Can a long shot candidate for the NM House become a history maker now that he's been endorsed by President Obama? Abbas Akhil, vying for the ABQ House seat held by GOP Rep. Jim Dines, would be the first Muslim-American elected to the state legislature. He was among 260 candidates the former President endorsed Monday:

Obama released a second wave of candidate endorsements ahead of the November midterm elections, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist who gained national fame earlier this year. Obama's new list includes 260 candidates across 29 states who are running for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and state legislature. He endorsed 81 candidates in August.

Akhil, a native of India, came to New Mexico 45 years ago to attend NMSU. He says he has never met Obama. The ex-President's father was Muslim. although Akhil's heritage apparently played no role in Obama's endorsement. Akhil, 70, says:

I greatly appreciate the endorsement.  There are not many immigrants getting this kind of encouragement to run for elective office. But I think the primary reason the President endorsed me is because I am an engineer and would bring to the House in-depth knowledge about subjects such as renewable energy that are critical to the future of the state and nation.

Akhil is a retired Sandia Labs engineer.

Rep. Dines, 71, was first elected to HD 20 in 2014 which encompasses the far east side neighborhoods of Four Hills, East Central and the Sandia foothills south of Indian school. He has built a record as a strong advocate for open government and was a key player in developing legislation for a state ethics commission that voters will decide this election.

It would take a big blue wave for R Dines to be ousted. The district is 39% Dem, 35% Republican and 25% independent, short of swing seat status. And in '16 Dines scored a 55-45 win over his Dem foe. But Dems point out that also in '16 Hillary Clinton beat Trump in the district 45% to 41% and that the Four Hills area--while still heavy R--has grown less so in recent years.

In the money race, it's close. At last report Akhil had $26,000 in cash on hand to Dines' $28,000.

Whether Akhil wins or not, the Obama endorsement could encourage more Muslims and immigrants in NM to make a run in the future.

HOCHMAN VS. WINTER 

Akhil wasn't the only NM state House hopeful getting the Obama blessing. In that hotly contested and toss-up ABQ state House race between Democratic attorney Day Hochman and GOP City Councilor Brad Winter, Hochman was celebrating her endorsement from the ex-Prez. She is after the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes.

This is a true swing seat.

Hochman had more money banked than Winter in the last money reports in early September but Winter has name ID built up over decades. The Obama boost is sure to help Hochman with fund-raising and also encourage the Dem PACs to play even harder in this contest.

Finally, Obama gave the nod to Dem Michelle Lujan Grisham in her race against Republican Steve Pearce. She is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and would be the first Democratic Hispanic female Governor the nation has seen. Obama said:

The last eight years have left New Mexicans waiting for a leader like Michelle, a leader who can restore hope and put opportunity back within reach. As governor, she’ll break down barriers to invest more into our classrooms, create clean energy jobs, expand workforce training, and bring quality pre-k to every New Mexico child. I know with your help she can get it done.

Not surpassingly Steve Pearce wasn't impressed with the Obama nod to his opponent. He declared:

Barack Obama just endorsed Michelle Lujan Grisham, along with dozens of other liberal candidates--like radical democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez--across the nation. This sums up Grisham's campaign. Far left, out of state, political celebrities coming into New Mexico to push their radical values on to our state.

Also on the Guv beat, the Pearce campaign recently accused Lujan Grisham of "lying" for including Socorro County Commissioner Glen Duggins on a list of republicans endorsing her candidacy. He says he did not endorse her. Here's a look at this from an MLG supporter who works with Duggins:

For Pearce to call MLG a "liar" for putting on a campaign piece that she was endorsed by 100 Republicans which was denied by Glen Duggins is unfair. Duggins is chairman of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Several of us went to D.C. to meet with the congressional delegation to discuss water issues. Duggins, a chile farmer in Lemitar, was really worried about finding workers to pick his chiles and wanted to talk about immigration and a policy that would not jeopardize his livelihood. When we met with MLG he really wanted her help and he gave the distinct impression that he would support her. She should have gotten an email response from him before publishing his name but she was not "lying." 

OTHER OBAMA NODS

The former Prez also endorsed Melanie Stansbury, the Dem trying to unseat ABQ GOP rep. Jimmie Hall in District 28 and Dem Karen Bash who is running against GOP state Rep. Monica Youngblood, who was found guilty of aggravated DWI and who will be sentenced today.

HITTING HEINRICH 

Gary Johnson

Talk about a free ride Here we are in early October with early in-person voting set to begin October 20 and there are no campaign TV ads from the two challengers of Dem US Senator Martin Heinrich. Neither Republican Mick Rich or Libertarian Gary Johnson have been very successful at raising money and that has given Heinrich free reign as he seeks a second six year term.

It's not like there is nothing to pick on Heinrich for, as we see in this opinion piece from the Our Western Values group that advocates for Western-friendly policies and supports Johnson:

. . . Over 67 percent of Heinrich’s donations come from outside New Mexico. He raises almost as much in Washington as he does from Albuquerque. Second to lawyers, Heinrich’s biggest donors are lobbyists. . . Heinrich lives in Silver Spring, Md.; he’s really a resident of the D.C. region now, so his wife works for a big D.C. public relations firm. . . 

Heinrich’s weird campaign slogan even sounds like something a big D.C. PR firm would cook up: “If we plan for what we can be, we won’t lose who we already are.” It’s possible that rich folks in affluent enclaves back East know what this means, but do you?. . . 

Johnson won’t take marching orders from Beltway lawyers, lobbyists. . . He’ll be a true independent voice. Johnson is the true anti-establishment choice in this race. He’s the only candidate who will be truly accountable to New Mexicans. . . 

That Heinrich slogan heard on his TV ads is indeed odd and sounds as if it came from a focus group that was sipping martinis or puffing on cannabis.

There will be a couple of Senate TV debates and Rich is up with some radio spots. Out of state canvassers are hitting the doors for Johnson, but don't expect him to attack Heinrich. Throughout his career Johnson has sworn off attacking his opponents. It's an admirable quality, especially in this polarized environment.

Johnson also has an enviable record when it comes to corruption in politics. His two terms as NM's Governor were unmarred by major scandal.

Heinrich is an earnest Senator but it's rare not to have some rough going when seeking a second term to that chamber. And it deprives the public the chance to fully appraise his performance. That Heinrich was not polling at 50 percent approval when the contest started should have made that appraisal all the more urgent for the NM GOP. But they failed in their duty to field a strong candidate.

Johnson came in because of that vacuum and many thought that would give us a good give and take. Maybe we get some of that here in the late innings but Heinrich's free ride comes with a price--the lack of a vigorous debate on the state's standing in the US Senate. We'll have to wait until 2020 for that. Or maybe not.

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