Now that the legislative session is history (at least the regular session) attention turns to the rapidly approaching decisions on who will be the major party nominees for the June 1 special election for the vacant ABQ congressional seat and the contest for ABQ Mayor.

On the congressional front ABQ State Rep. Georgene Louis, a member of Acoma Pueblo, would seem to be a natural nominee for the Dems. If she won the seat she would be replacing Deb Haaland who became the first Native American to be elected to a NM congressional seat. But the long legislative session may have zapped momentum from Louis who is now making a final push before the March 30 Central Committee meeting where the Dem nominee will be selected. 

Haaland, now Sec. of Interior, has remained publicly quiet about who she would like to see replace her. That may have been a lost opportunity for Louis who might have been able to have Haaland at least give her a nudge, similar to what US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did for hopeful Randi McGinn. 

Louis, an attorney, is now in her fifth term at the Roundhouse representing the city's westside. She chairs the House Elections and Indian Affairs Committee.

The meeting of less than two hundred committee members from the ABQ district is turning out to be suspenseful. Guesses are plentiful but even at this late hour there isn't much certitude from the predictors. 

Meanwhile the Dem Party says the March 30 nominating meeting is not exactly that: 

GOP Central Committee members will meet March 27 via zoom to nominate their candidate. Elisa Martinez, Mark Moores and Eddy Aragon appear to be the leading contenders but less than 150 committee members make the decision so this is another hard to predict race. 

Aragon has attacked those candidates who have not registered with the FEC, saying they are not legitimate. But Martinez and Moores have now registered and the party says there are no legal violations. 

Aragon says the GOP, led by Chairman Steve Pearce, is in chaos and that Nike Kern, named executive GOP director only in December, resigned this week. The NMGOP website was down Monday except for a home page that says:

 We're building a New Republican Party Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. 

Aragon, a radio talk show host, is running an insurgent campaign against Pearce and the party while Moores and Martinez are party establishment figures. 

A reader informs that our blog saying the special election being set by the SOS for June 1 falls in line with the dates of regular primary elections. Not so fast, Joe: 

In the embryonic mayoral race, the major event thus far is that love tap Dem BernCo Sheriff Manny Gonzales received from the ABQ Journal Sunday. Gonzales is setting himself up as the main challenger to Dem Mayor Tim Keller and counting on GOP votes to help him.

The newspaper circulates prominently among GOP households and their front page embrace of Gonzales could attract those R's. Now if only Manny could figure out how to not alienate Democrats while working to round up GOP votes. 

Gonzales has filed paperwork but not officially announced a mayoral bid for the November election.

Keller has made his reelection run official, not that he hasn't had his campaign shoes on for months. At his formal announcement Monday outside of City Hall, he declared:

I believe our city is finally going in the right direction, and we must keep the course. It’s time we hit the accelerator and we do not go backwards.

The Mayor says his handling of the Covid crisis is his main achievement in his first term. But with the virus fading the city's high crime rate will soon take center stage in the campaign.

There are two newcomers in the running, progressive Nicholas Bevins and unknown Patrick Ben Sais. But they could have a tough time qualifying for the ballot. If it stayed a Keller vs. Gonzales race our Alligators believe Keller starts off with about a ten point lead, 55 to 45, solid but not overwhelming.