VP Pence and Chase

Given the divisions in the New Mexican Republican Party it was more than most expected. But Vice-President Mike Pence stepped into that breach during a Wednesday visit to Artesia, gladhanding with Claire Chase, who is expected to step into the race for the southern GOP congressional nomination, and giving worry warts to the campaign of GOP hopeful Yvette Herrell.

The VP officially was on a trip to promote a Trump free trade agreement but Chase, whose oil-rich family hosted the event at their Elite Well Services, was prominently seated between US cabinet secretaries Wilbur Ross of Commerce and David Bernhardt of Interior. And after she introduced Pence, the nation's #2 introduced Chase to the audience in a way that had insiders arguing whether he was taking sides in the coming primary battle:

I want to say 'thank you' to Clair Chase. . . She's the chairman of the New Mexico Oil and gas Association. She's an advocate for a growing New Mexico economy. . .Join me in thanking Claire Chase for her leadership, past present and future!"

The use of the word "future" is what got the eyebrows raised. Then there's that campaign-style picture of Pence and Chase (a joint wave not a handshake) posted on your blog. Only an Artesia roadrunner suffering from heat exhaustion wouldn't be curious whether this was a dumping of Herrell.

Or was it the innocuous explanation that he was simply playing nice with his wealthy hostess?

Herrell, whose campaign says she was in California for a fundraiser and did not attend, posted an old picture of her with Pence, a feeble effort to derail the tantalizing spin that Claire was Mike's new New Mexico gal pal.

Herrell supporters again raised the specter that former Gov. Martinez and her controversial political consultant Jay McCleskey were going to be players in Chase's campaign. That's what helped Yvette clobber former Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman in the '18 GOP primary.

Chase, 35, is expected to formally announce as soon as this weekend and bring with her the bank books of the Chase family which she married into. If her first check is north of $250,000 she will have instantly closed the fund-raising gap with Herrell as well as Las Cruces businessman Christ Mathys who is also running.

Lots of moving parts to this one. Stay tuned.

SPARING MARTINEZ

A blow to those hoping for an effective primary challenge against Rio Arriba area Dem State Senator Richard Martinez who was busted for DWI earlier this year. Freshman Dem State Rep. Susan Herrera is going to stay put in the House, saying that ousting an incumbent Senator is an uphill task. Maybe she should have left it at that because then you get this:

. . . She believes Martinez, despite his legal troubles, has done a better job representing constituents than did Rodella, who served for 26 years in the House before being ousted last year.

What does Martinez's performance versus that of Rio Arriba's Rodella have anything to do with anything? Well, nothing. It does tell you while the public is outraged over the arrest of Martinez and his refusal to take a breath test, the Dem political establishment is reticent to force him out.

That's just like the R's behaved when then-State Rep. Monica Youngblood got busted last year for DWI which, like the Martinez incident, produced a viral arrest video. When it comes to protecting their own the progressives and the R's are one and the same