In one hour Donald Trump may have reshaped the state's political dynamic. His calling out of Gov. Martinez's handling of the distressed economy here blew a hole in her "all crime all the time" agenda which she hopes to use to keep the state House under GOP control.

It is a big break for the Democrats who can now say, "Even your own presidential nominee attacks your job performance." Of course, the tepidness of the Democrats in dealing with Martinez is nearly legendary so we'll see how they play it but if they were ever handed a gift this is it.

One Democrat gets it. Daymon Ely, who faces a tough challenge in trying to unseat GOP State Rep. Paul Pacheco, came with this:

Given that the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, is claiming that Governor Martinez is ineffective at improving our economy, I ask Representative Pacheco, do you agree with Trump that Martinez has failed to create good jobs and increase revenue for our state? Or do you side with the Governor and believe that the next leader of your Party is wrong about her claim that our economy is improving and heading in the right direction?”

Nothing about crime there and jobs still polls as the #1 issue. The irony is supreme that it is Republican Trump who is outing the economic issue. It's almost as ironic as the Governor saying she won't be "bullied" into endorsing him. That statement comes on the heels of her favored GOP national committeeman candidate--Pat Rogers--being ejected from his post by Harvey Yates. Why? Because the Guv's machine bullied Yates and many other state Republicans.

The WaPo comes with two pieces on Trump and Martinez. The first is a rare exploration of her record and how it relates to whether or not she deserves to be called "a rising star" of the GOP. When they start asking whether you are, well, you aren't.

Along those lines longtime pundit Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia tweets:

(@LarrySabato) 5/25/16, 6:20 AM If you saw Trump's attack on Gov. Martinez last night in NM, you know why the Crystal Ball didn't include her in our list of possible VPs.

The other article is 7 reasons why Trump's bashing of Martinez was politically harmful to Trump. It is filled with the usual conventional bromides on why Trump erred in his attack, but how many of these pieces have we read about him and that have proven to be over thought?

WILL SHE?

Will Martinez eventually endorse Trump and succumb to what her office calls his bullying? Could she make some kind of deal with him and reap some benefits? The chaos in the streets over his visit here makes it politically untenable for now. It is just too hot to handle. But we don't see Martinez and Trump in a warm embrace during the campaign. And short of such a public demonstration you have to wonder how much her endorsement is worth.

If anything, Martinez has been given an excuse not to endorse or simply say she will "support the nominee." That preserves her worth on the national scene in the context of someday being able to make paid speeches about being the first Hispanic woman elected governor and sitting on company boards for lucrative paychecks.

SANCHEZ AND BERRY

The Trump attacks on Martinez may be a future problem for Lt. Governor Sanchez and ABQ Mayor Berry, both whom are aligned with her and harbor gubernatorial ambitions. The Trump wing of the GOP is not necessarily their friend now. Like Martinez, they boycotted the rally.

Sanchez has begun trying to separate himself Martinez, but posting a few things on Facebook doesn't cut it. Berry remains closely aligned with her.

The beneficiary of the Trump assault is southern GOP Congressman Steve Pearce, a leader of the GOP's anti-Martinez forces who has said he will support Trump (although bizarrely he says that's not an endorsement).

GOP ON 'RIOTS"

Well, there weren't riots at the Trump recent, but for the purposes of the NM GOP they were:

. . . We're pleased that Trump has visited our state and recognizes the importance of New Mexico's votes. The riots funded and organized by far-left agitator groups like ProgressNow New Mexico reflect poorly on our state. The Democrat Party of New Mexico should be ashamed to have supported their efforts. We cannot reward their violent behavior and will stand in unity against their disruptive and unproductive actions."

It's true the national news coverage of the downtown violence reflects poorly on the state. It sure isn't going to help Martinez get jobs in here and all those off the food stamp rolls that Trump blamed on Martinez.

THE TIA SOPHIA DEBATE

The Wednesday blog rolls on with this question: What in the name of socialism was former President Bill Clinton doing by debating a young Bernie Sanders supporter for

TRUMP PREDICTIONS

The unpredictable candidacy of Donald Trump continues to draw unpredictable predictions. For example, state political analyst and Dem Greg Payne went out on the limb following the Trump ABQ rally and predicted New Mexico will be "in play" for the Republican hopeful this November. That means he thinks it will be competitive and fought for, not conceded to Clinton.

Now along comes veteran politico and radio talk show pioneer Mike Santullo--an independent--who goes way out on the limb and predicts a stunner, saying Trump will actually win the state:

It's because of what happened downtown Tuesday night. Because of that rowdy protest his supporters are now more dedicated and determined than ever. They will come out in big numbers and the Democrats will lose. Mark my words...

We are indeed marking those words, Mike, in this, the wildest of presidential elections.

NO PRANK?

Response now to that flyer we ran on the blog this week that showed ABQ Dem State Rep. Christine Trujillo actually endorsed her primary opponent, Chris Berkheimer, when he ran for state senate in 2004. We called Berkheimer's circulation of the flyer a "prank" but John Donalds and other Berkheimer supporters don't see it that way:

The portion of this story that you neglect to report is Rep. Christine Trujillo's use of Trump-like language, turning this primary nasty against Chris Berkheimer. Trujillo should have represented her constituents and not neglected 3/4 of House votes and 1/3 of its days. This is the prank that was pulled on New Mexicans. The mailer is merely reminding us what Rep. Trujillo knew in 2004 that Chris Berkheimer was, as he is now, a hard working champion for New Mexico. His politics are no prank.

Trujillo did not respond to an inquiry for comment.

What a week, kids.

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