Wilson vs. Pearce
The no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners race for the NM GOP US Senate nomination rocked the political community again Tuesday as Rep. Steve Pearce boasted he is on the "verge of a huge victory" at the party's important March 15th preprimary nominating convention. Pearce, taking dead aim at rival Heather Wilson's money supply, pushed hard in a late afternoon news release:

"The convention...will shock the establishment in Washington, D.C. and open up new doors of support for Steve Pearce and his campaign for the U.S. Senate. The Wilson forces are spinning and demoralized while the Pearce campaign seems to reach a higher level every day."

County conventions to pick delegates to the preprimary just concluded and the Pearce forces can see they are on their way to a victory which will give him the top spot on the June primary ballot. More importantly, it will give him momentum to raise more money, discourage donations to Wilson and ultimately--if his wildest dreams come true--lay the groundwork to force her out of the race.

The Wilson camp is furiously spinning that Pearce was expected all along to win the preprimary by a huge margin, but that is not the case among the political classes of New Mexico or Washington. For the June 3 primary the case has been made that the conservative Pearce may have an edge because more right-wing voters tend to go to the primary polls. However, there has been no mainstream media coverage of preprimary expectations in the race, only back room speculation among deep party insiders. If the Wilson camp truly felt Pearce was going to pull off a victory, they did a poor job preparing the media, press, public and bloggers. Pearce is now taking full advantage.

If there was any betting line at all on the preprimary (around here, we bet on anything that moves) it was that the race could be decided by single digits among the 400 plus delegates. And Pearce knows it, leaving the field for him to shape. Pearce labels his expected victory an "upset" which is a stretch since neither Wilson or Pearce was the perceived front runner in the public or party consciousness. But that doesn't mean the victory won't be a momentum builder and money raiser when it occurs.

THE PEARCE TARGETS

The Pearce reference to the Washington "establishment" is a shot across the bow of forces at the Republican National Committee and the camp of departing GOP Senator Pete Domenici where operatives ardently support Wilson, fearing that Pearce is too conservative to carry moderate New Mexico in the fall. They have spread that word among establishment Republicans. Pearce's camp hopes that touting the anticipated preprimary win will begin the process of scaring off top Republican donors from feeding Wilson and preparing for a possible Pearce primary win. Wilson out raised Pearce in the last three months of 2007, after Pearce insiders erroneously predicted Pearce would top her totals. The Pearce campaign must be seething to see Heather out raise Steve by two to one in money from political action committees---the favored vehicle of the "establishment."

Both candidates are well-financed. However, Pearce has millions in personal oil-based wealth. Wilson is not wealthy. If Pearce can slow her cash flow, she would have nowhere to go.

Of course, if Pearce somehow failed to win at the preprimary it would spell disaster for him. Announcing the outcome of any vote before actual votes are cast carries inherent risk and demonstrates that the rule book is being thrown out as we fill the first open NM US senate seat in 36 years.

INSIDER STRATEGY

Pearce's likely win will be based on blow-out showings in the rural counties, while Wilson will carry big Bernalillo County. It is a classic rural vs urban New Mexican campaign. (Think Obama vs. Clinton recently) The first signs of it came last year when Earl Greer of T Or C launched a challenge to incumbent NM GOP Chairman Allen Weh. Greer claimed the party gave too much attention to the needs of Wilson and Albuquerque. Greer lost but performed much better than expected as rural county chairmen rallied to his side.

The release of the final delegate preprimary list was fortuitous for Pearce as he was able to predict his forthcoming win on the day the ABQ Journal front-paged his foreign policy slip. Pearce asserted England exported more radical terrorists than any country in the Middle East. It was what we in the biz call "a one day story" that didn't make much TV, but it came on the heels of Heather's assaults on Pearce over border security and the status of Cannon Air Force Base. Some operatives felt Pearce was starting to fall behind the curve in answering the ABQ congresswoman and think the preprimary victory prediction puts him back on higher ground.

Pearce's consultants are obsessed with staying on the offensive. Shortly after declaring, he conducted a telephone conference call with thousands of NM GOP households. Heather claimed it violated congressional rules. Then, in January, Pearce became the first NM congressional candidate to make a major TV buy. Now, he is crowing of a victory even before the votes are counted. Wilson has started to attack more frequently, but she has been unable to change the dynamic of the race in the early going. She will now step on the gas, but she has to make sure she has operatives on board who know more than react and attack politics. She must match Pearce's package of creative surprises. Sorry, Heather. I'm not available.

In the Pearce news release, the campaign mentions "a state party poll showing Pearce in the lead..." That is a reference to the poll we exclusively covered for you in which Pearce scores 38% of the Republican primary vote and Wilson gets 33%, It was taken in mid-January. Pearce's reference to it nails down our original reporting.

Republicans know that Pearce's conservatism does not bode well historically in a general election match-up with Tom Udall, But many hardcore convention goers and June primary voters are not concerned with history. They are voting what they believe. Wilson has their minds, but Pearce has their hearts. The epic battle for both goes on.

SETTING THE BAR

Some expectations for the Democratic Party preprimary convention, also to be held March 15th, were set on this blog Tuesday, when operatives for southern congressional candidate Harry Teague told us they expect the Hobbs oilman to finish behind rival and Dona Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley. They said that's because McCamley has been on the campaign trail much longer, but a McCamley operative bit into that one:

Don't you find it strange that Teague is trying to lower expectations so much before the convention? Many out there (yourself included at times) have been calling Teague the frontrunner, and yet here he is trying to push expectations way down...The fact is that Teague has been in the race since October, and he's had the opportunity to speak at every county convention. With all his money and the overt support of Lt. Governor Denish, he should be very strong...As much as he wants to play the expectations game, why shouldn't he be aiming for top of the ballot?

Of course, all of this is a carousel of expectations. After his first round of spin, if Teague comes in first he can make a bigger deal about it. If he doesn't, he has already lowered the bar.

Teague will have some ground to make up for not coming in first, but his front-runner status for the June 3rd primary is the result of other factors recently explained here, including that McCamley is outgunned two to one in the money department.

FREE RIDE ENDS
Lisa Torraco
It was good while it lasted, but the free ride for Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg is over. Unlike 2004, when no fellow Democrat challenged her in the primary and the Republicans failed to field a general election challenger, in 2008, Kari has drawn a GOP foe. She is criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Lisa Torraco who announced her candidacy Tuesday. (See her GOP campaign contributions here.) The 1991 UNM Law School Graduate has a fat target to shoot at--no, not the slim Kari--but the city's crime rate. Torraco says that "everyday 17 houses are broken into and every 95 minutes a car is stolen."

