb, and there was a flurry of bottom-of-the barrel stuff flying across the Internet regarding GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson. And then there were those direct mails pieces dripping with mud and jamming mailboxes from Cruces to Chama.

Party veterans on both sides tell me they are most worried (no, freaking out!) about turnout. None of them are ecstatic about the number of requests thus far for absentee ballots in Bernalillo county and fear the negative drumbeat to come could turn-off a good chunk of the electorate making it even harder to get them involved in this thing.

Around the end of the month voters will start tuning out the drumbeat (if they haven't already) as they and the media get more skeptical of late accusations. Also, early in-person voting starts Saturday and thousands will cast their votes around the state by the end of next week. With as much as 60% of the total vote cast early, the candidates will try to scare em' early.

THE LONG VIEW

This is my ninth New Mexico gubernatorial campaign so I am used to the screeching, the out-of-bounds attacks and the fear and panic that will soon ensue. I understand it, if still questioning why it is even more fever-pitched and tinged with uglier emotions than earlier days. Perhaps it is because many of those involved have nowhere to turn if they lose. Politics is much more of a profession than it was in 74' when I covered my first Guv race between Dem Jerry Apodaca and R Joe Skeen. There was always passion, but not downright hatred, an emotion driven primarily by fear and perhaps envy. Candidates and consultants lost, but went on to other things. No more. Now it is a permanent campaign with ever more gobs of money.

So sit back and watch the war go by, but don't take it too seriously. Yes, the campaigns are often an ugly sight, but at their bedrock is a magical, ingenious system devised over two centuries ago that is bigger than any of the individuals preparing to wage the final combat of Campaign 2006.

TRAIL SCUTTLEBUTT

That hot race down in Las Cruces to replace retiring GOP state Rep. Ed Boykin sees R and political newcomer Scott Witt picking up the endorsement of the
Las Cruces Sun-News over Dem rival Jeff Steinborn who narrowly lost to Boykin two years ago. But Dems monitoring the action are nowhere near ready to throw in the towel.

"Steinborn and his workers are in the trenches, going door-to-door. The last poll had him up by two. There will be another one done this weekend. This race will come down to voter turnout," offered one of our Gators...

You just can't keep the fireman away from the fire. Veteran AP and ABQ Journal political writer and columnist Larry Calloway is long retired, but the heat being thrown off by the Wilson-Madrid congressional race has got him back on the beat for at least one round of typewriter pounding. And we're glad for that...

In Valencia county, the scuttlebutt has the seat of retiring Dem State Rep. Kandy Cordova looking good for the Dems, but R Jackie Farnsworth remains in a toss-up with Elias Barela in the battle to succeed retiring Rep. Fred Luna, the longest serving member of the Legislature. This is Jackie's third shot at the title...And early optimism has turned cautious over the prospects of Dem Traci Jo Cadigan to unseat GOP Rep. Teresa Zanetti in ABQ's mostly NE Heights district. Insider polling shows Zanetti with a pretty good lead. Traci Jo, though, has the dough, about %40,000 of it, and will be able to mount a strong close....

BOTTOM LINES

I should have started a poll on the poll. The ABQ Journal hits the streets Sunday with its latest numbers on the ABQ Congressional race. After scoring big leads in surveys conducted by out-of-state outfits, the Dems are expecting the Research & Polling survey to show a narrower race between Heather and Patsy. As usual, I have no idea. But pollster Brian Sanderoff and my pack of 1st CD Alligators will and I will post a ditty on that deal for you Sunday. That is, if I don't stay out too late Saturday night partying with Dem party chair John Wertheim and GOP exec Marta Kramer. We're going to karaoke. The featured song of the evening will be "I'm Your Puppet." John will be singing in honor of Big Bill; Marta for Demesia Padilla and James B. Lewis.

And who said politics can't be fun?

See ya' later Gators.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Patricia Madrid has been a moving target for Heather Wilson. Charges that the Dem attorney general tolerated corruption, was a bad district court judge and failed to fully prosecute an Internet pedophile have all failed to put the race away for Heather. Now in the final critical days Wilson is out with a new list of top reasons to vote against the tenacious Madrid; a list that is aimed squarely at conservative Democrats who are not coming home to Heather in the ABQ congressional district. Here is Heather's latest list as outlined by her on KKOB-AM Radio Wednesday afternoon

"1. Madrid will raise your taxes. 2. I am not a believer in big government. 3. National security. How do we protect this country?"

