The six candidates for the Dem nomination for the ABQ congressional seat will be scrambling through the weekend as the quarter draws to a close and it will be time to submit federal campaign finance reports. Maybe those reports will give the political pros a better idea of where this race is headed because right now few of them have a firm opinion.

Part of the problem is the lack of public polling as well as the lack of any prominent personality in the pack. All are largely unknown to the public. That may mean TV ads play an even larger role in determining the outcome as voters finally get to see them, or at least the ones that can afford to be on the tube.

Supporters of Deb Haaland are citing her endorsement this week by BernCo County Commissioner Michael Quezada, who represents the South Valley, as a signal that the campaign of former US Attorney Damon Martinez is fading. They say that he has pinned his hopes on moderate and conservative Hispanic voters and Quezada's break to Haaland is a bad omen.

But that could be a bit of wishful thinking. Martinez reported over $300,000 in the bank at last report. If he hasn't burned through it and raised some more, he'll have a noticeable TV presence. Haaland and law professor Antoinette Sedillo Lopez are also expected to have significant TV buys. The other three hopefuls lag.

Whoever snares the Dem nomination June 5 might start celebrating early. The R's are not seriously competing in the district that is now as blue as a New Mexican sky.

IDALIA IS OUT

Lechuga-Tena

Hey, your honor. The law may have said you had to throw former Dem State Rep. Idalia Lechuga-Tena off the June primary ballot, but we wanted to let you know the decision is bad--real bad--for the blogging business. Heck, everyone in town knows that Idalia and Debbie Sariñana, the current state rep for ABQ SE Heights District 21, were prepared to give us a race nearly as entertaining as this week's debut of "Roseanne." Well, there go our ratings. The news:

Lechuga-Tena was booted off the ballot by a judge after she acknowledged she’s been living outside the House district she wants to represent. Lechuga-Tena testified that she is renting out the home she owns in District 21 to another family. But she said the house is still her permanent residence because she’s registered to vote there, lived there before agreeing to rent out the house for a year and intends to move back once the renters leave in about 10 days.

Nice try. But Judge Nancy Franchini found that argument weaker than watered down Jack Daniels and off the ballot Idalia went. She will appeal but that's a long shot. There will be no rematch of the '16 primary when Sariñana beat her by five points.

So supporters of Rep. Sariñana not only congratulate her for her court victory but for essentially getting re-elected. No one else is running in the Dem primary and no Republican filed for the race. That's what you call two free tickets to ride.

Still, Judge, try to not hurt us small business owners too much with future decisions. We could have used that showdown.

SAMANTHA'S SWITCH

Judge Madrid (Sun-News)

It seems as though Doña Ana County Magistrate Court Judge Samantha Madrid might have a pretty good case to get back on the ballot. She is a lifelong Dem but in a strange turn she ended up being registered as an independent:

A lawsuit says she was disqualified from running as the Democratic candidate in her re-election bid because her voter registration lists her as an independent. But Madrid said she is a life-long Democrat and has never changed her affiliation.