We started the day with a piece about the southern congressional district race and Rep. Vasquez but ran into a buzz saw because we had the incorrect data on the outcome of the '24 presidential race there. We'll have to do a take two on that one and apologize for the error. 

With Venezuela making headlines (and the US intervention there causing ABQ protests) we wondered how many Venezuelans call New Mexico home. A 2025 demographic compilation site using U.S. census ancestry data reports a total Venezuelan population in New Mexico of 848 people. ​ 

Despite that small number we did find a Venezuelan restaurant in downtown ABQ,--Arepas El Pana. An "arepa" is a type of corn bread from the northern Andes and resembling a tortilla. No, we don't believe they have one named "Maduro."

BREWERY BEAT 

Okay, have a beer with your arepa--or maybe not. Reader Ron Nelson weighs in on the rise and decline of the craft brew industry in the state:

I believe the state set up the breweries to fail when they dictated that they could only sell their own products. Frankly, there are only a few local brews I like, but none offer a lite version of their drafts. Many are trying to stay afloat by offering food. How many versions of green chili cheeseburgers can there be in New Mexico? What’s interesting about these brewery bankruptcy filings is the majority of the debt owed goes to the food vendors. 

Craft breweries operating under small brewer licenses are restricted to selling only beer they produce or that is produced by other New Mexico small brewers on their premises. National brands like Budweiser are not permitted.​ 

This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.