That could explain the look on MLG's face as she eyes BernCo District Attorney Raul Torrez Tuesday when it was announced that an arrest of an alleged serial killer--also a Muslim--had been made in connection with the slayings.

She must have been thinking: "Can we please make this the last one for a while?"

Crime has been the ghost haunting the Governor as she traverses the campaign trial so a quick success in one of the state's most sensational criminal cases in years was a relief. 

But for any politician it's always what's around the corner in crime-ridden ABQ. One shocker seems to give way to another with dismaying regularity. 

Mayor Keller, presiding over what appears will be a second record-breaking year for city homicides, has already been through what MLG is undergoing. He sought re-election amid the mayhem of widespread crime in December of 2021 and emerged unscathed. That is a model she is surely studying as the Nov. 8 election draws near. 

The NYT offered in-depth coverage of the story. The full video of the news conference announcing the arrest is here.

One of the more bizarre aspects of the news conference was the endless self-congratulation and back slapping among law enforcement and politicos as they all trekked to the podium to offer high-praise for each other's efforts. The news conference, monitored nationally, took long minutes to get to the actual news. 

Yes, good police work but that is what we expect paying as much as we do for public safety, not a tone-deaf rhetorical celebration when it occurs. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will campaign for GOP Guv nominee Mark Ronchetti and Rep. Yvette Herrell in Carlsbad Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets and more info here.

At first the national media reported the rally would be in Roswell not Carlsbad. That info came from a spokesman for the Turning Point Action PAC that has been coordinating DeSantis' rallies in several states but the Ronchetti campaign--not the PAC--ended up sponsoring the NM stop. Herrell is now mentioned as a "special guest' with Ronchetti headlining the event.

As we pointed out yesterday, the appearence will help rally conservatives in the conservative SE counties but as we see from this meme on the rally from MLG's campaign, it comes at a price in Dem oriented BernCo where the election will ultimately be decided. Says her camp:

No fund-raising events have been announced for the DeSantis visit. If they happen, such events are often held quietly and quickly at such stops by prominent national figures. 

The Ronchetti take on the DeSantis event:

While keeping DeSantis out of the ABQ metro is necessary for the Republican contender and the distance is great between Carlsbad and the big city, in these days of social media the distance from the average voter is always close. 

Republican Steve Pearce carried Eddy County in 2018 against MLG--where DeSantis will appear Sunday--by 71 to 29 percent or 6,547 votes. But Pearce lost the state to her, 57 to 43 percent on the strength of a 62 percent win in BernCo, a margin of 58,000 votes. Ronchetti can take a day to enjoy Carlsbad but soon all roads will lead to the Duke City-- or, if you must, Burque. 

Since abortion has become a major issue in the '22 campaign this history of abortion laws in New Mexico will be of interest to those following the action. A sample:

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