When it comes to the calls to "diversify" New Mexico's economy, it remains easier said than done. The latest:

The (UNM) analysis showed that Los Alamos National Laboratories was responsible for 24,169 jobs in New Mexico--14,754 of them employees of LANL or lab contractors. . . The other 9,415 jobs were the result of LANL’s spending for procurement and spending by employees and their families. The state’s manufacturing sector produced 26,398 jobs.

LANL has been bedeviled by a lax safety culture but it hasn't impacted their budget. Under President Trump nuclear weapons budgets have been increased and LANL and Sandia National Labs in ABQ have become an even more integral part of the state economy. Diversifying? Uh. Not right now.

NEVER MIND

This mea culpa in the New Yorker from NM Dem Senator Tom Udall must have former Sen. Al Franken wondering how he could have been forced to resign:

Udall said, “I made a mistake. I started having second thoughts shortly after he stepped down. He had the right to be heard by an independent investigative body. I’ve heard from people around my state, and around the country, saying that they think he got railroaded. It doesn’t seem fair. I’m a lawyer. I really believe in due process.”

Udall wasn't the only lawmaker expressing misgivings about calling for Franken to resign. Seven current and former senators now admit that in Franken's case the Me Too movement misfired.

HUMBLE FINANCES

Udall is the only multi-millionaire in the state's five member congressional delegation. (Here is his 2017 financial disclosure form.) and soon there may be none.

Both Dem candidates for the US senate nomination to replace Udall report paltry assets compared to most of the solons on Capitol Hill. From their disclourse forms:

(Maggie Toulouse Oliver) listed. . . student loans of between $50,000 and $100,000. . . additional liabilities are linked to a loan to pay tuition for her son, a student at Santa Fe Community College. Credit card liabilities of at least $30,000 also are listed with a local credit union and a national bank. . . Toulouse Oliver is not currently a homeowner, after a second divorce.

MTO earns $85,000 as NM's secretary of state. As for Rep. Ben Ray Lujan:

Luján's financial disclosures . . .show no liabilities above the $10,000 reporting threshold. He estimates the value of his home and ranch in Nambé at less than $250,000, and reports balances in three bank accounts of less than $15,000 each. Luján earns $174,000 as a member of Congress.

One of those two are likely to take their comparatively humble finances with them to the US Senate as the Dems are heavily favored to keep the Udall seat in 2020.

HAALAND FOR WARREN

Haaland and Warren

Rep. Deb Haaland is the first member of the state's DC delegation to offer an endorsement in the Dem presidential contest. She has given the nod to Elizabeth Warren who has been repeatedly scorched by President Trump for allegedly fudging her ancestry by calling herself part Native American. He has derisively labeled her "Pocahantas." In that light, the endorsement from one of the first Native American congresswomen hits the sweet spot for the Massachusetts senator Says Haaland:

. . . We’ve worked together to introduce legislation that demands a solution to unsafe military housing, tackles the opioid crisis, and provides universal child care. Elizabeth has been a great friend to me and a great partner for Indian Country. She has made it a priority to address. . . an economy that works for everyone, student loan debt, and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. As a single mom, who is still paying off my student loans, I understand the challenges so many of us face and Elizabeth is the person who will deliver real change for families. . . ”

Hey, we didn't know that Deb was still paying off her student loans. Maybe she and MTO can talk about it over lunch? The one who owes the least gets the check.

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2019