Sometimes mystery candidates pop up out of nowhere for high political office. Here's an example.

He has an impressive background but so far thirtysomething Paul Moya has gained absolutely no traction in his race for the Democratic nomination for the ABQ US House seat. You may not even know he is running, as he has flown well below the radar. However, he did surface this week with a newspaper op-ed in which he supported banning assault weapons.

His website describes him as "a 4th-generation agriculturalist who grew up in this District on his family’s alfalfa farm" in Valencia County. It further states he is a grad of Notre Dame and Harvard and "is also a small-business owner and CEO of Millennial Labs--a full-service consulting firm that has impacted leaders from organizations ranging from Acura to the US Department of Defense."

In the past he has marketed himself as a motivational speaker and charged for his appearances but he has had trouble motivating his party. At the March Dem preprimary convention Moya finished last in a field of six candidates. There does seem to be some potential there--if voters knew about him.

HAALAND CASH SURGE

It appears Deb Haaland, the frontrunner for the ABQ congressional nomination, has blown the doors off when it comes to first quarter fund-raising. And she wasted no time getting the word out.

The reports for the January-March period are not officially due until the middle of the month, but Haaland's campaign wants it known that it has apparently set a new quarterly record for the seat by raising $296,000. And Haaland has improved her cash position, reporting $345,000 on hand. She had taken some hits about the "burn rate" of her campaign but she appears to have shored things up and will be able to finance a major TV buy.

The campaign says it raised $192,000 in March alone. That's the month she won a solid, if not overwhelming victory, at the preprimary convention, and was also featured in a New York Times article about her quest to become the first Native American woman to win a US House seat.

Antoinette Sedillo Lopez has been chasing Haaland and has been the fund-raising leader, reporting at the end of the year that she had $347,000 in cash on hand. For now Haaland has nearly caught her in cash on hand, but Sedillo Lopez may widen the gap a bit when she files her report.

Former US Attorney Damon Martinez is the third major player. He reported $322,000 in cash at the end of the year and will probably increase that number when we see his report. But Haaland says her internal polling has Martinez back in the pack, with Sedillo Lopez in second place.

What it all means is that this trio will be the candidates whose faces are in front of the public via paid media in the final weeks leading up to the June 5 primary.

GUV STANDING 

In the Dem race for Governor, the insider numbers making the rounds have Michelle Lujan Grisham getting over half the vote in the June 5 primary. She scored 67 percent at the preprimary. Jeff Apodaca is running second, as he did at the preprimary, and Joe Cervantes is third.

SAM'S BLOG 

We knew former ABC newsman Sam Donaldson had retired to New Mexico but we didn't know he was also blogging. He is and his blog is here. However, don't look for coverage of NM. He concentrates on the national scene he is so well acquainted with. And there's no blog shilling for Dem Guv candidate Jeff Apodaca who Sam has endorsed and also narrated some campaign ads for.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Retired Las Cruces District Court Judge and U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe H. Galvan, 84, died on March 25 in Corrales, his family members announced this week. . .

Did you know that 1 out of 40 New Mexicans is now using medical marijuana. That's 50,000 to be precise. About half of them get the cannabis prescription to cope with post traumatic stress disorder. Many of you who have followed New Mexico politics for more than ten years may have PTSD. Let us know if your medical marijuana app is approved.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018