Well, not exactly something David Letterman would use in his famous top ten lists, but good blog material. Heather somehow needs to more negatively define Madrid in the closing days. That was even more evident Wednesday. She gave her top three list following a rambling discussion on how she weighed the controversial pre-Iraq war intelligence. And that leads us to the top three reasons Madrid has for tossing Wilson out.

1. The Iraq War 2. The Iraq War 3. The Iraq War.

ARE YOU SCARED YET?

Fear. Personal security. It has been the sharpest arrow in the quiver of the R's and they're hoping it will hit the target again for Heather Wilson Her new TV ad features an alarmist announcer warning that "liberal Patricia Madrid" would waste valuable time by applying for a court order before allowing the interception of an international call placed by a possible terrorist. "Wrong on Security. Wrong for America" concludes the voice of doom announcer. See it here.

Dems point out that the Heather ad is part of a cookie-cutter campaign by the R's; that the same spot is being used in key races where R's are in jeopardy. Here it is in another race, courtesy of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

ALL-IMPORTANT ABSENTEES

The GOP is picking up steam in the all-important absentee battle, but still lags. Here in Bernalillo county the numbers through Wednesday look like this: Total absentee ballots sent out----22,975. Sent to Dems--11,759 (51%). Sent to R's--9,155 (40%). Sent to Independents--2,061 (9%).

In our first blog report, the Dems accounted for about 9,000 of the first 13,000 absentee requests, reflecting their summer vote push. The clerk is now sending out absentee ballots to persons who have previously used that method and the R's are catching up. Democrats comprise 45% of the county's registered voters. R's are 35% and Independents are 17%. The Indy's lag in the absentee requests, in part, because the political parties concentrate on getting their own to request ballots. The inital big absentee request gap between D's and R's had the Dems gleeful. Now it is not nearly as much, but they are still happy to hold the lead. There are 350,000 registered voters in the state's largest county. A projected turnout of 50% would mean 175,000 voters.

MURPHY'S LAW?

A possible candidate for the chairmanship of the NM GOP has been given a feather in his cap. Roswell oilman Mark Murphy has been named by the President to the National Air & Space Museum Board. Murphy's appointment was touted by
NM Senator Domenici who could play a key role in any leadership struggle that develops in the GOP following the Nov. 7 election.

Murphy, an aviation buff and private pilot, has not said he will seek to replace Allen Weh who will leave the party's top job when his term expires next April, but he has said he is considering it and has signaled that he wants a change in course for the party which he sees as drifting from the mainstream. Domenici is up for re-election in 2008 and says he plans to run. If he sticks to that decision, he may want to play a more active role in who runs the show.

WORKING THE BALLOTS

Meanwhile, over at state GOP headquarters, insiders report that State Rep. Justine Fox-Young is heading up the party's "ballot security" program. Fox-Young is a former legal secretary to lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett, one of the leaders of the breakaway faction of the GOP who ousted Ramsay Gorham as party chair and who also ran candidates against fellow R's in the 2004 primary cycle. Fox-Young is seeking a second term to her ABQ Mid-Heights district and is heavily favored.

McCULLOCH TV

Staying with the R's, GOP U.S. senate candidate Allen McCulloch has a small TV buy in the works. You can see the spot here.

BACA VS. LYONS
Lyons & Lionsgate
The latest on that tight race for land commissioner. Dem Jim Baca is getting a boost from the Conservation Voters of NM which has purchased this radio jingle on his behalf. (And you think your singing voice is out of tune!) R Pat Lyons was working the ABQ Metro area this week helping smooth a $25,000 charitable donation to Mountain View Elementary from the film studio, Lionsgate entertainment, which is expanding its business to NM.

Baca says he will come with a $100,000 TV buy. Lyons has already mailed two direct mail hit pieces on Baca. Stay tuned for more.

THE BOTTOM LINES

A couple of emailers wanted updated results on whether a controversial flier by R Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla was objectionable. Here are the latest results from the unscientific ABQ Journal online poll and one that can easily be manipulated. Most respondents are now saying they were not offended, a switch from the first results. The flier, featuring a caricature of African-American Dem Treasurer candidate James B. Lewis was sent out by Padilla's campaign. (Not by the state GOP) Political pros I queried don't see it doing Demesia any good. We shall see Election Night.