DA Brandenburg is seeking her third four year term. Whether you support her or not, a competitive election campaign is good for the city. Compared to past years, the DA's office has been under covered by the press. Torraco, who has taught prosecutions at UNM, seems up to the challenge of asking the incumbent to defend her long tenure. Brandenburg, the daughter of a former DA, has run an open shop and is herself a former defense lawyer. We look forward to some comparing and contrasting over ABQ's bedeviling crime problem.

BLOG COLLEGE CHALLENGE

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Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Steve Pearce knows the odds are against him winning the governorship. So why did the southern NM Republican congressman roll the dice at the age of 69 and give up his US House seat in what could turn out to be a quixotic bid for the Governor's chair? (Video here). Long time political consultant Steve Cabiedes offered one school of thought:

Pearce knows this is going to be rough sledding in a Democratic state but he is taking one for the team. If he didn't run the R's would be in a desperate position. They have no bench to speak of.  The Pearce candidacy will at least get out the base GOP vote and help protect Republican state House seats. Also, he could win. It would be like a lightning strike but such things do occur, if rarely. 

And, remember, Pearce is friendly with President Trump and Vice-President Pence. Perhaps they would put some salve on Pearce's wounds in the form of a role in the administration if he goes on to lose? Otherwise, he and his wife Cynthia have millions in personal wealth they could enjoy spending. Looks like a pretty soft landing one way or the other.

The Pearce move certainly does allow some dominoes to fall into place. Like Lt. Governor John Sanchez perhaps soon announcing a bid for the US senate seat held by Dem Martin Heinrich. And GOP State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn seriously eyeing the GOP nomination for Pearce's congressional seat, a seat Dunn once ran for. Dunn is the strongest contender of all the names floating, but in the hours following Pearce's announcement Monday, a top GOP operative described the positioning as "wide-open and wild and crazy. It will take time for it to settle."

"Wild and crazy?" Hey, we can live with that. 

Steve Pearce turned 71 Friday but there was no surprise party for the '18 GOP gubernatorial nominee. He didn't need one. It's been Pearce throwing a surprise party for the state as his candidacy defies the odds and remains alive as we head into the final two months of the campaign.

Democrats are scratching their heads over Pearce. The conservative congressman, often dubbed ultra-conservative, has thus far successfully defined himself as something akin to a moderate Democrat. He's done it through a campaign that focuses relentlessly on jobs as a solution to the state's economic and social crisis which he sums up with one word--poverty--a word rarely heard crossing Republican lips in a state campaign.

The message resonates as authentic and simple, qualities that for now bury his right-wing ideology that poisoned his 2008 US Senate bid which he lost in a landslide. "The "new" Pearce has figured things out and his Dem opponent, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, will now have to effectively unmask Pearce or risk a much closer race than expected.

While Pearce has an uncomplicated message, what is coming from Lujan Grisham is more jumbled, an array of messages that focus on various voting groups but with no unifying theme, except, perhaps, her own personality. "Michelle" now appears in large letters at the end of her latest TV spot.

The Dems have long seen this race as out of reach for Pearce so MLG has offered soft balls to keep her lead while Pearce pitches across the plate trying for strikes. The quiet center to center right where Lujan Gisham has been resting does little to generate enthusiasm or momentum. The bet is that's the place for her to be with her current single digit lead and with demographics and history weighing heavily in her favor. But sitting still also means you're not moving.

Pearce is also getting a break of sorts from a somewhat off-target negative strike financed by the Democratic Governors Association. It's a $275,000 ad buy that tries to paint the southern congressman as a corrupt oil boss. But the charges are old and previously vetted. And why did the DGA not just directly say they did the ad instead of some made up committee that Pearce is now using against them?

DELTA DAYS

As we've written, the ad buy in part is meant to preempt corruption charges expected to come from Pearce and the R's over MLG's controversial past ownership role in healthcare firm Delta Consulting. It received state contracts to run the high risk insurance pool. Another owner of the company, ABQ Dem State Rep. Deborah Armstrong, is MLG's former campaign treasurer (recently replaced) and sits on a legislative committee that had a say in Delta. At the least, the optics are damaging.

Can Pearce make more hay of this than her primary foes could? GOP consultants believe if he could force the Dem nominee to fumble on Delta and voters bought into the notion that the old right-wing Steve Pearce is really no more, he could squeeze out a win.

R'S STILL RETICENT

Pearce has responded to the DGA financed attacks with an ad buy of his own. His campaign says his buy is comparable in size. However, it's telling that the Republican Governors Association has not yet stepped up with an ad buy on behalf of Pearce.

While he has surprised over the summer, the insider betting is that the demographics come home to roost after Labor Day and Pearce will be unable to expand much beyond his base.

Not that he isn't trying. He came recently with a news conference on the troubled CYFD and the epidemic of child abuse that has struck the state since the economic crash a decade ago. In doing so he subtly attacks the credibility of his fellow Republican--Governor Susana Martinez--whose approval rating in the recent Emerson College poll hit a new low of 30 percent. Pearce said:

Installing CYFD leadership with real world, hands on management experience in the areas of child protection, abuse investigations, behavioral/mental health, and law enforcement. The culture of allowing problems to remain unaddressed until tragedy strikes must change immediately. That starts with proper experience and tough management at the Department.

That swipe at CYFD and the GOP administration that controls it is yet another demonstration of the "new" Pearce who goes where he has to as he works to appeal to constituents--in this case women--who appear solidly behind MLG. (Her comments on CYFD are here).

THE AUGUST WINNER

The big picture remains static: MLG is the front-runner and the favorite to win in November. The race remains "Lean Dem." Pearce is not a longshot, however, with a one in three chance seeming a fair assessment based on what he has done so far in a year when national GOP baggage is heavy and after 8 years of a GOP Governor now deeply unpopular.

MLG won the month of June on the heels of her primary win but Pearce sprang back to take July and now he makes it two in a row by winning August. Some key reasons:

--He was not knocked out. The Emerson College Poll, (right or wrong and we've written critically of it), has Pearce trailing by only two points, 42-40, helping him with fund-raising and voter perception.

