Chavez & wife
Insiders say it's for real. A Chamber of Commerce backed group is going all-out to take out two high-level New Mexico judges. Sources report the group purchased at least $120,000 of TV advertising and it will start hitting the airwaves today. In the Chamber's sights is Supreme Court Justice Ed Chavez and NM Court of Appeals Judge Michael Vigil.(See Friday's blog) Both are Democrats. Ned Fuller is the R seeking the State Supreme Court seat and Paul Barber, former State Rep, is seeking the Court of Appeals job for the R's. They have little campaign money of their own, but observers say this TV buy could make things at least interesting, particularly the Vigil seat.

Chavez already has a pretty heavy TV buy up that explains why he is an "activist" judge, a charge he apparently expects from the Chamber group. The Chamber has financed millions of media in different states in its ongoing war with trial lawyers who they see as driving up they cost of doing business through faulty court rulings.

EATIN' CHILI, TALKIN' POLITICS
Shrum
I had a chance meeting with one of the top political speechwriters in the country over the weekend when I ran into Bob Shrum, also one of Kerry's most senior political advisors. The Bostonian was enjoying some red chili at the famous Frontier Restaurant across from UNM in ABQ. He was fueling up before heading to Santa Fe to assist Kerry in preparing the senator for his final debate on Wednesday. Shrum told me the Kerry camp sees NM as "a close state," meaning the deal has not yet been sealed here. Kerry will be in Santa Fe for a couple of days doing debate prep.

Shrum may be most celebrated among political junkies for the hand he had in the famous Senator Kennedy concession speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. He has advised a series of Dem Prez candidates since, but a victory has proved elusive. Kerry offers the wordsmith and 61 year old political tactician one more shot at the Brass Ring.

THE WORLD WIDE WHAT?

Despite the appeal it has to young voters, both R Heather Wilson and Dem Richard Romero have passed up the Internet as an effective campaign tool. Their web sites are stale, infrequently updated and treated as an afterthought. Only this weekend, after Romero's ad linking her to poor airport security started to take a toll, did Heather update her site. And Romero's last posted news release is from August. He has posted a few of his TV ads. Both of the hopefuls for the ABQ Congressional seat are missing an opportunity and a boatload of folks who like their info on politics over the Web. But this pair act more likes its 1994, not 2004.

LA POLITICA GOES WORLDWIDE

CNN will explore the world of New Mexico politics and the Prez race in a special one hour broadcast of "Anderson Cooper 360" at 5 p.m. New Mexico time today. (7 p.m. Eastern). I have been tapped to do one of the segments and will appear during the hour special along with other political junkies, including Big Bill. So make sure to tune in as New Mexico goes into the national spotlight live from the Santa Fe Plaza on CNN (Not CNN Headline News) today at 5 p.m.

Make our site, WWW.JOEMONAHAN.COM, one of your favorites and e-mail a link to interested friends. Want to advertise to NM's large political community? E-mail me from the top right of this page, or call 505-243-4059 for details.

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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