ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez surprised the state late Friday, announcing he is ending his bid for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate.

"While I deeply appreciate all the support I have received, it has become very clear to me that Democrats should not be divided in the upcoming election. A hotly contested primary, as this one certainly would be, would likely weaken the Democratic nominee and place the general election in jeopardy."

The announcement, made via news release, was greeted with glee by supporters of US Rep. Tom Udall who now is the only major Dem candidate for the Senate nomination. More on all this Monday.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
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Erika Ruiz
The TV news world has been nearly as topsy-turvy as the political one, and it got more so Thursday. Erika Ruiz, longtime anchorwoman at top rated KRQE-TV, is exiting the station after eight years and veteran anchorwoman Dianne Anderson is in line to replace her. And that could be only the beginning. Erika had high-profile trial attorney Sam Bregman issue the press release announcing her departure, signaling that a messy legal battle could be brewing. Ruiz is the third major ABQ TV news anchor to announce their departure in the last month,. KOB-TV's Carla Aragon is retiring and KOAT-TV's Cynthia Izaguirre is headed to Dallas.

"I did not leave voluntarily," the comely anchorwoman told me late Thursday. "Sam is a good friend of mine and I though it appropriate that he put out the release."

Bregman, a former ABQ city councilor who recently defended ex-NM Treasurer Robert Vigil on corruption charges, also said nothing to shoot down the prospect of possible legal action. The go-go trial specialist said he was unable to say whether Ruiz had retained him as her lawyer, but he seemed as eager as a Dalamation riding to the nearest fire.

Insiders speculate there could be legal action or maybe Erika is using the threat of her attorney to win a better exit settlement. The news release said she was leaving to "pursue other opportunities" but she confirmed to me the departure was not her idea.

Ruiz worked under a one year contract which can be renewed or not renewed at the will of the station. She said she was not given a reason for the nonrenewal. Before ABQ, she anchored in El Paso and Dallas. She will leave KRQE around January 10.

Ruiz co-anchored the 5:30 and 10 p.m news with NM TV news dean Dick Knipfing. The pair have been the consistent market leader in the important 10 p.m news derby. The recently released November news ratings show the 10 p.m. race wasn't even close, with KRQE beating #2 KOAT-TV by a large margin. Still, the anchor turmoil could be an opportunity for a ratings shakeup.

Ruiz, 42, has been in the TV news game for 20 years and said she would like to continue. "It's my profession. I have a degree in journalism, and I hope to continue." Meanwhile, she says she will help with her new husband's car buying service. She also has something else to keep her busy. She has five young children, three of her own and two her husband brought to the marriage.

As for Anderson, she joined KRQE last year as morning show anchor after departing KOAT. Station management there did not buy into her proposal that she anchor fewer newscasts so she could spend more time with her family. The media mavens say she has had success with the morning and now has the inside track to take over Ruiz's place. Speculators also mentioned Deanna Sauceda as a possible.

ANOTHER BIG FOOT DROPS
Aubrey Dunn, Jr.
Turn down the lights; the party just got wilder. Another big foot has dropped in the GOP race for the southern Congressional seat with 51 year old Aubrey Dunn, Jr., son of famous ex-NM State Senator Aubrey Dunn, announcing he will join the battle. A campaign spokesman says Dunn will put up $300,000 of his own money to give the candidacy fast traction. My Alligators report Dunn left First Federal Bank in Roswell earlier this year with a payout of nearly $1 million.

Dunn, however, faces the immediate challenge of explaining why he left the Republican party to become an Independent and only recently rejoined it. "He was disillusioned with Republicans who were blowing a hole in the federal deficit in Washington. I don't think that will be held against him," contended the spokesman.

But restaurant chain owner Ed Tinsley who has a ranch in Lincoln County, is already being scored for having a second home in Santa Fe, reigniting the carpetbagger charges that hurt him when he ran for the seat in 2002. It will be no surprise to hear cries of "party switcher" leveled against Dunn who is originally from Alamogordo but now has a ranch in Chaves County. This is his first run at elective office.