--The Apodacas. Former Gov. Jerry Apodaca endorsed Pearce and his son Jeff continues to give MLG trouble on the trail. That gives Pearce some street cred with Hispanic Dems who have rejected him. Of course he will need a lot more.

--The aforementioned DGA attacks came because the Dems fear the corruption charges that have been leveled against MLG over her role in Delta Consulting. It's a defensive play. By this stage you would have expected the DGA to be presenting Pearce's conservative record as Loony Tunes. That will still come but Delta gave Pearce more time to continue as a "moderate" even if sustaining some mild damage from the DGA attack.

--In August, Pearce continued to promise something concrete to voters--jobs. That's a top two issue (along with education) in the state, according to polling. The MLG message continues to be less tangible and, most important, less compelling.

MLG supporters dismiss this as hogwash, saying the insider polling shows her moving and that Pearce is now in panic mode. Maybe. So. . .

Has Pearce, who would be the oldest person elected Governor in state history, peaked? Is his summer of fun about to turn into a Fall from grace? Dems think so but have learned that he isn't going to fall by himself. It's going to take a push.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

Garcia Holmes

That jobs message Pearce is hammering is traditional Dem territory and MLG and her running mate Howie Morales are getting back on it as they launch a jobs tour to all 33 counties of the state.

Howie Morales and I are starting our Jobs and Leadership Bus Tour to talk to voters from all 33 counties in New Mexico about our plans to create good-paying jobs, boost our economy, and expand our clean energy sector. Find an event near you here.

The GOP lieutenant Governor candidate, Michelle Garcia Holmes, is also on the campaign trail. Here she is in Hatch pictured with its famous chile in the middle of harvest season. In New Mexico it's hard to go wrong with those colors.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018

On the Hill with Pearce
Steve Pearce turns 65 this summer, but there's no fishing hole or rocking chair in his future. In fact, Pearce is as fiery as ever as we discovered when we visited the southern New Mexico Republican congressman on Capitol Hill recently. We played an hour long game of fast-paced verbal volleyball with him, bouncing from the banking crisis to the Spaceport to the funding crisis in the federal labs, especially Los Alamos. When all was said and done we wondered aloud if the passionate Pearce was setting himself up for another run at the US Senate in 2014 or perhaps someday for Governor.

"We only think two years ahead," he quipped. "We're seeking re-election this year and when it comes to politics that's what we will concentrate on."

It was a deeply dejected Pearce who walked away from the podium on Election Night 2008. Dem Tom Udall scored a landslide win over the Hobbs conservative who conquered the world of private enterprise by building and selling an oil service business, but was thwarted in the pursuit of a cherished political dream.

Still, if Steve Pearce is bitter, you would never know it. During a break in a hearing of the House Committee on Financial Services we threw fastball questions at Pearce and he fielded them with rat-a-tat responses that revealed the experience he has accumulated in his stints in the US House, first from 2003-2009 and then back again starting in 2011.

His voting record is the 36th most conservative out of the 435 US House members, according to National Journal rankings, but while others may see him as doctrinaire, Pearce does not. "I know you guys (the media) call me conservative but that's not the whole picture." he declared.

Pearce has a point. Coming at him from an independent point of view we found a number of areas of agreement as we got down to business and updated his views on a range of issues in a tiny anteroom adjacent to the grander committee room.

Pearce says the GOP has "got the tone all wrong" when it comes to immigration. He did not directly tackle Governor Martinez's obsession with the repeal of driver's license for undocumented immigrants, but you could tell he was not pleased that this has come to top the state's social issue agenda.

He has supported legislation to make it easier for businesses in the rural and agricultural district south if I-40 to attract immigrant labor and has hammered away at border security as well. But he has not burst into emotional flames over illegal immigration. For Pearce it's all business, nothing personal.

His hearty support of the NM Spaceport is welcome by voters of all stripes--he pointed out a framed thank you note on his Washington office wall that he received from Virgin Galactic chief Richard Branson. Pearce praised the project during Spaceport America dedication ceremonies last year.

Pearce, who served as an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam era, sees the futuristic project near T or C as a major employment driver for his district. When the Legislature failed to approve an immunity bill for the Spaceport, he took to the op-ed pages to blast the trial lawyers for killing it.

Governor Martinez stalled in supporting the Spaceport when she became governor but since has warmed up. Still, the inability of the administration to get a bill through the Legislature is worrisome. She gets another shot--maybe her last--in the 2103 session. And while Pearce takes pains now to support the Spaceport, the congressional delegation has not been seen working as a whole to support the project, even as other states begin competing for space business.

MIXED MESSAGE

Pearce's office seems to have some mixed messages on funding for Los Alamos and Sandia Labs, arguing that there are efficiencies that can be made to save money but continuing to maintain that they are vital to the national security. It's the Tea Party in Pearce that you can't take out of him (he is a member of the Tea Party Caucus). He warns that other states will continue to covet the high-paying jobs the labs generate and that keeping them will require"fighters" in the state's congressional delegation. He does not see the current Demociratic Senators--Bingaman and Udall--as falling into that category, even as he is careful to praise them personally. Asked if probable 2012 GOP US Senate nominee Heather Wilson--who Pearce beat in the divisive 2008 GOP Senate primary--could be that "fighter," he replied, "Maybe."

That's when we wondered if Pearce himself might make another run at the Senate in '14 when he would be 67.

PEARCE THE POPULIST

That powerful House Committee On Financial Services is Pearce's baliwick. He does not sit on other standing committees. The ongoing financial crisis has put him in the catbird's seat and Pearce is decidedly "Main Street" not Wall Street. It's a small-town populist approach that he says calls for holding the big bankers "accountable"and it goes back to his 2008 vote against the bailout of the banks which won him praise outside of his usual political circle. The way he railed against the sins of Wall Street during our sit down, we offered that he and his 2012 Dem opponent--Evelyn Madrid Erhard--might actually agree on the matter. "We might," Pearce deadpanned in response.

But don't get the idea that having some common ground with others means Pearce still doesn't have his famous edge and penchant for throwing out the red meat. He gives full-throated attacks against the "unreasonable enviornmentalists" who he sees as impeding economic progress in the mining and agricultural developments that are mainstays in his sprawling district. And his defense of the oil industry--the 500 pound economic gorilla of southern New Mexico--remains unabashed.

It is his conservative--some say ultra-conservative side--that endears him to much of his district while putting off voters in the other two congressional districts. It was his inability to bridge that gap that led to his 2008 Senate defeat and it remains his chief challenge in broadening his power base.

