KERRY IN ABQ
We were eying them like they were on their first date: Big Bill and John. So, how did they get along? Will they be going out again, or was this a one afternoon stand? Rampant speculation nationwide over who Kerry will pick as his running mate heated up in our town again Tuesday when Kerry stepped off his plane for a brief "message event" designed for a quick TV pop. But did the Senator have other other designs while he was here? Here's some surprising commentary from a high-up, deep Dem insider who was in on the Kerry visit.

"I really thought Bill looked uncomfortable, almost unhappy. His body language and general demeanor were not upbeat. He seemed to be gritting it out. There was no real warmth between the two. If Bill is going to be Kerry's veep pick it was lost on me." Then our insider went a step further offering up a theory that may not be that farfetched. "I think during the stopover Kerry told Bill he would not be his VP and he will go over to Arizona and tell Governor (Janet) Napolitano the same. Maybe that's why Bill seemed almost glum during the Kerry event," offered up our informed speculator, who is not given to hallucinations. Kerry flew to LA from ABQ and will be in Phoenix Thursday.

I agree that Billl and John did not seem like young lovers and that it's possible Kerry broke Bill's heart during their private one-on-one. Kerry is known to be "vetting" the contenders and Big Bill is one of the "vettees.' It's possible the process of elimination is underway. On the other hand, maybe Bill was trying to play Humble Bill and not overshadow Kerry in any way or appear too eager for his blessing, thus his unusually subdued demeanor. Or maybe he was thinking about the responsibilities of Secretary of State, a job that Kerry may have offered him as a consolation prize.

MOSES TAKES COMMAND

MERCADO
While Senator Kerry made the rounds, word circulated on his pick to head up his NM campaign. It's Moses Mercado, say my insiders, and they say he's one of the top national political operatives in the Dem Party. He served as deputy chief of staff to U.S. House Minority Leader and one time Prez candidate Dick Gephardt. Back in 98' he plotted for congressional candidate Phil Maloof, who has close ties to the Missouri congressman.

Mercado's most important connection for us to know is to Big Bill's chief of staff David Contarino, who was also involved in the ill- fated Maloof effort. Mercado will be Kerry's top man here and Contarino will keep tabs on the operation for Big Bill, who plans on having big say on how the NM campaign is conducted. Local operatives have been complaining that Kerry's team is too Washington centric and needs to deal the local folk in. Mercado, a south Texas native, worked for Wesley Clark in the Feb. NM Prez caucus, after Gephardt dropped out. That he is Hispanic is not a coincidence as at least a third of our state's Prez votes will be cast by Hispanics.

SIMON'S MONEY; WYATT WONDERS

KOB-TV's Neil Simon hit the late news with the latest NM TV spending totals for the Prez candidates. So far, Bush has dropped $435,000 on the tube with Kerry dumping $469,000. But Simon reported Kerry had "soft money" groups pump more tube money in for him, bringing his grand NM total to $830,000, far past the Prez. The latest NM poll has the race here a dead heat. The TV sales guys hope it stays that way.


Over at KRQE-TV Tuesday, news anchor Kathy Wyatt asked me during an interview: Where is Richard Romero? She cited the new, if quite limited, TV presence of ER Doctor Miles Nelson, who is vying with Romero for the Dem nomination for the ABQ congressional seat held by Heather Wilson. It's a good question and one that some Democrats are quite worried about. They see the nomination for State Senator Richard as safe, but they worry why he did not hit the airwaves with an early message and build strength for the upcoming November face-off with Heather.

"Is he aware that 98 per cent of House incumbents get re-elected? Just because he has an easy primary is no reason to lay back. He should have been on TV in April," complained one staunch Dem. Romero's campaign is being run by national operatives who have their own schedule. And, perhaps Romero is concerned about overspending early. But he and they may be underestimating just how far they are behind the incumbent, despite what their internal polls may say. Don't say we didn't tell you.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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