Thursday we told you about Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman getting serious about a run, another candidate who can get his hands on the cash needed to get in at this relatively late stage. Also in, but in need of money, is young Bob Cornelius of Lea County.

It took the R's a couple of months to get candidates on the field in the wake of Steve Pearce announcing he would vacate the US House seat to run for the open Senate seat. NM Republican Party Chairman Allen Weh predicted that several serious candidates would eventually emerge. Now even he may be getting more than he bargained for. It should be a fun one.

THE BOTTOM LINES

In blogging about that walkout from Monday's ABQ city council meeting by four councilors, we said the council president gets to name four members to the water board. It is actually three...Others email that the nearly $370 million projected state surplus for next fiscal year that we blogged about Thursday does indeed look like it will be rapidly spent, but money for the RailRunner construction won't be he reason; funds for that, they say, come from "nonrecurring" funds. Before your eyes glaze over, suffice it to say they are spending money like drunken sailors in Santa Fe and that surplus is going to be spent faster than a college freshman can chug a bottle of beer. And if they run low, they are going to go into the reserves to keep the party going.

We wondered aloud Thursday who was Willie Estrada. His name graces the Civic Center in Alamogordo where the first GOP debate for the southern Congressional seat will take place next week. Here's the answer:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Willie N. Estrada (US54028427), Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving a Tank Commander with 245th Medium Tank Battalion, 45th Infantry Division. Sergeant Estrada distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Bongowol, Korea, on the night of 21 September 1952.

Estrada died in that incident. Thanks to Floyd Vasquez, PR man for the NM Department of Veterans Services, for the info, as well as others who brought us up to date.

Home of the exclusives. Home of New Mexico politics. Email your news, comments and political gossip.

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Mayor Monty Newman
Who says those near-Texans in Hobbs can't have their share of La Politica? They are certainly contributing to this historic year, fielding a US Senate candidate and now, not one, but perhaps two heavyweight congressional contenders. Word is circulating among insiders that Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman is close to joining the race for the GOP nomination for the southern Congressional seat. Newman, a longtime realtor in Lea County, passes the Alligator smell test and gets mentioned here even if he has not made it official because he has a political base, name ID, and the ability to raise money to seriously compete with Ed Tinsley of Lincoln County. Tinsley says he has raised over $220,000 and is willing to commit personal wealth. Insiders tell us that Newman also could draw on personal wealth to finance a campaign.

Newman would also appear to be positioned to be a strong challenger to restaurant chain owner Tinsley because his strongest counties would appear to be Lea, Eddy and Chaves where the pros say 40% of the GOP primary vote will come from.

Hobbs, in far SE NM, is in the middle of an economic boom with realtor Newman benefiting, not to mention all those oil and gas guys celebrating oil prices toying with the $100 a barrel level. That's a lot of potential campaign contributions.

If Newman runs, Hobbs and Lea County will have a full complement of candidates on the field. Congressman Steve Pearce of Hobbs is seeking the GOP nod for the US Senate seat. Hobbs oil man Harry Teague is a leading contender for the Dem nod for the southern US House seat and young Bob Cornelius who hails from Tatum in Lea County is also in the GOP race for the southern Congressional seat.

Hobbs' slogan is, "It All Happens Here." We don't know what they do on Saturday night to keep it hopping, but when it comes to politics, they are living up to their billing.

FIRST GOP DEBATE

Alamogordo Republicans can't wait for the election year to start. The Otero County GOP is sponsoring their party's first debate of the '08 election season, hosting the GOP candidates for the 2nd CD next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center. Now they have us wondering who Willie Estrada was.

MONEY QUESTION

If the state surplus is forecast to be $369 million and we need $147 in new money for the Medicaid health program and $200 million to finish building the Rail Runner, does that mean the surplus is already spent? If so, that was quick.