Since he made his comeback and reclaimed his House seat by ousting one term Dem Rep. Harry Teague in 2010, Pearce has set a peripatetic pace. He has visited the district repeatedly and broadened his message in intensity and propensity. His new position as chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus gives him the potential for a wider audience. His hiring of Capitol Hill heavy Todd Willens as his chief of staff is seen as guiding this change as well as taming some of Pearce's gruffer instincts, ensuring he does not become isolated from the political mainstream.

Being in the GOP majority in the US House surely energizes Pearce and engenders some bigger thinking. But for now he must await the outcome of the US Senate race and the fate of his old rival Heather Wilson. When the dust settles in November Pearce will then look about. He can complete his career as an engaged and driven member of the US House or take a gamble and again go for the more lasting impact that comes with ascension to the statewide stage.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

Thanks for stopping by this week. Reporting from Albuquerue, I'm Joe Monahan.

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• ABQ JOURNAL COVERAGE HERE
• LAS CRUCES SUN-NEWS COVERAGE HERE
• SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN & AP COVERAGE HERE
• PEARCE INTERVIEW WITH THE HILL; HOW HE TOLD HEATHER
  

Steve Pearce entered New Mexico's World Series of Political Poker Tuesday, anteing up a secure seat in the US House of Representatives for a seat at the table with Heather Wilson. The forthcoming battle between the two US House members for the Republican nomination for the US Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici will determine who will carry their party's banner into battle against the Democrats in 2008 and also decide the direction of New Mexican Republicanism well into this new century.

The Pearce announcement that he will vacate the southern congressional seat after three terms set off a scramble to succeed him. More details on that in a moment, but first complete coverage of the historic Wilson-Pearce showdown.

The early insider betting was heavy on the Pearce side, with the odds on the 60 year old southern NM congressman sure to come down when Wilson of ABQ rises to the challenge. She has little choice, according to the most astute political minds here and on the banks of the Potomac.

"She needs to put the brakes on Pearce. She starts off in the lead, but only because of her name ID. She is known throughout the state because of her TV campaigns. He is going to slowly but surely overtake her unless she does something to stop him.

"His conservative views are attractive in a primary. Candidates with firmly defined viewpoints win primaries. That's Pearce. Because she has had to please Democrats in her district, Wilson in many ways is an orphan in her own party," analyzed Democratic pollster and consultant Harry Pavlides whose involvement in state politics dates back 35 years.

Longtime New Mexico pollster Brian Sanderoff also raised the caution flag for Wilson, saying:

"Pearce has been a pretty conservative congressman who represents a conservative district and he could maintain that message through the primary."

HEATHER'S HAND

Wilson, a renowned political fighter who has scored impressive victories in her ABQ congressional district since first taking it in '98 and where Dems outnumber R's by over 30,000, faces perhaps her most daunting political task in getting Republicans to go against their natural instincts and not vote with the most conservative candidate.

"Maybe she moves further to the right to invade his conservative base. Perhaps she also argues that he is outside the mainstream," offered one of our Alligators gaming the race.

But many highly likely voters---right to life advocates, evangelicals and anti-immigration Republicans are going to be difficult, if not impossible, to peel away from Pearce, say top analysts.

They say Pearce will have no trouble turning in a landslide in his southern district. The question is can Heather pull off her own landslide in Bernalillo County and Rio Rancho where about 40% of the June '08 GOP vote will be cast?

Heather appears to need landslide totals in the state's largest county and suburbs because Pearce, an oilman from Hobbs, could be a favorite in the oil and gas region of San Juan County in the Four Corners where there is a large R population. She also faces headwinds elsewhere.

Pearce should have easy pickings on the east side, in Quay, Roosevelt and Curry counties. Heather should be able to battle him in Republican heavy Los Alamos. She also has a good shot at the R's in the Spanish north, but they are few and far between.

If Heather is unable to make inroads in rural NM it will mean an ABQ landslide or bust for her, increasing the odds of a Pearce win, but her supporters argue Heather's dogged determination is her best weapon.

"She has been in the lobster pot many times, crawled out of the boiling water and then dropped the other guy in the pot. Steve has not been in the crucible of combat like her," one Alligator colorfully commented.

EARLY ALARMS

The first inklings that Pearce could make inroads in big Bernalillo County came last December when R's aligned with Pearce supported Fernando C De Baca for re-election as Bernalillo County Republican Chairman. He held off a challenge from pro-Wilson candidate, Mario Burgos.

When Allen Weh was re-elected chairman of the party this year, he had to overcome objections from rural Republicans who charged that the party was too focused on Wilson and not enough on other office seekers, yet another sign of things to come.

IN THE GUTTER?

How negative will the intra-party battle royal get? Most opinion leaders we sought out predicted the race would start off relatively mild, but they worried about it getting personal and inflicting severe damage on both Heather and Steve. That, they fretted, could hand the Senate seat to the Dems in November.

The recent vintage of NM and national consultants has been vicious, running almost exclusively negative campaigns. If they turn on each other in this epic face-off, blood could spill on the rest of the GOP ticket, including ABQ congressional hopeful Darren White and whoever takes the GOP congressional nomination down south.

INSIDE THE DECISION

Insiders say Pearce was deluged with opinion on whether to take the plunge.

"I believe much of his decision came down to timing. This was simply the right time for him." Said one Washington insider familiar with Pearce's thinking.

"There was some discussion that his district could be changed in the redistricting of 2011, making it more difficult for him to to hold the House seat, but the major reasons were distinct. He believes he can win the primary and the November election and has the resources to do it." Said our D.C. Gator.

Those "resources" could total up to $2 million for each of our combatants in the June primary. Our finance sources say Pearce was also influenced to run by lining up support from the Club for Growth, a Republican group that gets involved in GOP primaries and comes down on the side of the conservative.

"They will be able to push large money donors his way. Their main concern is the tax and spend issue, and Pearce has voted the way they like," explained our reliable source.

That raises the question of what exactly will be the big issues in this first-ever primary race between two NM US Reps.

"I don't think Iraq will be as big of a deal as some might expect. I think the tax and spend issue will be the major focus," argued Republican Kurt Lohbeck, in the NM political game since '59.

While Pearce has been more supportive than Wilson of Bush administration policies on the unpopular war, Wilson has also been generally on board with the White House--to her detriment in a general election campaign--but not so much in a Republican primary.