Thanks for tuning in. Drop me an email with your latest political news from the top of the page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

John Dendahl managed to get off all his money lines last night in what was perhaps his one and only chance to directly address a wide swath of state voters via live television. But while rallying the GOP base against Big Bill--"The Governor is a dictator"--"Bill Richardson has ruled rather corruptly"-- Dendahl found himself dealing with his own baggage, namely his advocacy for legalizing drugs.

Dendahl was given 25 minutes of free air time when Big Bill declined KOB-TV's offer to debate the former NM GOP state chairman. He was interviewed by veteran news anchors Carla Aragon and Tom Joles who were their usual cordial selves, but brought to the table key questions of Campaign 06' which the camera-comfortable Dendahl relished answering.

The 68 year old Santa Fe native, dapperly dressed in a light gray business suit with a black and blue tie, looked like an IBM executive answering questions at a business seminar. But the look belied the rhetoric which was often harsh and somewhat personal.

"He is not an honest, straight-talking" Governor...He is two-faced," said Dendahl of Big Bill in rhetoric familiar from his days as the self-described "carpet bombing" party chairman.

The Richardson campaign has been critical of Dendahl for being a candidate who just "wants to tear down the state" and doesn't have anything positive to offer.

That charge still dangled in the air after the interview, as Dendahl was long on criticisms of the administration, but did not offer many highly detailed solutions. Perhaps he is a bit gun shy after earlier campaign miscues.

For example, he was careful to say that New Mexico has a "few great teachers" and "a few great schools" and the state ought to hold them up as examples on how to improve education. In a radio interview this summer, Dendahl misfired and said NM educators were teaching "socialism"

For a campaign that has been long on attacking and short on solutions, it was surprising that Dendahl's best performance came when he tackled that most complex of issues--water.

"Eighty percent of our water is used in agriculture. We need a better use of the market to sell that water for city use and development...We need more efficient irrigation for agriculture," declared Dendahl just days after Big Bill proclaimed that the 2007 session of the Legislature will be "The Year of Water."

THE HAUNTING PAST

But it was an old bugaboo that tripped up the old warrior. He was asked about the meth epidemic racing through the state. Without prompting from Aragon or Joles, Dendahl brought up his support for legalizing drugs.

"I am on the record saying the drug war is a disaster...Until we get legalization on the table and discuss it we are not going to solve the problem," said Dendahl, but quickly adding: "That's not part of my campaign."

But the proverbial cat was out of the bag and the confident candidate for a moment looked sheepish and uncertain.

Dendahl was more his old self as he condemned the $100 million spaceport--"If it has commercial viability, private capital will see that it gets built. I don't think we need to put a hundred million dollars into that deal just to build up Richardson's image," He jabbed.

He was also strong on his fiscal conservative credentials.

"We should not be spending our state endowments on films...We should not be putting money into spaceports or a billion dollar sinkhole like the commuter railroad. These initatives are financially ruinous...Our endowment is being squandered." He argued.

MY ANALYSIS

While Dendahl said his image as a divisive figure is "unfair" because he has spent most of his career working in business and "getting along with people," his reluctance, or inability, to put forth a comprehensive agenda capped his appeal and left the "old" Dendahl image more noticeable than he may have liked.

The GOP standardbearer did himself some good last night, but the signs of a late starting campaign and one that does not have heart and soul into the contest lingered. In his heyday, John Dendahl was one of the most powerful state party chairmen in history. His gubernatorial stint will be an asterisk placed well below that achievement.

I'M YOUR PUPPET

Patsy's a puppet too. As was done with Dem Treasurer candidate James B. Lewis by his R opponent Demesia Padilla, the NM GOP has sent out a mailer showing Dem congressional candidate Patricia Madrid portrayed as a puppet on strings. In this one, the attorney general is being manipulated by "San Francisco liberal" and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi who would become Speaker of the House if the Dems gain control of that body Nov. 7.

The Lewis flier sparked a storm of controversy with Dems, and some R's, who said it was borderline racism as it caricatured African-American Lewis as a puppet of Big Bill's. I tried hard to post the flier, but it came in a huge file from an Alligator and I just couldn't do it. (Maybe GOP headquarters has extra ones.)

Madrid as a puppet of Pelosi's is not political dynamite. In fact, placed in a plaid skirt with her arms raised over her head, she looks kind of like a cheerleader. But James Lewis looking like a dancing Mr. Bojangles? Well, that's something we'll be talking about for years and your grandchildren will someday read of in the lengthy and storied book of our beloved La Politica.

