If you are under 60 a lot of what is about to transpire in the hotly contested race for the ABQ congressional seat will fly right over your head. Both incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and Dem challenge Patsy Madrid are bowing before the altar of senior citizens. Heather hit the phones last month with a "robo call" urging seniors to call her office if they were having trouble signing up for the Medicare prescription drug program. A few days earlier Patsy launched a petition drive to gather signatures in support of extending the May 15th deadline for seniors to sign up for the drug program. The math is obvious. 2006 is a non-presidential year. The senior vote will represent nearly 20% of all votes cast, nearly double what it represents when the Prez race is on the ballot. Also, polling shows Heather's strongest demographic is folks over 65. With numbers like those expect to learn more than you ever wanted about Viagra and adult diapers. Will this one be known as the "Prune Juice" campaign?
As for the Wilson-Madrid duel, it remains fully in play or, as Dan Rather would say: "This race is shakier than cafeteria Jell-O."
MARTY AND MADRID
He may have received a lot of support from ABQ R's in last year's ABQ mayoral contest, but Heather Wilson wasnt one of them. Now, City Hall wall-leaners say ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez won't forget that slight and expect to see him on the campaign trail in support of Patricia Madrid.
Maybe Chavez can help her. Maybe not. Top Dems say one group Madrid polls weak in is Hispanic males. Chavez would seem naturally suited to help, but he hasn't been all that strong with that group either as he has carved out a conservative record that has had more appeal to Anglo Republicans. Still, the mayor can command his loyalists to get enthusiastic about Madrid and one supposes that can't hurt. Meanwhile, Mayor Marty has already endorsed NM GOP Senator Domenici for re-election in 2008. Yes, that's the same Domenici who, in the end, stayed sidelined during the ABQ's mayor race which Dem Chaves handily won.
HEATHER IN THE MORNING
Heather
Think our congressional folk are all news junkies like many of us? Well, I hate to disappoint, but Congresswoman Heather for one, has a different way of starting her day. Take a gander at this from her latest newsletter describing how she learned of the death of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."I'm not a morning news show person. I like silence with my coffee. And so, I was walking into the Intelligence hearing room at the Capitol on Thursday just after 7 a.m. Albuquerque time when I got the good news: we got Zarqawi."
You mean no Heather glued to morning National Public Radio and with CNN blaring from the kitchen TV? Well, silence can be golden, and it may explain why I haven't heard back yet from Heather's office on an invitation I extended to her a couple of weeks ago to get together for coffee. If she likes silence with her Starbucks, I'm the last guy she would want to hang with. Hey, Heather. Afternoon tea?
(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2006
Not for reproduction without permission of the author