BY THE NUMBERS

NM Republicans total about 354,000 or 33% of the state's 1, 077,000 voters. Anticipated turnout for the Pearce-Wilson contest is about 38% to 40%, or about 135,000. But it could be lower. Television ads will play an important role, but not a supreme one. Direct mail, phone trees, push polling, door-to-door campaigning and other grass roots activities will be critical components in this small turnout, high-stakes event.

Get out the vote efforts will also be key. If there is a closely contested primary to fill Pearce's shoes in the US House, that could boost turnout in his district and to his benefit. On the other hand, if Sheriff White goes unchallenged in the GOP primary for Heather's ABQ House seat, that could be a lost opportunity for her as she might benefit from the increased turnout a contested House primary would bring in her ABQ stronghold.

PILING ON PEARCE

NM Dems released a statement saying Pearce deserves to be fired not promoted because of his support of Bush-Cheney policies. Would he be the weakest candidate against a Democrat in November? Maybe. Maybe not.

If Pearce is locked in on the hard-right and unable to move near the center, pollster Sanderoff says New Mexico's moderate tradition will send Pearce home to Hobbs. Heather, who has already made peace offerings to Dems in the past, could be better positioned to pick up the 25% of the Dems an R contender needs to take a statewide race.

ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez's camp want Pearce as a Senate opponent more than Heather, thinking his conservative reputation will indeed doom him. And Pearce and Wilson both want Marty as their opponent because polling shows they have a decent shot against him. The R's remind everyone Chavez lost the '98 Governor's race to Republican Gary Johnson.

Speaking of Governor, the current one, Big Bill, sent out a teasing news release just 90 minutes or so after Pearce's announcement started moving across computer screens coast to coast. It urged Pearce to override President Bush's veto of the children's health care program--SCHIP--which has become a rallying cry against the President and Republicans. (What will Wilson do? Stay tuned.).

Was this the first shot in a NM US Senate race involving Big Bill? His fan club hoped so, but the answer will remain unknown, at least until late January or February 5th when the Presidential contest and Big Bill's fortunes in it are finally decided.

MADRID'S MOOD

Patricia Madrid played cat and mouse with your blog Tuesday, but we can't blame her much. She had told us last week she had ruled out a run for the ABQ congressional seat. But the former Dem Attorney General told us Tuesday while she has ruled out a run for the Dem Senate nod, she now has changed her mind and wants to leave the door open a crack for a run at the House seat she lost to Heather Wilson by less than an a thousand votes in 2006.

Patsy cited the changing players at the political poker table, calling the situation "fluid." We don't get the impression, however, that she is warming to the idea of another congressional run, but we note the mood change.

THE REPUBLICAN BENCH

The Pearce announcement wasn't a shocker, but neither was it as routine as your morning cup of coffee. It caught many R's off guard, and no big name possible Republican replacements for Pearce immediately popped up. But late Tuesday, several insiders dropped the name of Dona Ana County State Senator and Minority Whip Lee Rawson. Until he says otherwise, his name moves to near top of the list.

Also on that list is Socorro State Rep. Don Tripp, Roswell oilman Phelps Anderson, Sierra County GOP Chairman Earl Greer and restaurant chain owner Ed Tinsley. GOP State Reps Gray of Artesia and Bratton of Lea, also heard their names circulating.

Rawson, in real estate in Dona Ana County, has been in the Legislature 20 years. He has the profile for the district where the GOP "has the advantage," said consultant Pavlides.

Does Rawson want out of the Roundhouse and to take a shot at walking through the Rotunda of Capitol Hill? We'll know soon enough.

THE DEM SHAKE-UP
Cervantes
As for the Dems, the chief curiosity is whether Dona Ana County State Rep. Joe Cervantes gets in the Democratic chase for the Pearce House seat. He told me Tuesday he will "consult with advisers and pollsters" today as he weighs his move. He is the cautious sort, but has said previously an open US House seat would draw his attention. He would be the leading and so far only Hispanic in the race.

Former Dona Ana County Commissioner Harry Teague of Hobbs, perhaps getting wind of what Pearce was up to (his family is close to Steve's in Hobbs and he has contributed money to the congressman) announced he will run for the Democratic nomination just before Pearce's decision leaked.

Teague has big oil money, is well connected in the Democratic Party and therefore is an instant player. He joins Dona Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley and '06 Dem nominee Al Kissling in the primary contest. In Santa Fe, there were even rumblings that State Sen. John Arthur Smith, who lost to Pearce in '02, was looking at the open seat and the Dem nomination.

Insider Dems in the state's money center in Albuquerque report that McCamley could be hit hardest by the Teague entrance and the possibility of Cervantes coming in.

"Teague will freeze up the money to McCamley from the south and east side. He will try to starve him out of the race. He can't do that with Cervantes who also has business interests and would be expected to self-finance, if he has to. Kissling has no funding, and is now unlikely to make it on the ballot," analyzed our money maven.

ONE SHOT FOR GLORY

Getting on the precious primary ballot. That's the $500,000 or so question. The rules say you must get 20% of the delegate votes at the March pre-primary convention. Cervantes is a lock. Teague looks good if he is serious and spends. McCamley may need to come with more punch to avoid getting sidelined by the party powers who will argue the 29 year old will have another chance someday.

As for the November election, the Cervantes camp is concerned that the district does not set up well for an Hispanic victory. One has never won there. It could be made more Democratic at the 2011 legislative redistricting, but this is an open congressional seat, a near wonder. You delay at your own peril.

Cervantes, from a longtime chile growing family, would be favored in a primary with two Anglo challengers. He can still take it against a single Anglo challenger as the old New Mexico axiom that Hispanics win Democratic primaries has not been revoked. But the main event in November of '08 will be a bear of a contest.

A national Democratic tsunami would probably sweep Cervantes to victory. Without such a wave, resistance to the attorney in "Little Texas" in the east and south could be too rigid for him to overcome.

The GOP certainly hopes for that or a similar scenario. Pearce's gutsy decision to go all in means his party risks having no GOP NM US House members. And if the Senate seat goes D, they would be shut out completely.

PETE'S POSITION

The Pearce camp got cute and are calling themselves "People For Pearce." You know, like "People for Pete." Pete, of course, being US Senator Pete Domenici who has made the slogan famous since serving in the Senate since 1973.