Email your news from the link at the top of the page and help keep the politics coming.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Somebody cue up that tune by Paul Simon; the one where he sings "slip slidin' away." Because that's what appears to be happening in the must-watch race for the ABQ congressional seat featuring GOP incumbent Congresswoman Heather Wilson and Dem Attorney General Patricia Madrid. We can peel apart the latest two polls on the race and find plenty of fault with them, but we can't argue with the clear trend; Madrid is ahead and something big--a big GOP get-out-the-vote drive--a national event that turns the tide toward the GOP or a big gaffe by Madrid--needs to occur. If not, the seat will likely flip to the Dems for the first time.

Now to the numbers. That Survey USA poll released by KOB-TV last night-- widely derided by the polling pros because it uses automated phone technology and does not pre-screen for likely voters--has Patsy pulling 53% to Heather's 45%. It was taken Oct. 13 to Oct. 15 and has a margin of error of 4.6%. Last month Survey USA had Heather leading 51% to 46%.

The RT Strategies/Cook Political Report numbers also give it to Madrid, 52% to Wilson's 44%. (Oct 8-10. Margin of error is 3.09%.) It also uses a computer interactive method, but it does make sure those called are on the registration roster and likely to vote.

What is the bottom line on these latest surveys? Dem pollster Harry Pavlides says: "I don't believe Madrid is ahead by these margins because the methodology is exaggerating the trend. But they do confirm the overall trend. The race is no longer a dead heat. Madrid is ahead, the question is by how much."

Maybe pollster Brian Sandeorff, in the field this week for the ABQ Journal, can sort it out. He will report Sunday. His late September poll had the contest tied at 44%. Sanderoff had the Dems and women coming home to Madrid and Republicans sticking with Heather. Those trends are intact in the most recent polls.

STALE BREAD

As for the campaign, it has grown stale. The omnipresent, annoying and overwhelmingly negative TV ads are basically the entire campaign. The monotony will be broken by the KOB-TV October 24 debate at which Heather hopes Madrid catches a severe case of foot-in-the-mouth-disease. Also expected to perk things up in the closing days are some big name visitors. Maybe former President Clinton for Madrid and perhaps former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for Heather.

The race is not over. With U.S. House incumbents re-elected at a 98% rate, there is no way to call a race this close until actual votes are counted. But the race is now Madrid's to lose and if she does, it is going to be one heartbreaking evening for the state's majority party.

UNDERDOGS GET SPOTLIGHT

GOP U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce and Governor Big Bill are so far ahead of their opponents that they have refused to debate them on statewide TV. But the challengers--Al Kissling against Pearce and John Dendahl against Bill--have been given a break. KOB-TV has decided to give them free air time at 7 p.m. tonight to make their cases alone. It is an opportunity for both to make some news. Let's see if they do.

JIM AND PAT

The other race besides Madrid-Wilson keeping the political junkies interested is the land commissioner face-off between GOP incumbent Pat Lyons and ex-land boss Jim Baca. The dynamic duo will meet in debate tonight on KANW 89.1 FM in ABQ/Santa Fe.

The insider polls show this one close, with Lyons being urged to go after Anglo Democrats in the ABQ metro area who are a soft spot for ex-ABQ mayor Baca who needs to keep raising money to match Lyon's $300,000 plus final month war chest.

HEATHER AND THE MINISTERS

A sidebar to that bizarre flyer put out by R Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla against Dem foe James B. Lewis, an African-American. It portrays Lewis as a puppet on strings being manipulated by Big Bill. (It's pictured on Monday's blog.) Never mind what it does to Demesia's chances, R's are worried what it might do to Heather Wilson. African-American ministers are calling for blacks to get out and vote for Lewis and against what they call blatant racism. If they get 500 or 600 more voters out and if Wilson-Madrid turns out to be a cliffhanger, it could be those extra Dem votes that could push Heather over the cliff. It wouldn't hurt Heather to get on the phone and do some lobbying to keep this blaze away from her door.

ALL COKED UP

It was just before the June 2004 NM primary election when ABQ district court chief judge John Brennan was busted for coke possession and DWI and forced to leave the bench. Now, with just a few weeks before the Nov. 7 election, another judge is in trouble over snorting nose candy and is being targeted for removal. The state Judicial Standards Commission is asking the NM Supreme Court to end Dona Ana county Magistrate Carlo Garza's judicial career for snorting coke and not submitting to a drug test. The entire sordid tale is told in a lengthy report sent by a Santa Fe Alligator and which you can read here.

