Dems Pressure Moores On The Air And Ground As Last Full Week Of ABQ Congress Campaign Arrives, Plus: Keller Gets A Little Campaign Gift, More on That "McCamley Thing" And Big Bill Basks In Branson Turnaround

If you're tired of the political ads for the ABQ special congressional election, you're probably a lot more tired of those from Dem nominee Melanie Stansbury than Republican Mark Moores. Stansbury has been outspending Moores on the critical airwaves by a two to one margin since the campaign started in early April--$367,000 to $185,000.

Dems are also pressing Moores hard on early voter turnout, far surpassing their registration numbers while the GOP lags. Election Day is June 1.

As for independent Aubrey Dunn, you can't be too tired of his ads. That because after an ad run several weeks ago Dunn is mostly dark. Libertarian Chris Manning isn't on broadcast TV.

In the overall money race, Moores reports raising $595,000 but $200K of that is a personal loan. He had $126,000 in cash as of May 12. Stansbury FEC report shows she has raised $1.348 million and had $525K in cash. Dunn reports raising $95,000 but $75,000 of that was in personal loans. 

Also on the money beat, Moores is firing volleys at Dem State Rep. Stansbury, saying she voted in Santa Fe for a $50,000 appropriation for one of her consulting clients. But this being a citizen legislature, the charge is hard to make stick. Moores will take it to the State Ethics Commission.

Moores is having problems of his own getting voters to buy into why he hasn't yet filed a required financial disclosure statement with the US House Clerk, asserting it's because he is still doing his taxes. Stansbury's forces argue the state senator and co-owner of a Roswell medical lab could come with at least a partial report before the June 1 election. 

MAYORAL WATCH

Nicholas Bevins, the supremely progressive, self-billed autistic mayoral candidate has withdrawn from the mayoral race. That gives Dem Mayor Tim Keller a little break as he works to shore up his own progressive base. 

Bevins said on Facebook that he was getting out because he did not see a path to collecting the required 3,000 petition signatures to make the November ballot by the June 19 deadline.

Bevins left for the exits with no love to give Keller or his chief rival, Dem Sheriff Manny Gonzales. In leaving, he shined a light on a sore spot for not only progressives when he criticized Keller and Gonzales for advocating continued large increases in the city police budget while the crime problem goes pretty much unchecked. He refused to endorse either candidate and urged another progressive to get in the contest.

Mayoral candidates not attempting to get about $600,000 in public financing can begin circulating petitions to qualify for the ballot June 8 and have until August 10 to get the required 3,000. So far there are no announced takers. If none emerge it appears it will be Gonzales v. Keller alone on the November mayoral ballot.

The petition period for them is April 17 to June 19. The city has verified that Keller now has 91 percent of the needed signatures. Gonzales has 55 percent. The sheriff should get the rest, considering he's getting help from Republicans, as Keller's campaign is fond of pointing out, but he needs to step on the gas. 

As for the $5 donations needed to get the public financing, Keller has 67 percent of what he needs and Gonzales 46 percent. 

THAT McCAMLEY THING

Senior Alligator analysis now on the odd departure of Workforce Solutions Cabinet Secretary Bill McCamley: 

Kind of interesting how this McCamley thing is going down. It  reveals how MLG operates--once you are out of the MLG club, you are banished forever. Another politician might use the McCamley thing to flag the problem with the coarseness of politics these days and deflect from the issues at Workforce Solutions. Or use it to show you are human. But she acts like he never existed and not one MLG person has chimed in on his emotional Facebook posts to show support. Every Secretary that has left gets the cold shoulder. There’s a lot of cold shoulders up on that 4th floor. 

Bill McCamley, bundle up those shoulders.

VIRGIN FLIGHT

Richardson & Branson

New Mexicans have been jerked around so much by Virgin Atlantic and its billionaire leader Richard Branson for 15 years that when the company finally scored a coup Saturday and for the first time sent a manned test flight into space from New Mexico's Spaceport, many didn't know how to react. 

None other than former Governor Big Bill, who got Spaceport America near T or C and has since been ribbed tirelessly for starting a folly, was on the scene for the historic launch. If he's finally ready to celebrate, maybe there's something there:

It’s finally a great day after all of us taking a lot of heat — mainly me — over a period of time. But it’s happened. It’s successful.

Like many, we started out in 2004 as a big Spaceport booster but after years of disappointment joined the cynical side. Now after recently wondering if Virgin's space program should be merged with the one run by Amazon, Blue Origin, we are back to boosterism--at least until the next snafu. 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021