The infighting that often accompanies a party with lopsided power did not surface over the weekend when hundreds of Dem State Central Committee members elected party officers for the '24 cycle. 

Crespin was the only one who had a challenger but nothing came of it. 

Chair Velasquez, now embarking on a second two year term, prepped the party convention for next year's campaign: 

It's more like defending than sweeping next year. The state House and Senate are firmly under control of the Democrats. Redistricting and a higher turnout in a presidential election year is going to help them keep their grip on the Legislature. 

They also have control of all five seats in the congressional delegation and the odds are good it stays that way. Generating enthusiasm will be the challenge. A GOP presidential candidate who is not in tune with pro-choice voters here might do the trick. 

As usual there were multiple murders in ABQ over the weekend. One in particular encapsulated the bravado culture that has taken hold among so many teens here and with tragic consequences: 

. . .Jacob Lovato, 16, is charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Gabriel Gurule. Officers were dispatched around 2 a.m. Friday to reports of a shooting in the 2500 block of Carlisle NE. Witnesses told detectives that Gurule and a person identified as Lovato were comparing handguns, one of which was modified with an “auto-sear, making it a full automatic handgun. They said Lovato asked Gurule how much he would charge to sell his gun, with Gurule responding he would sell it for $950. Lovato allegedly replied, “What if I kept it?” to which Gurule said, “If you’re going to keep it, you’re going to have to take my life.” Witnesses said Lovato had firearms in both hands and ‘sprayed’ gunfire across the room, striking and killing Gurule. Lovato was later taken into custody.

How does a 17 year old just give his life away? In related news:

One-fifth of U.S. households purchased guns during the pandemic, a national arming that exposed more than 15 million Americans to firearms in the home for the first time, academic studies show. Americans purchased nearly 60 million guns between 2020 and 2022, according to The Trace, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that tracks gun violence. Yearly gun sales are running at roughly twice the level of 15 or 20 years ago. All the new weapons may be fueling a historic surge in gun deaths, which reached record highs during the same period.

We chided Dem Roswell Mayor Tim Jennings on the blog Monday for considering running next year for the open state Senate seat held by Republican Cliff Pirtle but also staying on as Mayor if he won election. That's not going to happen because Tim is done flirting:

Good move, Tim. Why press your luck? You're about the only Democrat in Roswell who could manage to get elected Mayor in that Republican town. Enjoy it. 

Our longtime readers are now juggling decades of La Politica and it can be difficult to keep track. One of those readers, who defended Sen. Heinrich, had some incorrect dates regarding Heinrich's now 20 year career and that we did not correct in our first draft. For the record Heinrich gave up his ABQ city council seat in 2008 to run for the open congressional seat in which he beat Republican Darren White--not Heather Wilson. In 2012 he gave up that House seat to run for the open US Senate seat and then beat Wilson. 

All of this was to rebut an argument made by another reader that Heinrich has not been a risk taker. 

And if you missed it that might have been because due to a computer glitch the Monday blog was not posted at its usual time. It can be read by scrolling down.