NEVER TOO OLD?

Pete Domenici doesn't have to look too far for inspiration if he decides to stick to his decision to seek re-election in 2008. Hawaii Dem Senator Daniel Akaka, a spry 82, recently won a stiff primary challenge and is expected to win another six year term next month. Pete will be 76 in 08', but can argue he is still a relative youngster compared to several of his colleagues who are obviously taking full advantage of today's longer life spans.

ALLEN'S ACCIDENT

Another weird addendum to Campaign 06'. GOP U.S. Senate candidate Allen McCulloch was in an auto accident near Cuba in NW NM Sunday night. The Farmington urologist escaped uninjured, but not before pulling one of the victims out of a burning car, according to his campaign.

The McCulloch accident comes on the heels of the brutal attack on John Dendahl spokesman Paige McKenzie. (She is now in satisfactory condition.)

A Bingaman supporter emailed he was glad to hear McCulloch was OK, but could not help sniping: "It's the most press he has gotten all year." What, Jeff has been getting some lately?

And so it goes on the trail. Drop me an email with your latest political news from the link at the top of the page and help keep the politics rolling.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Balderas
Hector Balderas is the last candidate out of the gate for Campaign 06', but he plans a final hectic three weeks to ensure the job of auditing over 500 state agencies stays in Democratic hands. It's not a no-brainer, not after the late summer controversy that saw the Dems original candidate, Jeff Armijo, finally get off the ticket after reports surfaced that he faced allegations of sexual misconduct from two young women.

Balderas, a freshman state rep from Wagon Mound, has no baggage like that, but he has never run statewide before and faces an opponent, R Lorenzo Garcia, who has done it twice, is a CPA with extensive government experience and has appeal across party lines because of his demonstrated independent streak.

But Balderas, 33, an attorney, will pile on heavy in the coming days. (He just put up his Web site.) His campaign says it will buy up to $150,000 in TV time and throw additional money at radio ads in an effort to get the unknown known quickly. Big Bill can be counted on to up the money count and already has. The campaign says it has $100,000 on hand with more to come.

Garcia, of ABQ's North Valley, has only $18,000 on hand. The Dems are breathing a sigh of relief that the R's have more or less ignored the race, despite the epic scandal in the Treasurer's office, making ethics more of a concern and who is State Auditor more than a trivia question. In 2002 Domingo Martinez won re-election as Auditor, but only narrowly, eking out a 52% to 48% win over gadfly and Republican Tom Benavides. Insider polling has Balderas and Garcia running close in vote-heavy Bernalillo county.

If Benavides, without the scandal, could do so well, think what Garcia could do if he had has much funding as Balderas. I did notice a billboard for Garcia and R Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla on I-25. It pictures the two hopefuls together as a clean-up team for the state financial offices, something the R's have been advised to do by politicos for months now. If they could take that concept to TV, they could deliver a major scare and maybe even get lucky.

Balderas appears positioned to get known quickly and separate himself from any negative lingering feelings the public has over the Armijo affair. Still, with that 2002 contest in mind, with Garcia making his third outing and with Hector getting a late start, the race could turn out to be a bit closer than most might expect.

DEMESIA'S MESS

State GOP Treasurer candidate Demesia Padilla stepped in the pit of racial politics when she sent out a controversial flyer (pictured here from the ABQ Journal) featuring her Dem opponent James B. Lewis. The flyer was dubbed borderline racist (Registration required) by Big Bill's campaign. NM GOP executive director Marta Kramer argued that "accusing a Hispanic woman of racism is ridiculous," But others disagreed saying racism can come from anyone, regardless of their ethnic identity.

Former NM Governor Dave Cargo, a longtime friend of Padilla's and a Republican with one of the state's strongest civil rights records, told me he was disappointed with the flyer and called it "a big mistake." He blamed it on "consultants who do not understand" the state and said he warned Demesia, an ABQ CPA, that it would backfire.

Cargo was emphatic that Padilla did not act from any racial motives. He was joined in that assessment by NM's first black state legislator, Lenton Malry, a friend of Lewis's. "I have met her several times. She is a nice lady and she is not a racist, but she was out of line on this one," Malry told me.

