Bob Godshall

Republicans have tapped retired ICE agent Bob Godshall to fill the shoes of longtime ABQ NE Heights State Rep. Larrañaga, and they say they are confident that the pick will help them keep control of the heavy R and Anglo district come November.

Godshall, 62, was tapped by the Bernalillo County GOP Central Committee Sunday to replace Larrañaga who withdrew his candidacy last week citing family health reasons. He was first elected to the House in 1994 and was its third longest serving member.

Godshall, a native of Philadelphia, beat out former GOP State Senator Lisa Torraco and attorney Brian Williams to win the nomination. He will face off with Democrat and retired doctor Bill Pratt in the general election.

Pratt ran in the district in 2014 as an independent candidate and lost by a 60 to 40 margin against Larrañaga. In 2016, Larrañaga dispatched a Dem opponent by a similar margin.

Godshall tells me his top priority, if elected, would be to make NM more business friendly. "I hear that concern from many of my friends."

Godshall says he has been a partner in a local Brewery but is discontinuing that relationship after what he says was a "business disagreement."

His background in immigration, he said, would be useful in Santa Fe but he is not going to make that the main driver of his candidacy.

Godshall cites as a role model former ABQ GOP State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones who is the GOP nominee this year for the ABQ congressional seat. Arnold-Jones has tangled with Gov. Martinez and while Godshall says he has no quarrel with the Governor the assumption that he is not part of her political machine is correct.

Insiders had floated the names of former GOP State Rep. Teresa Zanetti and her husband former NM politico Greg Zanetti as possible replacements for Larrañaga. But it was determined before the central committee meeting that Greg Zanetti had moved into the district after the election proclamation and was not eligible to run. Teresa Zanetti says she did not pursue a candidacy because she has resumed her teaching career.

THE HAPPY WARRIOR

We've nicknamed Brian Colon the state's "Happy Warrior" because of his nonstop and upbeat campaigning for whatever office he may be seeking at the time, but judging by social media we may also have to award him the title of "Most Photographed Man In New Mexico." And it seems 90 percent of his ubiquitous photos are taken by the Democratic state auditor candidate himself. Here he is snapping his umpteenth campaign selfie, this time with Dem Guv nominee Michelle Lujan Grisham and obviously enjoying every second of camera time.

Well, after failed runs for lieutenant governor and ABQ mayor, the ABQ attorney no longer has to force the smile. He is the front runner and favored to defeat appointed Republican State Auditor Wayne Johnson come November. But Johnson is also no slouch in the campaigning department. and the former BernCo Commissioner is running an aggressive auditor's office and making headlines along the way. If anyone can wipe the smile off Brian's face, it might be him. But for now New Mexico's Happy Warrior is preparing for the ultimate photo op--the winner's circle on Election Night.

AT THE MOVIES 

The holiday weekend is not quite over and reader Eric Lucero is spending it at the movies. Here's one he thinks worthwhile and that has a bit of a NM touch.

Alpha (PG-13) ****1/2 Stars out of 5---Dog lovers and the curious alike may think that “Alpha” is merely a cleverly re-packaged “Boy and His Dog” story. It is not! It will pull at your heartstrings and have you reconsider what you thought of our shared past.

Through deft story-telling, augmented by great performances and stellar IMAX 3D  cinematography, "Alpha" makes for a historically moving adventure film based on the known archaeological and genetic record of Europe 20,000 years ago.

“Alpha” tells the coming of age story of Keda, the Cro-Magnon tribe’s lost hero, and Alpha in the title role as they struggle together to survive. The film's secondary mission is to offer a realistic view of our ancestors’ daily lives and an explanation of how and why man’s best friend became the dog. This chance bonding probably saved both species from Ice Age extinction and changed the history of life on the planet.

The successful fashioning and use of the flint arrowhead is central to the film’s storyline and the fictional tribe it portrays. That history leads to New Mexico via the discovery of flint arrowheads and human remains near Clovis, NM in the 20's that rewrote history.  Clovis Man migrated to our state via the Siberian/Alaskan land bridge and his culture became the forerunner of that of the Navajo and Apache peoples.

“Alpha” was primarily filmed on location in Canada and Iceland, but there is a smattering of visual landscapes credited to the NM film industry.

You will appreciate seeing this film in 3D. Both Oscar and the Golden Globes should reward this gem.

THE BOTTOM LINES

Finally, a note on the really important stuff this Labor Day. What's up with the big change in salads at ABQ's Dion's? Here's the answer.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018