HEATHER WILSON
Look for Democratic Congressional candidate Richard Romero to team up with the liberal political consulting firm Soltari as he embarks on a difficult quest to unseat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson. Sources close to the campaign say Soltari is coming aboard, but Eli Lee, president of the outfit, says only that a "a deal is in the works."

Soltari is coming off of a couple of city council wins in the ABQ October election. It has been associated with liberal and ultra-liberal candidates. Romero does not fit either mold. The ABQ state senator is in fact known as a moderate who got the Senate President Pro Tem position by forming a coalition with senate Republicans to oust liberal Manny Aragon from the post. (Aragon, friends say, is no big fan of Soltari, and is supporting Eli Chavez over his old nemesis Romero) But Romero, who was a Republican long ago, has a fight for the nomination. While putting aside the liberal ideology of Soltari, he will utilize their ability to get into the grassroots to make sure he is not threatened by two rivals, emergency room doctor Miles Nelson and former DEA agent Eli Chavez. Romero is the odds-on fave to win the Dem nomination as he did two years ago, but Soltari, the thinking goes, will come in handy in a low-turnout primary. If Soltari cuts a deal with Romero, Lee will be stepping it up a notch. Until now, the firm has been used by candidates seeking lower level office such as city council.

If Romero wins the June nomination, the complexion of the campaign could switch again. The national Democratic party is partial to having their own consultants on board once it starts pouring cash into a congressional race. Of course, Romero is hoping that the big bucks will indeed flow. He was handily beaten by Heather in 02' and so far she shows no signs of cracking.

DEAN TV: IT'S LIKE MCDONALD'S

Several readers have asked: What's with those Dean ads being seen across the Land of Enchantment? One wrote "they're like McDonald's, the same everywhere. It's true you won't see a chili ristra or even an enchilada in any of Dr, Dean's ads currently jamming New Mexico airwaves. Why not make mention of New Mexico and the February 3 caucuses that will be held here for the Dem Prez contenders?

Well, you no doubt will be seeing "New Mexicanized" ads, but right now the Dean campaign is apparently happy just building up name ID. Actual voting in the caucuses will not start until the beginning of the year, but requests for absentee ballots will be taken at the Democratic party beginning Tuesday. Also, the Dean campaign doesn't have to worry much about what it puts on the tube right now because any TV beats that of his rivals. Dr. Dean, who will be at Roberto's restaurant in Las Cruces Tuesday, is the only one of the nine hopefuls even on the air here. That Las Cruces visit, coming on the first day Dems can ask for an absentee caucus ballot, will give the Vermont governor a chance to ask NM Democrats to request those ballots and vote for him and he won't have to pay anything to get that message out. The 'free media' will be readily available to do that.

One other note: Dean lucks out that his TV messages currently running make no mention of Iraq or Hussein. Considering this weekend's developments that is a nice piece of good luck.

COACH MCKAY: THE CAMPAIGN OF HIS LIFE

You've seen the stats. The basketball Lobos are losing and the gate is crashing. Attendance at the games is down a whooping 25% from five years ago. But it's not just the Lobos losing streak that's keeping the fans away form the famous ABQ arena, know fondly as "The Pit." Sportswriter Jimmy Trujillo, using ink in the Santa Fe New Mexican, says the Lobos are facing stiff competition from other entertainment, not to mention fan interest in Lobo football, which he says is taking fans from basketball. Also giving Lobo ticket-counters headaches is the advent of big-time casino gambling, additional concert venues, and more and better restaurants.

ABQ used to be a sleepy burg with the Lobos the only game in town. But as the area blossoms into a major metro, even once-sacred institutions like the Lobos can find themselves under the gun. Former Lobo assistant coach John Whisenant, commenting on Lobo coach Ritchie McKay's troubles had it right: "Being a Lobo coach," he said, "is like being a politician. You can win 52 percent of the vote, but the other 48 percent thinks you're an idiot." And, I might add, Lobo coaches, unlike our beloved politicos, only get one election. Good luck coach.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
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