Republican Barry Bitzer, now chief of staff to Dem ABQ Mayor Mary Chavez, blasted Kramer and company for the flyer, saying it is a sign that change is needed in the direction of the state GOP.

"The strings in the Padilla piece don't offend me...it's the caricature. I may not be able to totally define the legacy of Jim Crow, but I know it when I see it. Padilla strikes me as a decent and qualified candidate. I am left to conclude that the urge to slime opponents continues to come from (GOP headquarters). It's a tragedy for the party." Blasted Bitzer.

Demesia's mess had the Dems pointing out that she was not the first R to bump up against the racism charge this campaign. Guv nominee Dendahl was widely roasted for saying in a radio interview that Hispanic lawmakers are not all that keen on solving the state's DWI problems because, he asserted, most DWI offenders are Hispanic.

An an on-line poll by the Journal on the controversy found that 53% thought it was offensive; 47% did not.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

His re-election, according to the political intelligentsia, is in the bag, but Big Bill is working it like it is his first time. Take a look at some of his schedule--just for today.

Event: Tourism Welcoming Speech 9:00 a.m. Ruidoso
Event: Fire Truck Funding Announcement 11:00 a.m. Ruidoso Downs
Event: Ribbon Cutting, School Based Health Center 2:30 p.m. Lovington
Event: Joe Stell Highway Dedication 4:00 p.m. White City
Event: WIPP Permit Signing Ceremony 5:00 p.m. Carlsbad
Event: Speech to 10th Anniversary of Character Counts 5:45 p.m. Carlsbad

You have often heard us opine that "who wants it the most" is a major factor in political success. Big Bill wants the re-election bad, and he wants a historic landslide even more.

FOLEY IS HERE

At first, the Madrid campaign told me they were not planning on putting up TV ads tying Heather Wilson to disgraced Florida Congressman Mark Foley. Well, that didn't last long. Over the weekend they put up a spot pointing out that Wilson was one of the biggest recipients of Foley PAC money, taking in $8,000 and claiming that as a member of the U.S. House Page Board Heather did nothing "while Foley preyed on children." Wilson has since donated the Foley money to charity. Apparently Madrid feels she needs all the firepower she can get as she will probably be outspent by the R's in the final weeks and Mark Foley is high-power ammo.

PETE ON THE TRAIL

Meanwhile, D.C. Alligators report that NM Senator Pete Domenici will be out with a TV ad for fellow R Wilson in the coming days. Domenici also plans joint appearances with the congresswoman who he personally blessed for the seat when Rep. Steve Schiff passed away from skin cancer in 1998. Of course, a Domenici ad is no guarantee of moving big numbers. Oldtimers will remember he came with TV for then GOP U.S. Senator Jack Schmitt in 1982. Schmitt lost to Jeff Bingaman.

Some have speculated that Pete might back away from Heather if he thought she was going to go down, but don't expect it. He will raise the banner as he always does. Maybe the intensity will not be as high if things look like they are going south, but the old warrior will not "cut and run."

Here's the latest national take on Madrid-Wilson from the New York Times. (Registration required.) Also, CQ.com (Congressional Quarterly) is now ranking the race as "no clear favorite," dropping its earlier assessment that the seat "leans Republican."

ENDORSEMENT TIME

Newspaper endorsements are highly sought, but whether they do much to sway voters is still hotly debated. The ink-stained wretches at the state's largest paper, the ABQ Journal, (Sunday circulation 149,000) came with its first round of picks for the statewide offices Sunday. Gary King received the nod for attorney general. Fellow Dem Mary Herrera was chosen over R Vickie Perea for secretary of state and incumbent GOP Land Commissioner Pat Lyons was the editorial board's choice over Dem Jim Baca.

BIBB BASHING

Jim Bibb is getting a taste of the negative medicine after unloading TV accusing his Dem rival for the attorney general nomination, Gary King, of missing "one out of four" votes during his career as a state legislator. In his new 30 second spots, King counters that Bibb has received "hundreds of thousands" of dollars from "East coast interests" to smear him. The two will also continue to do battle away from the TV screens when they meet up at the UNM School of Law Oct 18th from 12-1pm in room 2401 to do a town hall discussion with the students.

And if you are a student of La Politica who likes a lot of homework, here is the complete KANW-89.1 FM debate between Bibb and King.

Thanks for stopping by. Let's do it again tomorrow. Meantime, help cover the final stretch by sending your new via email from the top of the page.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author