MAKING UP

That little tiff between State Senate Minority Whip Lee Rawson of Las Cruces and Fred Mondragón the Secretary-designate for the NM Economic development department, appears to have ended with a truce. Here is a response from Fred's office to Republican Lee's comments on our blog Wednesday saying Fred should not be calling himself the Secretary yet because he hasn't been confirmed by the Senate.

"...Mondragón has been using the title “New Mexico Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Designate” on all official correspondence and communiqué since October, shortly after Senator Rawson brought the issue to the attention of EDD representatives at an LFC hearing at which the Secretary Designate was not present. At a subsequent LFC hearing on November 14, Cabinet Secretary Designate Mondragón personally and publicly apologized for the oversight directly to Sen. Rawson and the Committee."

If you get the feeling a lot of Senators, both Dems and R's, are ready to ride herd on the Administration at next month's legislative session, you may be on to something.

THE BOTTOM LINES

An ABQ newcomer, attorney David Pyne, says he will seek the GOP nod for the West Side state senate seat that Joe Carraro says he is giving up to seek the GOP nomination for the ABQ Congressional seat. Pyne has lived in ABQ for about three years. State Rep. Tom Anderson has said he is interested in that seat too, but has not made an announcement.

E-mail your news and comments, and tune in again soon.

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Ben Ray Lujan
Could it be this easy? Prospective opponents of Ben Ray Lujan are melting away, leaving the front-runner for the Northern Congressional seat with an increasingly smooth path to the Democratic nomination. On Tuesday alone NM Highlands University Regents Chairman Javier Gonzales and Espanola Mayor Joe Maestas bowed out of contention, prompting speculation that Lujan and his powerful father, NM House Speaker Ben Lujan, are working to clear the field and succeeding.

"Maestas is now saying he will run for the Public Regulation Commission seat that Ben Ray will vacate to run for the US House seat. Javier is saying he is looking at the 2010 Democratic race for lieutenant governor. Were these guys promised support by the Lujans's in exchange for getting out of the Congressional race?" analyzed one of our Northern analysts.

Javier cited the pressures of family life--he has two young children--as the chief reason for getting out, but both he and Maestas faced a tough battle against the younger Lujan who is being pushed hard by Dad.

Will another significant Hispanic candidate emerge to challenge Lujan for the right to the seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Udall who is running for the Senate? It's the right question because the chances of an Anglo capturing the nomination are slim. The circumstances that allowed Udall to take it in '98 do not exist today. No other big Hispanic names are circulating. Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya says he will run, but he is not seen in the same tier as a Gonzales or Maestas. Ability to raise money is the major roadblock.

MORE EXPERT ANALYSIS

The chances of Santa Fe's Don Wiviott getting the March preprimary convention to let him on the June primary ballot have gone up as other candidates fall away, but his odds of beating Lujan, even with his big money, are long. There are simply not enough liberal Anglos. Native American voters now have a candidate in Indian Affairs Secretary Benny Shendo. A bunch of lesser known names are also circulating now that Maestas and Gonzales are gone, but none of them are passing the smell test of the Alligators.

Lujan the younger, 35, has been criticized by potential foes for lacking the depth and experience to take the Congressional seat, but they are already calling him "Congressman" in Las Vegas, which speaks to the Northern yearning for a native New Mexican to be seated in the all Anglo five member NM Congressional delegation.

Insiders tell us that D.C. Dems are a bit nervous about Lujan, but the district is not in play for the Republicans, reducing the pressure to find an alternative. Los Alamos Republican Ron Dolin and State Rep. Brian Moore are the names circulating as possible sacrificial lambs.

The way of the North is to settle family disputes out of the limelight, and that tradition seems alive and well as Ben Ray Lujan steadily advances, even before he makes his official announcement.