Opinion is divided on whether the ailing Senate legend who announced his retirement and set off the political earthquake that is keeping bloggers and news types in alternate states of euphoria and exhaustion, will endorse Heather Wilson in her race against Pearce.

Such an endorsement could help galvanize support for Heather, but not as much as it did when Pete went for her in the '98 US House GOP primary. Today he is a lame duck.

Domenici may also hesitate if he thinks about when retiring US GOP Rep. Joe Skeen, also suffering from a degenerative disease like Pete, announced in 2002 that he was endorsing Ed Tinsley in a crowded Republican primary. But you don't see any "Congressman Tinsley" in your history books; it's Congressman Pearce.

THESE SPECIAL DAYS

Pete may or may not endorse, but no man can stop the future from being born. You and I are eyewitnesses to the beginnings of a new political era for this great state of ours. As when a child is being born, you are not yet wondering what the babe will weigh or whether it's a boy or a girl, you simply marvel at the miracle of the event.

Democracy is dancing uninhibited--on a crowded floor; the way it was intended, but rarely seen in our lifetimes. Like the birth of a child, it has a miraculous quality. We are free to choose. May it ever be so.

I'm Joe Monahan, reporting to you from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Pearce and Wilson
Before the kids go trick or treating, we should know whether we'll have an historic primary fight for the 2008 Republican US senate nomination. GOP southern NM Congressman Steve Pearce has told the D.C. insider publication "Congress Daily" he will take two weeks to mull over whether to join ABQ GOP Congresswoman Heather Wilson in seeking the right to succeed Pete Domenici, the state's longest ever serving senator who announced his retirement last Thursday, setting off political pandemonium never before seen in the history of New Mexico politics.

Since Heather announced her senate candidacy 24 hours after Pete's good-bye, speculation has centered on Pearce and how long he would keep the ball in the air. Conjecture here Thursday said that he could go as long as January before deciding so he could get a handle on whether Democratic Guv Big Bill Richardson would join the senate battle if his Prez bid sputtered. But the Congress Daily interview indicates otherwise.

Read this and read this closely:

Pearce said he would spend the next two weeks considering whether to challenge Wilson in the GOP primary.

"It's just a gut check. We'll listen to everyone," Pearce said, noting that the decision comes down to one thing: "Do you have the heart for the fight?"

He added that he has been discussing his political future with his wife and family, staff and supporters. He also..predicted he and Wilson would have a civil discourse if he runs.

"Each of us will talk about our pluses," he said.

He described his leadership style as inclusive, allowing him to appeal to the broader electorate.

"I'm very conservative, but I'm not limited," he said.

Wow! Is that Pearce actually looking like he's ready to announce for the GOP nomination and also preparing to veer to the center for a general election contest? Sure does. Trouble is there are a lot of conservative votes (think the Iraq war) that will get in the way of him moving the steering wheel. But that's a November issue, not a primary one where the R's like their red meat rare and bloody--Pearce style.

PEARCE'S TIMING

Pearce's interview will dampen speculation, but not extinguish it entirely, that he could keep his exploratory committee going longer than a couple of weeks. But a late entry with Heather already pounding the pavement could have a downside, reports one Potomac Alligator.

"You can't wait until the end of January on a what if. There's a lot of NM and national players that would back Steve but at some point soon they will feel forced to align with Heather if the alternative is not announced. Lots of people holding their cards but you know how it works, those that align early are remembered and those that don't aren't. Nobody ever wants to be left behind."

Meanwhile, Heather is on the move, too. Congress Daily reports former US House Speaker Hastert will hold a D.C. fundraiser for her and reports have Vice-President Cheney attending a D.C. fundraiser for her as well. That is a play for conservative support and keeps the pressure on Pearce, but it probably doesn't scare him. Sources close to the Pearce camp say the Cheney event was planned weeks ago and has nothing to do with the Veep showing a favorite in any Pearce-Wilson contest.

The Wilson camp is trying to spin that the current GOP establishment is behind Heather, but if Pearce runs they could have an insurgency on their hands that will rob them, their consultants and their favored lobbyists of power and position.

DEEP INSIDER INFO AND ANALYSIS

Being a fiscal conservative, it isn't surprising that Pearce would not like to have to dip into his sizable pocketbook to finance a senate run. The Alligators checking in here said Pearce was quietly putting out feelers to hire an ABQ based fundraiser, sending speculation into a fever-pitch that he is getting closer to running. As of the end of September, Pearce has about $600,000 in the bank; Heather about $750,000. Estimated cost of a primary battle could be in the $1.5 to $2 million range.

Our Capitol Hill operatives also report GOP House leader Boehner and GOP Congressional Campaign Committee head Cole are not encouraging Pearce to go for the senate. They fear, like many NM R's, a GOP rout that could leave the state with an all Dem congressional delegation. Keeping Pearce in place protects at least one House seat in the event of a Democratic Tsunami.

But Pearce, who my pros say would start as the favorite in the primary, seems to be inching in the opposite direction, forcing Wilson's hand.

"Heather must keep all the pressure she can on Steve to keep him out. She can't let up. Showing him the money is one way; getting solid commitments is the other. As you have reported, Pearce has a more than decent chance of winning a Republican primary featuring a heavy turnout of conservatives. She is starting her effort ot peel them away," commented another analyst,

Polls of GOP primary voters may not detect the conservative current beneath the political surface that would make a Pearce victory possible.

Another Pearce hole card is his money and the conservative support he can call on to reshape the race at a moments notice, ala Barry Goldwater. That may not be a winning recipe for a general election, but for a primary it would be potent.

If Pearce is serious. He must not hesitate. He must be prepared, if necessary, to write the check, and take the offensive.

Polling and praying are now at the top of the agenda for both Steve and Heather as they face the days that will shape the rest of their lives, and have no small impact on those in the state they serve.

DEALING WITH THE DEMS

In Donkey Land, the word was still whether Light Guv Diane Denish would take the mother of all gambles and join arch-rival ABQ Mayor Marty Chavez in a race for the Dem senate nod. The speculation was driving the Chavezistas crazy as polling shows she wins such a battle. They are also hearing that that Santa Fe's Don Wiviott, who appeals to liberals, would get out of the senate race if Lady Di decided to don the crown. Don has said he is in to stay, but anything can and will happen when you enter uncharted waters.

