Join us for a New Mexico tradition, Election Night on KANW 89.1 FM and KANW.COM. We start at 6:30 and will have it all from DC to Deming--and with the exclusive insider info you've come to expect. See you tonight!

Who better to sum up the feelings of the nation about this election than retired CBS news anchorman Dan Rather who helmed Election Night coverage for decades. From Austin, the now 93 year old Rather writes: 

Save your sanity. A Washington Post headline Monday proclaimed: “The Election is Uncertain, But It Might Not Be Close.” This takes covering one’s backside to an art form. With equivocation like that, no wonder everyone’s so anxious and exhausted, spiraling in a vortex of doomscrolling. The point is, no one knows anything for certain.  

Besides the uncertainty there's the anxiety that this election seems to have induced more than most. The Atlantic reports: 

This year, Americans of all political loyalties are finding the election anxiety-inducing: A recent survey survey from the American Psychological Association found that 69 percent of polled adults rated the U.S. presidential election as a significant source of stress, a major jump from 52 percent in 2016 (and a slight bump from 68 percent in 2020).

Well, the anxiety ridden can always look forward to an Election Night party, if so inclined. State Democrats will host one at Isleta Resort and Casino for all their candidates, supporters and volunteers. The party's big names all plan on attending and presumably cheering a Trump defeat--at least in New Mexico if not the nation. They include: 

Senator Martin Heinrich, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, DPNM Chair Jessica Velasquez, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and NM House Speaker Javier Martínez,

GOP US Senate candidate Nella Domenici has been heavily promoting her Election Night Watch Party. She's getting a head start, opening the doors to the event at Hotel ABQ in Old Town at 6 p.m. Her bash has become the de facto party place as the state party is not having an official gathering.

If Nella loses, will she then turn around and run for NM Governor in 2026? Maybe she'll take the proceeds from the busy bar tonight and start a new campaign kitty.

As for yours truly we've known where we will spend Election Night for, well, decades--on the airwaves of public radio station KANW-89.1 FM and kanw.com. This is the tenth presidential election we will anchor  for the station.

So it's that time again, an Election Night that will have hearts pounding and, as Dan Rather says, so filled with tension that it will make your fingernails sweat. 

I love America--no matter how crazy it gets--and we're ready to go.

ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE

Rep. Hochman-Vigil

The thing about this Election Night is you can't wait for it to start and you can't wait for it to end. 

Voters yearn for a resolution of the months-long and achingly close (at least according to the polls) presidential race as well as the lengthy and advertising-packed congressional races here. Well, tonight is their night.

We'll launch our live, continuous wall-to-wall coverage on KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.com at 6:30 with the latest results from the presidential contest in the early closing states. 

Soon after 7 p.m.--when the polls close--a tsunami of early results will tell the tale in most of the key state races. 

That's when the heavy lifting of analysis and reporting comes into play and once again we'll have a powerhouse panel to dice and slice Election '24 as only political connoisseurs can do. 

This year it is a number of state House races that are the political enigma. We're bringing back three term District 15 ABQ Dem state Rep. Day Hochman-Vigil to keep you informed on how the chamber is shaping up for the next legislative session in January. She's an accomplished attorney who is an expert in aviation and space law and chairs the House Transportation Committee. She also has a degree in Italian studies and French Language. That could come in handy since figuring out La Politica can sometimes be like learning a foreign tongue.

He's arguably the state's foremost expert on election law. And boy, do we ever need that at our traditional roundtable tonight. ABQ Dem state Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto (District 15) has sponsored and written many of the laws that guide today's state elections. The attorney has chaired the Senate Rules Committee and is leaving the senate this year after three terms. His commentary will be a must listen for political junkies and maybe even a few civilians.

The song says "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone." And so it is with the liberal lion of the state senate, Jerry Oritz y Pino. He's retiring from his District 12 seat after five terms at the Roundhouse where his always active and passionate voice on behalf of disadvantaged citizens gives him a legacy that will be built on by new generations. Politically, the Senate has been mired in intrigue while the House has been the new muscle in town. We'll again call on Jerry to see how the arm-twisting will play out as voters put some new faces in place. (And we might even throw him a retirement party with chicharrones.) 

State Republicans have been in a dark tunnel so long they've developed night vision. Longtime GOP operative Jamie Estrada will join us again (as he did back in 2012) and is assigned to interrupt your loquacious anchorman if he spots any light at the end of that tunnel as results roll in. Estrada has been working feversily on this year's key legislative races as a PAC consultant. His Republican bona fides include a stint in the Bush administration's Commerce Department. He'll ceratinly get down to business tonight.

Abeyta

Sisto Abeyta has been around a while. He started hanging our at our Election Night broadcasts in the 90's when he was an aide to a state Senator. The Valencia county native long ago graduated from that role to become one of the state's most prominent lobbyists as well as a savvy campaign consultant. He prides himself on being a keeper of the historic flame of La Politica that will again burn brightly this evening. If need be, he says he'll burn the Midnight Oil to call every legislative contest. Hey, no pressure Sisto.

Robert Aragon was the second youngest person ever elected to the state legislature when he achieved the feat in the 80's at the age of 21. Back then he was a conservative Dem but then became a Republican who is a former chairman of the Bernalillo County GOP as well as a onetime First Vice-Chair of the NMGOP. The longtime ABQ attorney and his family (his dad was former ABQ state Rep. Bennie Aragon) bring a wealth of political history to the broadcast. And what's an Election Night if not history?

We'll have other special guests who will add their expertise to the mix as we again bring you the most up-to-the-minute results and the best analysis of New Mexico politics you will find anywhere (plus a lot of fun). 

We look forward to having you join us for this New Mexico Election Night tradition tonight tomorrow on KANW and kanw.com at 6:30 p.m. See you then.

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.