Tuesday, June 05, 2018Primary Election '18 Draws To A Close With ABQ Congress Race Still Hot as A Pistol; Politicos Predict, Our KANW FM Election Night Coverage Starts at 6:30 PM; Plus: Dem Party Poopers; No E Nite Party And Behind The Heinrich-VeneKlasen Bromance On our Election Eve broadcast Monday there was split opinion on the Dem ABQ congressional primary, the most hotly contested race. GOP State Rep. Alonzo Baldonado said that he was impressed with the campaign of Damon Martinez and picked him as the winner. But Democrat and former City Councilor Greg Payne predicted one of the leading women in the race--Antoinette Sedillo Lopez or Deb Haaland--will take the prize. One of the campaigns told us that the early vote in the race was 60 percent women, some five percent higher than usual and that may bode well for the women, if they don't split it down the middle and let Damon run away. The ground games for all three leading hopefuls are intense but it all finishes in just hours so stay tuned. In the southern congressional battle for the GOP nomination, ABQ Dem State Rep. Moe Maestas calls it for Yvette Herrell who is locked in rigorous contest with former Hobbs Mayor Monty Newman. Maestas said Herrell, a state rep from Alamogordo, "has really tapped into the spirit" of the R's in the district with her embrace of President Trump and because of it she will take the nomination. Maestas added that the "upset special" tonight could come in the Dem race for land commissioner. Environmentalist Garrett VeneKlasen was the early polling leader but big time Super PAC money has come in for Gallup State Senator George Munoz and the third contender, Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard, has not raised much money compared to her rivals. The question, he says, is whether Munoz's late momentum will be enough to overtake VeneKlasen. PARTY POOPERS Are they all mad at each other or doesn't the Democratic Party want to foot the bill? Those were the questions as the state Dems, for the first time in memory, said they will not host an ABQ party for all their primary candidates. Well, they are a house divided, with progressives mad at Damon Martinez and Dem Guv contenders Michelle Lujan Grisham, Jeff Apodaca and Joe Cervantes at each others throats. MLG will be at at the ABQ Museum; Apodaca will be at his ABQ home and Joe Cervantes will be at home in Las Cruces. Veteran politico Steve Cabiedes, who will join us on the KANW-FM broadcast, joked about the no party zone the Dems have constructed for tonight: "Hey, they should have a big party with some good liquor. A lot of peacemaking is done between supporters of the rival candidates at those Election Night affairs, with the assistance of some good scotch and bourbon. This Guv duel ended so bitterly it will take more than some liquid libation to ease the pain. If Apodaca or Cervantes lose tonight, will they immediately endorse MLG? We wouldn't bet a bourbon on it. Not that the Dem Party is handing out any of the stuff. GUEST SHOTS In addition to Reps Maestas and Baldonado and analyst Cabiedes on tonight's broadcast, we'll have former ABQ GOP State Senator Diane Snyder, Catherine "Cat" Trujillo, president of the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association, ABQ attorney David Bucholz and last but not least, the aforementioned Greg Payne. Bring your best to this party, Primary '18, We're ready for you! HEINRICH-VENEKLASEN BROMANCE  It is not unusual but neither is it very frequent that a sitting Senator gets involved so deeply in an intra-party contest. Senator Tom Udall has a strict rule not to intervene in primaries. The late Republican Senator Pete Domenici was known to flex his muscles within the GOP primaries. For Heinrich the reasons are both personal and political. First, the personal from one of our Gators: Joe, Heinrich and VeneKlasen are personal friends. They hunt and fish together and there is a common appreciation for the outdoors life. That's one reason he was glad to get out front in the race. Then there is the political angle from another Gator: Joe, There is nothing more that Heinrich would like to do than someday serve as Secretary of the Interior. Endorsing VeneKlasen has little downside and Heinrich is endearing himself with many powerful national environmental groups like the Sierra Club the Wildlife Federation and the that want a fellow environmentalist like VeneKlasen in the land office. If and when the Democrats take back the White House Heinrich can be expected to make his move for the cabinet position. And the endorsement will give him more chips to cash in with the environmental groups that hold so much sway over that nomination. In fact, just last week this happened: Representatives of organizations supporting conservation efforts gathered at Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center to thank Udall and Heinrich for their leadership in Washington, D. C. on conservation issues. VeneKlasen is a former head of the NM Wildlife Federation, one of the groups honoring the senators. Heinrich is seeking his second, six year Senate term this year. He's unopposed in the June 5 primary but he's getting plenty of free TV exposure courtesy of his endorsement of VeneKlasen in TV ads. He'll save his own firepower for the November election. He won't need much of it. The national GOP is not going to target the seat. And now, as Paul Harvey was fond of saying: "You know the rest of the story." This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.   (c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018
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