THE OLD PATRON

Oldtimers will remember that Northern Dem politics used to be run by party boss Emilio Naranjo of Rio Arriba County. The power left him in the 90's, but he is still alive at 91, and still politicking. He is snubbing Big Bill's Prez run in favor of Hillary's bid. He has always had a somewhat rocky relationship with the Guv.

Emilio Naranjo, 91, recently put up red-white-and-blue Clinton signs in front of his mobile home on Lower San Pedro Road, a mile south of Española along the Rio Grande.

Meanwhile, the man who made history by beating then-State Senator Naranjo in a '96 Dem primary, Rio Arriba County Asessor Art Rodarte, says he will run for the Dem nod for the Northern Public Regulation Commission seat, joining Joe Maestas and probably several others who hope to replace Ben Ray Lujan on the powerful utility regulating panel. After serving one term, Rodarte lost the Senate seat to Naranjo ally Richard Martinez

SENATOR RAWSON CALLING

A couple of weeks ago we took note of critical comments from NM Secretary of Economic Development Fred Mondragon that he leveled against PNM and Eclipse Aviation for laying off a significant number of workers near the holidays. The comments did not settle well with State Senate Minority Whip Lee Rawson who reminds Fred that he is not quite yet the Secretary.

"He should be noted as Secretary Designee. His claiming of the title he has yet to hold will cause him some complication," E-mails the Senate leader.

Mondragon has to be confirmed as Secretary by the Senate. While Republicans like Rawson are in the minority, they can, as Rawson indicated, complicate things. Something for those other new cabinet secretaries named by Big Bill last month to think about. They will also face the judgment of the Senators. That's as it should be, although Mondragon criticizing holiday layoffs wouldn't seem to be an unpopular position with most New Mexicans. By the way, the hearing on PNM's big rate increase proposal kicks off in Santa Fe today.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Several readers emailed in to say that if ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez were to be elected to the US Senate next November, it would not be the ABQ City Council President elected Monday night who would become temporary mayor, but the council president elected next December. That is probably the case, but if Councilor Ken Sanchez, a Chavez ally, were to have beat out Brad Winter for the council presidency Monday, insiders speculated that Chavez could be expected to resign the mayor's job soon after winning the Senate election next November to ensure that Sanchez would get to be the temporary mayor.

With Winter winning the presidency, that all changes. Chavez would probably wait to see who was elected at the council election in December 2008, hoping it was someone other than his political foe Winter. The winner of the US Senate election next November takes office in January 2009. Chavez is the underdog in his race for the Dem nomination with Rep. Tom Udall, so the question of who succeeds him will be academic if the Mayor can't turn the race around.

Email your news and comments.

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Winter & Benton by Bralley
The spirit of the season has yet to reach Albuquerque City Hall where a political implosion last night had four of the nine city councilors staging an unprecedented boycott of a council meeting, accusing Brad Winter of winning the council presidency through "dishonesty, duplicity and a serious lack of integrity." The breakdown in comity in the governing body of the state's largest city not only highlighted the intense personal animosity that has plagued the panel, but also the policy divisions that have created perhaps the most polarized council since the modern form of government was adopted in 1974.

The breakdown began when it became clear that Councilor Debbie O'Malley could not muster the five votes necessary to retain the council presidency for another year. Republican Councilor Brad Winter was the swing vote as O'Malley and Dem Councilor Ken Sanchez had each lined up four votes. Winter, according to Sanchez, told him earlier Monday that he would be getting his vote. But council "liberals"- Michael Cadigan, Ike Benton, 'O'Malley and new Councilor Rey Garduño--made a play for Winter to take the post. They hoped to thwart Sanchez and in turn Mayor Martin Chavez, a close ally of the West side councilor. It worked. Winter dumped Sanchez, joined forces with the four Dems and became council president on a 5 to 0 vote.

The four councilors who boycotted the meeting, saying they were enraged by Winter's backpedaling, were Sanchez, Republican Councilors Sally Mayer, Don Harris, and newly elected GOP Councilor Trudy Jones. It was to be Jones's first council meeting since being elected in October, but it never happened.

