The aggravated DWI arrest of northern Dem Senator Richard Martinez is starting to get politicized. Attorney Alan Hall, Democratic primary candidate for the ABQ North Valley and Sandoval County state senate seat (District 10) held by Republican Sen. Candace Gould, comes with this:

Joe, When I moved to New Mexico in 1983, the drunken driving fatality rate was multiple times what it is now. (Still plenty of room for improvement, of course.) Changing New Mexico’s DWI culture has been an arduous struggle involving the dedicated efforts of thousands of citizens. With acceptance of proper punishment, and genuine contrition, the ordinary Joe can perhaps be excused for driving drunk---once. But a state legislator driving drunk, and then not promptly resigning, cannot be forgiven. In New Mexico, it is unforgivable.

Hall's position may not go down well with the Santa Fe Dem insiders who refuse to take a stance on the Martinez arrest, but then Hall isn't an insider--at least not yet. However, he is the husband of Public Regulation Commissioner Cynthia Hall. Meantime, Sen. Gould has no opposition for the GOP nomination. She is seeking a second four year term. She will have a fight. In 2016 she beat Dem David Simon by the slim margin of 51 to 49%.

As for Senator Martinez, his case has not yet gone to court but he says he will seek re-election. No Dem primary opponent for him has yet surfaced.

DARKENING IT UP

You may have seen that TV ad running during the August congressional recess touting the health care record of Dem southern Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small. It's not being paid for by the Torres Small campaign. We can't tell you exactly who is paying for it. Here's the deal:

A new “dark money” group funded by secret donors plans to spend almost all of its $10.4 million budget on ads helping Democrats in House races heading into 2020. House Majority Forward was quietly incorporated in March but operated under the radar until its public launch in July as a new 501(c)(4) arm of House Majority PAC, the Democrats’ flagship super PAC for congressional races that is closely aligned with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Unlike the super PAC, HMF can keep its donors, as well as many details of its activities and finances, hidden from the public.

The campaign for the southern seat is expected to be one of the hottest in the nation as Torres Small seeks a second term. Three Republicans are running for the GOP nomination.
ALLIGATOR STRIKE

John Blair

He's won accolades for his service as a congressional aide, a top Interior Department official as well as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Secretary of State's office. But now John Blair is a candidate and how the game changes. His entrance into the race for the Dem nomination for the northern congressional seat brought this Alligator strike against the freshly minted candidate:

John's announcement from a scenic patio in Santa Fe talking about swimming at Santa Fe High, playing in the band and Santa Fe getting the short end of the stick makes you wonder if he knows the district he is running to represent. No one in Clovis or on the Navajo Nation thinks that. And now that the Santa Fe vote is going be split so dramatically, the candidate who has roots in the district, not just Santa Fe, has the upper hand. That is what puts Teresa Leger in the frontrunner spot--longtime family and progressive roots in San Miguel County, strong connections with the northern Indian Pueblos and the EMILY's List endorsement.

Leger Fernandez appears to be the front-runner of the moment for the nomination in the ten person field but there's a long way to go until the June primary. As for Blair, welcome to La Politica, John. Don't worry. That soft staffer skin will get tough quick--just like a Gator's.