Top NM Hispanic supporters of ex-prez candidate Dick Gephardt are getting romanced heavily by Edwards' top NM supporter, Attorney General Patricia Madrid. Some of them, according to insiders, could respond to the wooing.

"Patsy is working us hard. We have heard nothing from Senator Kerry. We might find a home with Edwards, but so much depends on what happens today in New Hampshire," mused a top Hispanic Gephardt backer. He added that Gephardt's union support (excluding AFSCME which supports Dean) could provide a needed boost for North Carolina's Edwards here.

NM political heavyweight and Gephardt chief Jamie Koch has gone over to Gen. Clark now that Gephardt is out. But South Valley powerhouses, State Senators Manny Aragon and Richard Romero and State Reps Taylor and Saavedra have not yet followed. Madrid is hitting it hard for Edwards. She has two statewide radio spots airing and is making campaign appearances. Her archrival in politics, Light Guv Diane Denish is aboard the Kerry bandwagon. The aforementioned Valley politicos do not have deep ties with Diane and Patsy is trying to make the most of it for Edwards, who will be in ABQ Saturday and followed by his wife Elizabeth on Sunday. She will head North while hubby does a quick morning rally. The last finance report showed Edwards behind only Dean in raising money out of NM. No doubt a lot of that money came from trial lawyers (Edwards is one) and at the urging of Madrid, who has been anything but shy in this prez campaign

Kerry is supported by ABQ City Councilors Eric Griego and Michael Cadigan who represent the 'progressive' wing of the Dems and do not have strong ties to the established Valley politicos. Edwards, who hammers the poverty issue and what he calls the "two America's" could have a message that resonates in poor New Mexico. The Senator's campaign said he started his TV run here last night as he looks to stake his claim in this state's first-ever prez caucus. But tonight he must make some noise back East. If not, he will get the silent treatment from the politicos here who are looking for a winner.

ZOGBY ZONED OUT OF NM

Late word comes to us that the Zogby Poll will NOT be conducting any surveys for the February 3 New Mexico prez caucus. Zogby's Chad Bohnert tells me the firm had initially planned to poll our state (as we reported here) but the poll's sponsors, MSNBC and Reuters, decided to direct their resources to Missouri and pull out of NM. Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt recently withdrew from the race making Missouri a battleground state in the prez race. It has a lot more delegates at stake than our state. Of course, there may be private polling going on here by some of the campaigns. Zogby offers in-depth tracking results for its subscribers and you can become one by clicking on the banner ad at the top of this page or on the link highlighted here. The state prez polls with all the demographic details are under $25 and well worth the expense. Zogby Polls

The ABQ Journal has come out with one poll showing Dean slightly ahead of Clark. They will have one more just before the February 3 in-person voting.

Get ready for a wild night in politics tonight. I will have my experts standing by for instant analysis so join us Wednesday for what New Hampshire means to the prez race in New Mexico.

PRC: FOR JUNKIES ONLY

I opened up the proverbial can of worms when I started covering the race for the Public Regulation Commission (PRC) seat up north that threatens to draw a dozen contenders. Johnny Montoya of Los Alamos, husband of State Rep. Rhonda King, reacts to our report that he once was a Republican. Johnny says he has never been a 'registered Republican,' but adds that he is proud of his GOP brother Rick of Las Cruces who ran against Sen. Bingaman. Johnny says another relative, former Dem Guv. Jerry Apodaca, is his second cousin and that's the political blood line he is tapped into. Go, Johnny, go.

Ketih Dotson is another candidate for the PRC seat being vacated by Jerome Block. Keith who? I am told he is a former chief of staff to former Guv. Bruce King way back when. Bob Perls is another candidate and a former state rep who sponsored the measure that made the present PRC and it's 90k a year salaries possible. Bob says he is 'the father' of the PRC and since daddy knows best he should be elected to clean up the mess. Bob, will you donate your time?

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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