"The public was not harmed by this. I did it to send a message about Brad Winter's serious lack of integrity; his duplicity and dishonestly. I think it's important that the public know when a politician isn't telling the truth," Councilor Mayer told me.

A politician not telling the truth? Who would think such a thing! A strange aside: The four boycotting councilors retreated to Capo's, a downtown Italian restaurant, where they contemplated their lot before conducting a news conference. Capo is the term used for a Mob boss. The City Hall council coup, like a Mafia war, did feature betrayal and intrigue, but no bloodshed--at least not yet.

THE FALLOUT

It was hard to see how the public was going to grasp the political minutia surrounding the events. What they did see was four empty council chairs of people they elected to serve and who they pay to do a job. Why could they not have given "Bad Brad" his black eye from the public podium? "That would not have made our point," Councilor Sally retorted.

The boycotting councilors said Winter, a Republican reelected in a landslide to a third council term in October, had sold out to the liberals. Sanchez went further and told reporters that Winter had told him he could not vote for him because if he did "his wife would divorce him." Winter is married to attorney Nan Winter who works for the powerful water utility board. Sanchez said she should not be involved in the presidency battle. Winter said she wasn't and said the councilors upset with him should have attended the meeting and debated the matter.

That water board is a big point of contention. The council president, now Winter, gets to name four members. Mayer said Winter would reward the "liberal Democrats" for their support by naming them to the panel, forsaking conservatives who fear the authority has turned into an anti-growth mechanism.

As with everything at City Hall there is a Chavez factor. The ABQ Mayor is running for the Dem nod for US Senate. If he goes all the way and wins the Senate seat in November 2008, he could resign as mayor and the council president would become Mayor to fill out the remainder of Chavez's term. No doubt Winter, whose personal relationship with Chavez is about as warm as a Chama winter, could not stomach placing Marty's key ally in line for the mayoralty, no matter if it was a long shot.

NO WINNERS
Sanchez
There were no winners in last night's council chaos, with Winter renewing his reputation as indecisive, or duplicitous, if you believe his council critics. The councilors who walked out will be scored for acting childish and acting like sore losers. Councilor Sanchez's possible 2009 mayoral bid was especially hard hit. The walk out, coming after it became clear he would lose the presidency, could mark him as ineffective. Councilor Trudy Jones, in her first act as a councilor, failed to show up and do the job. Not good. Mayor Chavez's Senate bid takes a hit as people question why there is so much upheaval in ABQ government as he criticizes Washington for its infighting.

MAY WE SUGGEST?

Winter now has the council presidency and the opportunity to lead, but the public's patience is short. We need more than power plays; we need results and a semblance of unity to move the city forward. Winter needs to make peace with the boycotting councilors who in turn need to recognize that all is fair in love, war and politics and acknowledge Winter's presidency. Winter and Chavez need to bury the hatchet, once and for all. Is there any political feud in the state more tiresome and more damaging to how people perceive this wonderful place? And that powerful water board needs to be examined. Do we need a legislative makeover?

How about some unlikely alliances to restore civility and confidence in City Hall? For example, what if new councilors Republican Trudy Jones and Democrat Rey Garduño--as opposite as you can get--worked together on an initiative?

While the mayor is running for Senate, he needs to empower the city's chief administrative officer. The position has been downplayed, but the City Charter envisions a strong CAO. Frank Kleinhenz, Lawrence Rael and Art Blumenfeld are names that come to mind. City Hall needs some depersonalization and some policy wonkery. The CAO needs to step up, or just say it's the mayor's show.

The cows have broken out of the corral and its time to round them up. If the current set of too partisan personalities at City Hall can't get the job done, the bedroom communities of ABQ will fill the void, attracting the jobs and the "smart" development our Mayor and councilors say they so badly want.

