Johnson responded in a tweet of his own that Warren is "pretty off-base on my positions, but it appears the national Democratic wagons are circling."

However as we blogged last week Johnson has advocated an increase in the Social Security retirement age to 70 or 72 and he has also advocated for returning Medicaid funding to the states rather than the federal government which would lead to a substantial reduction in money available for the program. And in his '16 presidental campaign Johnson indeed called for eliminating the federal minimum wage. 

So the energized left wing of the Dems is being urged to go all in for Heinrich. It's not always an easy sell.

Heinrich endorsed Hillary Clinton for the '16 Dem presidential nod, to the lasting chagrin of Bernie Sanders supporters. And the freshman Senator is regularly burned in social media postings from the left as a "corporate Democrat." But with only two seats needed to flip the Senate to the Dems in November it's all hands on deck for Heinrich, or at least Warren and company hope that's the case.

As for Warren, she is potentially a leading candidate for the 2020 Dem presidential nod. She is regularly scorned by President Trump who dubbed her "Pocahontas" because of her claims to have a Native American heritage. He continues to taunt the liberal whenever the fancy strikes.

The Massachusetts lawmaker has no natural connection with Dem majority New Mexico but she is making one with Heinrich by hitting Johnson and also sending out a fund-raising letter for Heinrich.

Meanwhile, Gary and Martin are playing nice, with Gary sticking to his longstanding principle of not waging a negative campaign against his opponent. The closest he gets with Heinrich is calling him a "placeholder." For his part Martin says he has had a number of meetings over the years with Gary and calls him "his friend."

It  will be up to Super PAC money or Republican nominee Mick Rich to break up that early love affair.

JOHNSON KICK OFF 

Johnson will be barnstorming the state and will kick it off with a Tuesday rally at 7 p.m. at the Hotel ABQ near Old Town.

CYFD DYSFUNCTION 

Dem Guv Nominee Michelle Lujan Grisham is out with her crime fighting platform. Probably the most important plank is the one dealing with the troubled Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). Yet another brutal rape and child killing--this time of six year old Ariana "Jade" Romero in Rio Rancho--has led to questioning about why the agency yet again had contact with an endangered child or their family and failed to intervene:

A spokesman for CYFD  said that the agency had not had any prior contact with (mother) Stephanie Romeo or Ariana, but the agency walked that back after more investigation. Henry Varela now says CYFD has since found an allegation involving the Romeos made in Carlsbad last October. It was screened out and referred to law enforcement because it did not meet the department’s criteria for investigation.

The story is similar in many other horrific child abuse cases that have plagued the state since the economy sank and the drugs spread. CYFD contacts the impacted families but nothing comes of it and murder follows.

The stakes don't get much higher for a Governor, although you won't hear Gov. Martinez utter a peep about the ongoing failed performance of CYFD. Let's take a look at what Lujan Grisham says:

We must reform and revamp CYFD, retaining skilled social workers and reducing the debilitating vacancy rate while building safer families with proven programs. Further, comprehensive interagency programs, effective monitoring, and smarter gun laws are necessary to stop domestic violence in New Mexico homes.

What she doesn't mention is the woeful leadership of the department and how it is in need of a proven professional in social work. Who would be her CYFD Secretary? Is she willing to launch a national search and go outside the state to find a leader who can disinfect the contaminated and lackadaisical culture at CYFD? Will she agree the state needs to pay that person $150,000 or more and give that new leader a half a dozen or more of their own appointments so the "reform and revamp" can truly be that?

Will the new Governor, whoever it may be, take the steps necessary to disrupt this "new normal" that has led to a wave of child murder and abuse? If not, what's the point of being Governor?

LATEST TV

MLG's latest TV spot seems a lot like the one that Republican Steve Pearce has been running. Both focus on  economic development. Hers is called "Runway" and has her reciting economic bullets ("fast track infrastructure, expand job retraining programs and make New Mexico a hub for international trade.")

One difference in the two ads is MLG's mention of the nearly $18 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund to "invest in schools." The fund already generates $800 million a year or more for the state's $6 billion plus general fund budget and that goes to public education and the universities, but it has been proposed unsuccessfully for several years that a constitutional amendment be put before the voters to increase the fund's distribution and devote the proceeds to very early childhood education. Lujan Grisham is supportive of an amendment. Pearce is not.

The latest TV again reflects the generalist and centrist campaigns that both major party nominees are running. Lujan Grisham is risk averse because of her polling lead and Pearce fears being pigeonholed as a right wing ideologue which cost him a 2008 US Senate bid.

THE STOKES CUTS


We said last week UNM President Garnett Stokes was "blindsided" when it came to the sports cuts at UNM. We were mainly talking about that meeting the Regents held to cut sports. It turned out it was a violation of the open meetings act and AG Balderas called them out on it. They had to redo the meeting and they did and again cut four sports from UNM.

The Regents looked amateurish and in turn so did President Stokes. Here's a reader on the inside who clarifies that Stokes was not "blindsided" when it comes to the actual sports cuts:

President Stokes is the driving force behind the reduction of sports. She was determined when she started the job to "clean up" the finances of the UNM athletic department. The Regents are just following her lead. Unfortunately, she did not appear to appreciate the depth of this community's interest in the very successful men's soccer program, nor did she make the right efforts to get the Legislature involved. It is the student-athletes that are suffering from these decisions. The smart and most fair thing for her and the Regents to do would be to delay any decision for one year until the Legislature and community have had a chance to help find a solution. I agree that she has had poor guidance, or has not listened to good guidance. I just wanted to clarify that she wasn't really "blindsided by the regents" as your item suggested.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018