Chavez jumped quickly into the senate race, not waiting for polling or for the counsel of the Dem heavies in Washington who wanted to have input. Now that he is in, he can only spend time in the sweat box wondering what Diane will do, and perhaps later on, Big Bill. Denish could drag out her decision, like Pearce with Heather, inflicting further pain on her rival. But she is much too nice to do that. Isn't she?

PATSY PASSES

I caught up with former NM Attorney General Patricia Madrid Thursday as she was boarding a plane in Denver headed for ABQ and then on to see her mom and dad in Las Cruces.

Madrid told me she definitely will not seek the 2008 Dem nomination for the ABQ congressional seat, but she left the door open a crack for a run at the senate seat.

She will talk about it with her parents in Las Cruces, but is enjoying a new high- powered legal job and her time with husband Michael Messina. She has done polling, but is not sharing it yet.

MICHELLE'S MOVE

The Madrid news was good news indeed for the latest entrant into the Dem race for the ABQ congressional seat, former Big Bill Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham. So far, She is the only female and Hispanic in the race, joining ABQ City Councilor Martin Heinrich and attorney Jon Adams.

She made a good impression on the reporters that I spoke with who covered her afternoon announcement attended by about 60 supporters. She is 47, photogenic and a definite threat to early starter Heinrich who reported yesterday that he has about $200,000 in cash on hand, a respectable amount, but definitely not enough to scare anyone with determination.

Can Lujan Grisham, a native New Mexican, appeal to South Valley Hispanics? She started a play for the large Democratic female vote Thursday citing her concern that domestic issues such as health care and the needs of seniors are being neglected because of the all consuming Iraq war.

Attorney Lujan Grisham is already being criticized for micromanaging the Health department, but it's unclear how big a deal that will be in a congressional race in which how you vote and how you debate are much more of a litmus test than how you manage personnel.

And how about prominent Republican Edward Lujan sitting on the podium with Michelle? He's the brother of former GOP NM Congressman Manuel Lujan and a well-known businessman and community philanthropist. The Lujan's are cousins to Michelle on her mother's side. Lujan Grisham told me Edward Lujan was there as part of her family's support and has not offered an explicit public endorsement, but his presence spoke volumes.

Longtime Alligators were quick to point out that Edward ran for the ABQ US House seat in 1988 when it was vacated by brother Manuel. Edward lost the GOP nomination that year to Steve Schiff. Lujan Grisham will use her Lujan connection to appeal to Hispanic voters and also as a means to persuade Dems that she can appeal to moderate Republicans in a general election.

Remember, ABQ has had a female congresswoman for nearly ten years and it was an Hispanic woman, Patricia Madrid, who nearly toppled incumbent Heather Wilson in '06.

Yes, questions remain about Lujan Grisham's ability to raise money and her campaign experience, but her foes aren't brimming with cash and experience either.

What this means is that there is no front runner yet in the Democratic race to replace Heather Wilson. Don't touch that dial.

LEWIS LEAVES

I hope James B. Lewis sticks to his decision to not seek the Dem nomination for the ABQ congressional seat. Now, I have nothing against James--I've know the state Treasurer for years--but when you see this reader's e-mail you will understand my position.

"Joe, I owe you lunch! James B. Lewis called a few minutes ago to tell me that he would not be a candidate for the open congressional seat."

Yes, I bet James would not get in, and it appears I am in for a nice plate full of enchiladas at the Barelas Coffee House for my daring wager. So James, rest assured, you did the right thing. So don't go changin'.

Waitress, could I have some sopaipillas too?

A WIRTHY BATTLE

A worthy battle is shaping up in State Senate District 25 in Santa Fe. Dem State Rep. Peter Wirth says he will try to move up now that Senator Grubesic has announced he will not seek another term. Attorney Brian Egolf is also seeking the Democratic nomination and he welcomed Wirth into the race by saying he looks forward to a "spirited debate."

That will happen. Insider Dems say both these guys are "Grade A' candidates. And there could be more. I don't see a Hispanic name on that list yet.

MORE OPINIONS

What if Mayor Marty gets himself elected to the US senate? Who becomes mayor? The ABQ Tribune's Gene Grant points out it would be whoever is city council president on December 1, 2008, and that could cause a lot of hysterics. And if 2008 is a big Dem year, what is the future of the state GOP? Heath Haussamen, also writing in the Trib, kicks that can around.

The political events since last week have been so earth shaking that the New Mexican's Steve Terrell says reporters and bloggers risk running out of superlatives.

What do you mean, Steve?

The pandemonium, mayhem and chaos that has engulfed state politics is sure to be followed by tumult, confusion, commotion and a big hubbub. An uproar is predicted after further turmoil and anarchy.

There, that ought to last you guys a while.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Many of you have emailed saying that we're probably having the time of our life blogging the aforementioned political pandemonium. Of course, we are. But the candidates are also enjoying themselves, at least some of the time as they play cat and mouse with the pundits and bloggers.

For example, I emailed Light Guv Denish asking for a timetable on when she might announce her intentions for the open US Senate seat. I joked that I would like to know because I was planning a trip to Paris. Her response?

"When do you leave?"

Well, I set myself up for that one and had my timetable probe deep sixed. The way New Mexico politics is going, I won't be seeing Paris, Texas in the foreseeable future, never mind Paris, France.

But who needs Paris when you have the fall colors painting our Enchanted Land, not to mention politics for the ages?

If any craziness breaks out today, I will be here for you. Otherwise, see you Monday.

Keep us posted Email your latest news, political gossip and comments.

Home of the exclusives. Home of New Mexico politics. I'm Joe Monahan, reporting from Albuquerque...

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2007
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

We call call it a crime crisis and it is, but now it also feels like a spiritual crisis is engulfing the state's largest city.

In recent days another taxi driver was brutally murdered. This by a suspect who appears to be so far gone on drugs that he thought the driver was working for the Illuminati and was stalking him. Then there was the dispiriting Friday night murder of a 14 year old outside of one of the city's favorite family hangouts--a Dion's Pizza at University and Gibson. You would have thought the mindless violence would have peaked last year with the ghastly dismemberment and murder of 10 year old Victoria Martens, yet another drug-inspired descent into the depths of hell. But our community seems incapable of halting this death spiral.

In a surreal moment that Timothy Leary would have been proud of, the ABQ Chamber of Commerce gave Mayor Berry an award for upholding public safety, only to have it by followed by the aforementioned slayings. And it got even more bizarre when the Mayor devoted his full attention (and PR machine) to an argument about distributing salt at senior citizens centers and bragged of how the salt is back for the "seasoned citizens. Talk about turning tragedy into farce.

