To be charitable, the presidential campaigns of Governor Dean's opponents here have been tepid. Of course, they don't have the money he does. But now some of the campaigns are coming out of their comas and enlisting warriors for the February 3 caucuses at which NM Dems will choose their presidential picks.
North Carolina Senator John Edwards is making a bid for the Hispanic vote with his hiring of veteran political operative Theresa Trujeque, a former top aide to ABQ Mayor Jim Baca, former U. S. Interior deputy assistant secretary for human resources and former executive director of the ABQ National Hispanic Cultural Center. Trujeque will coordinate the North for Edwards, who knocked the ball out of the park in a recent "60 Minutes" TV interview, but apart from getting the support of Attorney General Patsy Madrid, hasn't made much noise here. Patsy's campaign manager from 2000, Caroline Buerkle, is managing his statewide effort.
TRUJEQUE
Trujeque raised a lot of money for the Hispanic Center and is no stranger to hardball politics. While serving Baca she was named with him in a discrimination lawsuit brought against the city by African-American Convention Center Director Marsha Hardeman who was fired by Baca. Hardeman won over $4 million. The case is on appeal. Trujeque has also been an associate of Roy Soto, another veteran NM politico who also worked with Baca. Soto's friends say he recently landed a contract with the Richardson administration at the state Department of Labor.
If there is any weakness to the Dean effort here it is the Hispanic vote. Trujeque and Madrid can help Edwards with that, but it appears they will have limited resources unless the Senator can make a strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire whose contests take place in just a few weeks.
DEAN: HEAR NO GOOD, SPEAK NO GOOD
Meanwhile, at the ABQ home of the "Dean Machine," campaign manager Francisco Castillo is shaking his head in wonderment at how he has had a clear playing field in the nine way prez combat. Castillo is now warning his many volunteers and over 12 paid staff not to be complacent. "I tell them not to read the polls or the newspapers about how well we are doing." At the same time, Castillo is smiling that Dean has been given such a comfortable head start in New Mexico. He is confident of victory, but knows that Iowa and New Hampshire will have an impact on how New Mexico goes. However, many of the NM votes will be cast by absentee ballot and that gives Dean another edge. His organization is banking votes now, so even if he disappoints in the early states he will live to fight another day in our Land of Enchantment, something that cannot be said for the other contenders.
HORNER TRUMPETING FOR CHANNEL 4---AGAIN
TV news veteran Mark Horner popped back up on TV screens Monday night. Mark tells me he has signed a two year deal with KOB-TV where he will combine his investigative skills with daily reporting. Horner was a weekend anchor and reporter at KRQE from 95' to 00'. It's a return stint for him at channel 4 where he previously worked three years. Horner's biggest claim to fame is his intrepid reporting on the notorious 1999 Girly Hossencofft murder case. He has been hard at work on a book about it for Kensington Publishing and says it will hit bookstores in late 04'. The working title is "September Sacrifice." His work has earned Horner appearances on NBC's "Dateline" as well as Court TV. He also has a web site on the grizzly Hossencofft murder at www.markhorner.com
TV RATINGS: SHARING THE PIE
Also on the TV news scene, the ratings from the November sweeps are out, but they are more of the same. Channel 7 again wins at 5 and 6 p.m. and KOB takes the 10 p.m. slot in a tight three way race. The usual intense spin from the stations has each of them winning in some category. The bottom line for those of us in the political community: Spread your time buys among all three because there is no dominant TV news leader in the New Mexico market.
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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2003
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