Presidential politics returns to New Mexico

CANDIDATE JOHN MCCAIN WILL BE IN LAS CRUCES TODAY -- FOR AN 'INVITATION ONLY' TOWN HALL ME...  More »

CANDIDATE JOHN MCCAIN WILL BE IN LAS CRUCES TODAY -- FOR AN 'INVITATION ONLY' TOWN HALL MEETING. IT COMES ON THE HEELS OF DEMOCRAT BARACK OBAMA'S VISIT MONDAY ... AND AMID GROWING SPECULATION OVER WHO HE'LL PICK FOR A RUNNING MATE. KAYLA ANDERSON JOINS US WITH THIS MORNING'S TOP STORY: MARLA -- WE COULD KNOW AS EARLY AS TODAY WHO SENATOR OBAMA WILL PICK AS HIS RUNNING MATE ... WHOEVER OBAMA SELECTS IS EXPECTED TO APPEAR IN A RALLY SATURDAY IN SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS WITH OBAMA -- THE SAME PLACE OBAMA KICKED OFF HIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. GOVERNOR BILL RICHARDSON'S STAFF TELLS THE ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL THE GOVERNOR HAS NO SPECIFIC PLANS FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEK, BUT QUOTE, 'THAT COULD CHANGE.' OTHER SPECULATIVE FRONTRUNNERS INCLUDE DELAWARE SENATOR JOE BIDEN WHO FLAT-OUT TOLD REPORTERS YESTERDAY, HE'S NOT THE GUY. 'I promise, I don't know anything, have no idea, have spoken to no one.''I want somebody who's not in it just because they want to have their name up in lights or end up being president. I want somebody who is mad right now that people are losing their jobs.'UNM POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR TIM KREBS SAYS IF IT'S TOUGHNESS OBAMA IS LOOKING FOR ... JOE BIDEN OR EVEN HILLARY CLINTON WOULD BE PLAUSIBLE CHOICES. BUT KREBS SAYS RICHARDSON OFFERS QUALITIES THAT COULD BE JUST AS IMPORTANT: if he selects richardson I think it will help him with hispanic voters and so it will help him in the state of new mexico and it could help him in the southwest. uhm, and uh, certainly in other states like california with large hispanic populations. it will also help him i think in terms of what might be perceived as his experience deficit on foreign affairs, given richardson's very high profile interventions in foreign countries. OTHER NAMES BEING MENTIONED: VIRGINIA'S GOVERNOR TIM KAINE AND KANSAS GOVERNOR KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, AND MARLA -- WHEN WE ASKED KREBS FOR A 'DARK-HORSE' CHOICE FOR V-P ... HE CAME UP WITH GOVERNOR ? STRICKLAND OF OHIO ... BUT AS HE SAYS -- IT'S ALL SPECULATION AT THIS POINT. THANKS KAYLA. AND A REMINDER WE'LL HAVE FULL COVERAGE OF SENATOR MCCAIN'S VISIT TO LAS CRUCES LATER ON TODAY. HE'S SCHEDULED TO BE AT THE PAN-AM CENTER ON THE NMSU CAMPUS FOR A TOWN-HALL MEETING THIS MORNING.  « Less