TV TALK
Brady
Busy days on the TV news beat with anchors coming and going. Monday KOB-TV announced Nicole Brady, the station's morning news anchor will join Tom Joles for the main action at night. She will replace Carla Aragon who left last week. Brady will co-anchor of the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts. Brady has been with the NBC affiliate for three years, coming from Redding, CA. She grew up in Denver. There will be some pressure on the twentysomething anchor as KOB slipped to third place in the latest 10 p.m. news ratings.

Not that any of the local TV stations face a dismal 2008. Can you imagine how much money they are going to make in '08 from paid politicals and national interest group ads? Will we get the Big Three producing prime time primary and general election debates for the three open US House seats and the open US Senate seat? It's the least we can expect from the federally licensed outlets that benefit lopsidedly from the current election process.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Was Hill putting the chill on Big Bill when over the weekend she brought up the Veep slot and which we blogged for you on Monday?

Don't you think governors make good Presidents?" Richardson asked. Clinton replied, "Well, Bill, I think they also make good vice presidents."

One Alligator e-mails: "Hillary's comment to Bill has the effect of arresting any possible rise for him in Iowa and New Hampshire, which most likely would come at her expense. It cost her not even a thin dime to blow the wheels off of Bill's campaign."

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
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The trouble with the Richardson for President campaign is that it is often the "Richardson for Senate" campaign, the" Richardson for Vice President" campaign or the "Richardson for Secretary of State" campaign." Hillary Clinton did nothing to clear things up for the NM Governor in Iowa over the weekend. She teased him mightily about possibly winning a place on the 2008 Democratic ticket.

At the Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum, one of the only campaign events that allows candidates to question each other, the New Mexico governor mentioned Bill Clinton's old job in Arkansas and lobbed her a jokey softball: "Don't you think governors make good Presidents?" he asked. Clinton replied, "Well, Bill, I think they also make good vice presidents." The audience roared, and Richardson was briefly left speechless.

Not that Big Bill should be displeased about being mentioned as the nation's # 2. What's that? Chopped liver? But the ongoing speculation about Richardson being something other than President is not helping him advance. The latest poll released Sunday--the one everyone watches--the Des Moines Register survey--has the NM Guv at 9%. That is not close to third place, the position he says he must have to advance his campaign. Ironically, the Guv is polling much better in New Hampshire which has its primary five days after the January 3 Iowa caucuses. But if he comes out of Iowa in fourth, he will have no momentum and fade fast going into New Hampshire.

Richardson is telling interviewers that it's over if he doesn't pull off a third place showing in either Iowa or New Hampshire. That means Bill could be delivering his State of the State address to the NM Legislature January 15th as a former presidential candidate, but based on Hillary's musings he could still be quite an active candidate for VP. And what about an Obama-Big Bill ticket? What would Oprah think?

NEUTRAL IN ABQ

ABQ Dem congressional candidate Martin Heinrich made a point of telling us he remains neutral in the Dem US Senate race between Rep. Tom Udall and ABQ Mayor Mary Chavez. We blogged that Heinrich was on hand for the Udall announcement at the Hispanic Cultural Center Thursday and made it clear that he had not endorsed anyone. Still, Heinrich wanted to say he was meeting with center honcho Clara Apodaca and "happened upon" the Udall announcement, but did not plan to attend.

Former ABQ City Councilor Heinrich faces attorney Michelle Lujan Grisham and ex=Assistant AG Jon Adams. One of Heinrich's challenges is to prevent Grisham from consolidating the Hispanic vote. Heinrich frequently clashed with Chavez when serving as a city councilor and is more philosophically in tune with the liberal Udall. Grisham was also at the Udall event shaking hands. She has not endorsed either Chavez or Udall.

Adams tells me he is thinking about getting out of the Dem ABQ congressional race and joining the one up north for Udall's open US House seat. Adams was raised in Los Alamos which is in the northern district.

