Lt. Governor John Sanchez and possible GOP US Senate candidate John Sanchez, 48, had surgery this week to remove his gall bladder. Sanchez was unavailable for comment, but on the way out his departing gall bladder said, "Heather Wilson is a relic of the past."

Now that's what you call a lot of gall.

While the bleacher seats wait and see if Sanchez gets on the field and starts tackling GOP US Senate candidate Heather Wilson, Las Cruces day care owner Greg Sowards is already in the race, is providing some pre-game entertainment:

Voters rejected Heather Wilson in a primary four years ago for the same reason they will reject her this time. We will wage a creative campaign that will have the strength and message necessary to win, as the candidate that stands with integrity, while defending firm Constitutional principles.

Sowards has loaned himself $150,000 and has hired some DC consultants who he says are like underdog campaigns such as his own. Sowards is portraying himself as the true conservative in the GOP primary, something we could see Sanchez do if he throws his gall bladder into the ring....Hold on there, we mean throw his hat into the ring....

SPIN THAT THING
The state Dems are out with their latest spin, taking a bite not only out of Governor Susana, but also tearing into ABQ GOP Mayor Richard Berry:

...We've seen what Republican leadership is all about. Attacks on the film industry, letting lobbyists free reign to weaken clean-water protections, slashing public schools...

Now, we have Mayor Berry talking about innovative projects in Albuquerque. That's funny. Where was he when Gov. Martinez was slashing film incentives which have created thousands of jobs in Albuquerque?

And no surprise that the enviros aren't happy with Susana.

The R's may have two of the top political positions but it is still a Dem majority state with plenty of well-armed interest groups to keep up the opposition buzz.

THAT'S THE TICKET

Reader Jennifer Trujillo writes:

I'm curious why you haven't made any mention of the concert ticket scandal involving Live Nation and the Bernalillo Commissioners, County Attorney, and former County Manager. I would have thought this scandal would have reached your blog.

We didn't think it was that earth-shaking, but here it is.

We also did not blog this week about the latest fatal police shooting in ABQ, but now that you mention it, we noticed that it was APD Chief Ray Schultz who was front and center in handling it, not controversial Public Safety Director Darren White. Mayor Berry could return command and control to APD to the chief as it was for the 35 years before he took office. Police have already given White a vote of no-confidence and if the public is going to have full confidence in its police they need to see cooperation, not confrontation.

FOLLOW THE DISTRICTS

For those of you whose eyes don't glaze over at the thought of legislative and congressional redistricting, there's a web site up from The Rose Institute of State and Local Government, a nonprofit institute at Claremont McKenna College that monitors the action in all 50 states. We linked to the NM page. Enjoy.

THE WINNER IS...

Congrats to Manuel Golden of Mesquite, NM for this pastel which won southern US Rep. Steve Pearce's Congressional Art Competition:


Angelina Jolie has confirmed that the coordinates tattooed on her arm are the latitude and longitude for Brad Pitt's birthplace.

Oh, yeah. Now you're blogging....

This is it--the home of New Mexico politics.

I'm Joe Monahan reporting to you from Albuquerque.

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