This other-worldly contrast with reality seemed to go beyond the usual deflection and fecklessness that has characterized this administration and propelled it into a conscious callousness, a lapse in basic morality that leads to the observation that the city has become a spiritual black hole.

Those expecting that the still-hidden ABQ mayoral campaign might revive the city's spirits and renew its hopes that this will soon end are still waiting. While not insipid, the eight candidates have certainly been uninspiring. And just as troubling is the seeming lack of depth to the platforms of those who would replace Berry. Add a disappointing lack of vigor and passion and you get a recipe for another low turnout election.

The heart of the campaign for the October 3 election lies ahead and perhaps there will be an awakening, but ABQ is slowly losing heart that the next mayor will lead a turnaround. But then our problems are beyond politics. Faced with a plague of crime and drugs that is sucking the soul out of this place, what we may really need is not a mayor but a priest or rabbi.

PEARCE PUSHBACK 

Reader and longtime Steve Pearce critic Greg Lennes of Las Cruces went to work here last week to debunk the claim from the freshly minted governor candidate that he struggled in poverty during his very young years. That brought pushback from Rep. Pearce's campaign and more from Lennes as well. Here's the Pearce take:

Claim from Lennes:: “It looks like his father and mother struggled but in reality in 1947 (when Pearce was born) that wage of $2.62 in 1947 would be equal to $29.65 in 2017.” (Monahan blog, 7/20/17)

Fact: In 1947, the year Pearce was born, his parents made $200 for the entire year. Using the same calculation, that equates to $2,245 in income for the entire year in 2017 dollars.

Fact: In 1948, after that year’s cotton crop was ruined, Pearce’s parents made $50 for the entire year as sharecroppers – the equivalent of $516 in 2017 dollars.

Fact: A 2011 study places the average income for the middle fifth of American families in 1947 at $26,548 in 2011 dollars. Using rough estimations, that means the Pearce family made about 8 percent of what the average family made the year Steve Pearce was born. (Source: Economic Policy Institute)

Fact: In 1947, the bottom fifth of American families made an average income of $7,808 in 2011 dollars. Using the same rough calculations, the Pearce family made about a quarter of the yearly income of the average low-income family the year he was born. (Source: Economic Policy Institute)

Fact: After finding themselves unable to provide for their family while working as sharecroppers, the Pearces moved to New Mexico. Steve’s father began working as an oil field day laborer, making about 75 cents per hour when he could find work.

Fact: After several years of hard work and moving around Southeast New Mexico chasing jobs and opportunity, the Pearce family found itself in the late 1950's on a five-acre farm and his father secure in a job with a major oil company earning $2.62 an hour.

And the Lennes response:

Pearce was born in 1947. So he had no idea about his father and sharecropping. When He was 2 years old, his father was already working in the oilfields in 1949 and had the money to purchase a farm in 1954 when Pearce was 7. His father, Melvin Pearce, had a good job with the Humble Oil & Refining Company/Exxon as a technician where he worked from 1951 until his retirement in 1984, plus he owned a farm.

It seems Mr. Pearce is inspired by his so-called poverty. However, he has been fueled by corporate money, scorns compromise and leaves New Mexico "house divided." Now this "humble" millionaire wants to be Governor?

Fact: Congressman Pearce is stretching the truth again. "After the war, Melvin returned to the farm, but continued to play ball for the Oil Belt League. In 1951 he began working for Humble Oil $ Refining Company/Exxon as an Instrument Technician where he worked until his retirement in 1984." Here is the obituary of Congressman Pearce's father.

Well, those may not be the final words on the subject but for today here is a final word from Anne Batson, chair of the Lea County Republican Party:

Joe. . . I did a good deal of research on Steve a number of years ago before I asked him to run for the State House of Representatives. He was born on a hardscrabble farm. His mother had to put cardboard up in the windows to keep the sand out. They started out with very little. His dad was a sharecropper when Steve was born, but that could not support the family. He found a job here in New Mexico and his mother worked her way from the fields to the classroom and eventually became a school teacher. Yes, they made $2.62 an hour – it took years for them to get there, and they supported a family of seven on that wage. Look at the picture of Steve’s childhood home in his announcement video. Does that look like anything but humble beginnings? Steve Pearce is a New Mexico success story. He worked hard, raised a family and built a business. It is sad that people want to tear that down. We should be talking about how to create that opportunity for more people.

PEARCE CAMPAIGN MONEY

Pearce is suing the secretary of state so he can use $1 million in his congressional campaign fund for his gubernatorial run. The reports on that have not brought up a possibility that we blogged about a while back and now reiterate from one of our finance Alligators:

Congressman Pearce can either give it to the GOAL West superPAC, which he has close ties to. That might look shady but is totally legit. Or he can transfer all of it to the State Republican Party and they can spend that money on his race. Federal law allows for unlimited transfers from Federal candidates to State Party federal committees.

So if Pearce were to lose in court, the $1 million could go to one of the above mentioned entities which could spend the money on behalf of Pearce. The catch? The PAC or the party would not be permitted to coordinate its activity with Pearce's campaign, although that prohibition has been only loosely enforced.

MONUMENT THREAT

Hey, what is GOP state representative and southern congressional district candidate Yvette Herrell doing in DC with Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke? Do you think they're talking about Zinke's talk of downsizing two major national monuments in the state--the Organ Mountains Desert Peak National Monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte Monument near Taos? That's a pretty safe assumption.

Herrell and Pearce both support shrinking the monuments approved under Present Obama. But the state's two US Senators are lobbying furiously to keep them as they are. Herrell confirmed on Facebook that the monuments were a topic for her and the Secretary:

In Washington meeting with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke about issues like Energy, Industry, Monuments and Parks that are specifically impacting New Mexico.

Zinke has said he will visit NM before he recommends any action to President Trump who will have the final say on the monument.s but no date has yet been set for that visit. Meantime, Herrell is gearing up for a tough '18 GOP primary in the battle to replace Pearce. She faces state Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn, Jr. The Dems have four candidates duking it out for their party's nomination.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Martin Heinrich has $3.1 million cash on hand for his US Senate re-election campaign not the $2.5 million we blogged in an early first take. The FEC report we linked to was the latest one posted but covered only until the end of March not to the end of June.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2017