THE ABQ OUTLOOK

Even though the ABQ congressional seat has a large Dem registration advantage over the R's, it has never swung Dem. Again this cycle, the national media has it on its watch list. Here's the WaPo's early take:

This district is hard to figure. Rep. Heather Wilson (R), who is running for the Senate, was a perennial target of Democrats and Sen. Kerry won it in 2004 with 51 percent of the vote. And yet, Republicans are very optimistic about their chances while Democrats are noticeably reticent. Some of that has to do with the candidacy of Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White (R) who is widely regarded as a superstar-in-waiting by national GOPers. A poll conducted for White showed him with a wide lead in the primary...

Darren as "superstar?" Well, let's see some points on the board first and also see how he handles the primary challenge from State Senator Joe Carraro.

The buzz on the 1st CD race is nothing like it was two years ago when Dem Patricia Madrid lost to Wilson by less than a thousand votes. The D's have much work to do to get their own excited about this race. None of the Dems running is anywhere near as known as White. That will change, but until then the buzz is muted.

Both Heinrich and Lujan Grisham are positioned to get enough preprimary convention support to win spots on the June primary ballot. The entrance of another serious Hispanic candidate could change that for Grisham, but the pros see it as unlikely; the key word being "serious." Heinrich has raised a good bundle of money--over 300K--but he has also already spent over 100k. Insiders say Grisham has raised around $50,000.

TV NEWS NOMADS
Shelly Ribando
Carla Aragon's swan song could not keep KOB-TV from slipping to an unaccustomed third place finish in the November 10 p.m. news ratings. KRQE-TV finished in its now usual first, garnering a 10.2 rating. KOAT-TV did not improve on its May numbers, but its 6.8 rating was enough to slip into second place over KOB which dropped to a 5.9, due in part to the weakness of the NBC network. These ratings are courtesy of TV insiders. The final numbers may vary a bit, but not the rankings.

There are 677,740 households in the ABQ market which takes up much of the state and is now the 44th largest in the USA. A 10.2 rating for CBS affiliate KRQE means of all the households owning a TV, 10.2% of them are watching a part of their 10 p.m. news. That means about 69,000 households are tuning in.

In addition to the departure of KOB news anchor Aragon, the New Mexico native who gave an emotional farewell to the TV news scene Friday night, KOAT anchor Cynthia Izaguirre is giving up her chair. She is headed back to Dallas. Replacing Izaguirre December 20th is Shelly Ribando, a TV news veteran out of Orlando, Florida where she anchored the 10 p.m. news for the Fox affiliate. She did not compete directly with the the big three network affiliates, which on the East coast air their late news at 11 p.m. The Orlando TV market is ranked #19 in the USA, but in switching to the smaller ABQ market Ribando will be serving as a main anchor on a big three affiliate.

TV'S WHO'S WHO

With Carla's departure there is no native New Mexicans anchoring evening TV news which we'll miss for the local feel. We do have seasoned veterans, however, including TV news dean Dick Knipfing, 64, and in the game here for 44 years. His co-anchor Erika Ruiz is also building up the years as is KRQE anchor Deanna Sauceda. KOB's Tom Joles has been in the anchor chair for over 15 years. TV reporters with decades of NM reporting under their belts include KOB's Stuart Dyson, KRQE's Larry Barker and KOAT's Rod Green who was a KOB anchor back in the 70's.

The audience is shrinking for all mass media, but TV news remains the go-to medium when the big stories hit. The political community will be watching closely how the stations handle televised debates and coverage of the busy 2008 election year. TV news personnel may be more nomadic than ever but viewers are still attracted to the anchors and reporters who know their area best, or try the hardest in getting to know it.

THE BOTTOM LINES

It is just plain crazy at ABQ City Hall where a new council president will be chosen tonight. The thing has been going back and forth behind the scenes. Who will get it? We'll keep you posted.

News? Comments? Political gossip? Send it our way.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
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