It may have been the lowest NM primary turnout ever Tuesday, but for those of us involved in campaigns or covering them, it was high-intensity all the way. Our KANW 89.1 FM coverage wrapped-up just before midnight, and that was actually pretty early compared to previous years when vote-counting glitches kept us at the roundtable until the wee morning hours. November could be a different story as most experts expect a big turnout for the Prez contest and many thousands of absentee ballots that will require all the vote-counting skills that Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera can muster.

BRENNAN SHOULD 'JUDGE HIMSELF'

The arrest of Bernalillo county Chief Judge John Brennan on drug possession charges and probably DWI as well, received more airtime than the election results this week. That was not surprising considering the shock it administered to the body politic. Respected TV anchorman Dick Knipfing and I pondered the issue in an off-camera chat Tuesday with Dick saying he was astonished at the immediate reaction from some public officials who praised Brennan's service, but failed to condemn the actions of the judge.

Knipfing was just one of many who were bewildered by the closing of the ranks in the immediate aftermath, but by week's end it became clear that more sober thinking was taking hold. The Albuquerque Tribune was the first major media outlet to call on Brennan to "judge himself" and permanently resign from the bench. It will be many months, if not years, before the NM judiciary recovers from this one, and that's only if the handling of Brennan's case by Santa Fe District Attorney Henry Valdez is exemplary and without a hint of favoritism.

WHITE SEES RED

ABQ GOP NE Heights State Rep. Bob White was clearly shocked by his defeat at the hands of fellow Republican Justine Fox Young in his bid for another term. A campaign staffer called me while I was on he air Election Night flabbergasted that we had called the race for Young. "Based on what?" He bellowed. Well, actually Justine called her own race. She phoned in with the results that her campaign had gathered from all the polling places and declared herself the winner.

She is the office manager for lobbyist-lawyer Mickey Barnett who fielded a slate of challengers against fellow Republicans. Being able to have all the results in hand early was just one way in which the Barnett machine out organized White who said he would now be leaving the GOP. Bob was an Independent before he became an R. Don't expect him to sign up with the Dems.

MILES AND THE RELUCTANT HUG

Insiders tell me that losing Dem congressional candidate Miles Nelson was not all that eager to embrace Richard Romero when it became clear that Richard was the winner in the Dem nomination fight for the right to take on R Heather Wilson in November. They say Dem Party Chair John Wertheim left the Downtown ABQ Dem party to rush over to Nelson headquarters where he spent an hour and a half sweet talking Miles and telling him of his own two congressional losses. Miles later mounted the podium with Richard and raised arms, giving Wertheim and the D's the picture they wanted. But in his last posting on his web site, Nelson does not mention Romero saying instead that his candidacy generated "shockwaves" and Dems must work "tirelessly" for John Kerry. Richard, you may have to buy him a cup of coffee.

BLOG MANIA

We have had a record number of hits to our web site this week and I want to thank you for tuning in here and to our Election Night broadcast on KANW. Thanks to the efforts of dozens of political junkies and volunteers, it is the most listened to election night broadcast in the state. Keep your comments and news tips coming. There's an email link at the top right of the page

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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