Note: I was in Albuquerque last week when the election took place. MSB MBA alum Jamie Estrada – who is very active in New Mexico politics – was our personal trip adviser. Besides telling us where to eat, he was the first to point out the implications of the ABQ mayoral election.
Specifically, GOPers are re-energized and many Obama supporters – especially minorities and college folks – aren’t turning out for the non-Obama elections. An interesting trend that will be retested in the VA and NJ governor elections next month.
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Excerpted from WSJ: The Sun Rises in the West, John Fund, Oct 9, 2009
Enthusiasm counts for a lot in politics.
In 2008, Republican voter turnout was down in part because of the unpopularity of the Bush administration, while Barack Obama brought many excited new voters to the polls.
But now President Obama’s approval rating is hovering around 50% and Republicans appear energized in opposition to his plans.
An early sign of electoral trouble for Democrats may have come this week in Albuquerque – a city that accounts for more than a quarter of New Mexico’s population — where Democratic Mayor Marty Chavez was defeated for a third consecutive term by Republican businessman R.J. Berry.
Mr. Berry — a contractor and state legislator — ran on a platform of fighting crime and reducing regulations on small business. He becomes the first Republican elected to the mayor’s post since 1981— almost 30 years ago.
The GOP tide also created the first City Council with a Republican majority in anyone’s memory.
The election was also notable because, for the first time, local voters were required to show a photo ID to poll workers. The law worked smoothly and the
city’s election machinery functioned well, with no allegations of fraud for the first time in many years.
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The Homa Files 
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