HEATHER CONCEDES

Some thought we might be in for two or three gruelling weeks at the ballot warehouse in Albuquerque, but it looks like Steve Pearce is the winner of the Republican Senate primary.

Heather Wilson just e-mailed this statement a few minutes ago:

"When I first ran for public office ten years ago, I learned an important lesson: no one can do this alone. The wonderful thing about New Mexico is that I never had to.

I would not have served in the Congress if it weren’t for the support and encouragement of Senator Pete Domenici. Ten years ago, we sat in his sister’s living room on a Saturday afternoon and talked about our dreams for America, about our love of this state and its people, and about our shared passion for finding solutions to the challenges we face. It has been a wonderful privilege to serve for a decade in the Congress with him and I thank him for his support and his kindness.

The thousands of New Mexicans who stood with our campaign worked hard, contributed much and always had broad smiles and words of encouragement. Likewise, my wonderful and loyal staff has set the standard for excellence in public service.

From the depths of my heart, I thank all of you for everything you have done for our common cause. Please know that the election result tonight is mine, not yours. You did a wonderful job and I’m proud of every one of you.

Today, Republicans have made their choice and I gladly accept it. I congratulate and commend Congressman Pearce and wish him all the best. He has my support and my endorsement as he campaigns for the United States Senate.

As Republicans, we fight hard for the things we believe in. We also close ranks quickly when the people have spoken. As members of this great party, we have no time for disappointment or for bitterness. We have work to do and a charge to keep.

I ask all of you to join me as we roll up our sleeves and elect John McCain as the next President of the United States and Darren White, Ed Tinsley, and Dan East to our House delegation from New Mexico.

We will hitch our horses to the wagon and elect Republicans from the courthouse, to the Round House, and all the way to the White House.

We will continue to build this great party on the principles we share: support for free enterprise, a strong national defense, and the centrality of the family in American life. We will keep building this great party and we will win elections where it is tough to win because we offer positive solutions to problems that matter to people, and a quality of public service that every New Mexican wants and deserves.

I have always been blessed with a satisfying professional life and a very close, loving family life. Each gives richness and dimension to the other. In our family, we believe God gives you gifts, and then he comes back to check on you to see how you used them. And we believe in duty to country -- even when that duty can sometimes be a heavy burden for a family to carry.

While I certainly would have preferred to declare victory tonight, I remain very positive about the future of our nation and our great state. And I’m sure all of you can understand that the beautiful silver lining for us tonight is that I can look forward to watching less mud wrestling in Washington and more soccer . . . and softball . . . and tennis . . . and baseball. . . and basketball here in Albuquerque.

Thank you all for your support, and your kindness. May God bless you and may God bless the great state of New Mexico."

By the way, my story on the CD 3 race is HERE.

BEIRUT'S HOMECOMING

I was too busy blogging about late-breaking election stuff last night so I forgot to grab my camera before going to the Santa Fe Brewing Company. So I have to use this old photo I took from last time I saw Beirut, back in 2006.

But seeing Beirut was a perfect way to spend the night before the election. (I ran into a couple of other news dogs there doing the same thing.)

That's the most crowded I've ever seen the Brewing Company. They actually wee turning people away at the door. The show, fortunately, was on the outside stage.

Beirut, of course, is led by Zach Condon, who grew up here in Santa Fe (although some stupid national publications list his hometown as "Albuquerque" -- kind of like some of those Junior Brown bios I've seen that don't even mention New Mexico.) He didn't get well-known however until he moved to New York. There, inspired by Balkan brass bands he'd seen in his European travels and in movies by Emir Kusturica.

Last night's show wasn't nearly as intimate as the College of Santa Fe performance I saw back in 2006. At that earlier show the audience was just a fraction the size of the Bewing Company crowd. At CSF there wasn't a stage, so the band was at the same level of the audience and it was sometimes hard to tell where one started and the other ended.

Still, it's great to see how Beirut's audience has grown -- and how the sound has grown too. They've still got that Balkan spirit, but there's influences from all over the place. At one point Zach announced that his next song would be in Portugese. I thought it sounded familar, and sure enough it turns out to be a tune I first heard on David Byrne's first Luaka Bop Brazilian compilation Beleza Tropical -- Caetano Veloso's "O Leaozinho." Beirut does a fine version of it. (I found a YouTube version of it, recorded just a couple of weeks ago. Check it out below.) Last night's concert inspired me to listen to Beleze Tropical this morning. Now I realize there are several songs here that would sound good as Beirut covers.

And I was happy that Beirut still does a rousing version of Kocani Orkestar's “Siki, Siki Baba,” my favorite song from the Borat soundtrack.

Condon, on the Beirut Web site has said he's going to be making some changes with the basic concept of the band. (Maybe they'll go Hawaiian. They already have the ukes!) I hope he keeps most the current members. I'm amazed how they constantly swap instruments and how so many of them are proficient on so many instruments.

This is a great week for music at the Brewing Company. Laurell's going to sub for The Santa Fe Opry Friday night so I can see X and The Detroit Cobras.

NEW POLL: WILSON AND PEARCE NECK-TO-NECK

The new SurveyUSA poll shows U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce beating Rep. Heather Wilson by just one point in the Republican Senate primary.

Two weeks ago Pearce was leading by three points in the SurveyUSA poll. And the Albuquerque Journal poll, published on Sunday showed Pearce up by six points.

One big difference in the polls. As Brian Sanderoff has explained to me many times, automated polls like SurveyUSA tend to record fewer undecided votes because undecided voters tend to hang up early in the phone call. Indeed the latest SurveyUSA poll shows only 3 percent undecided, while the Journal poll (conducted by Sanderoff) showed 16 percent undecided.

SurveyUSA's poll has a 4.5 percent margin of error.

The new poll shows both Wilson 24 percent behind Tom Udall while Pearce is 25 percent behind Democrat UDall.

SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY

Let's indulge in a little political tea-leaf reading here.

This afternoon there was a news release from the Ben Ray Lujan campaign announcing an election night "celebration" at Hotel Santa Fe.

About the same time, Don Wiviott's campaigns e-mailed a release saying Wiviott's election night plans consisted of "private time with family.” Later there was an e-mail that Wiviott would make himself available to reporters after the results were announced. (Hate to be a cynic here, but in New Mexico that might mean three weeks from now -- though I don't think Wiviott meant that.)

Both these guys have hired consultants who do polling for them.

Not making any predictions here, but which one sounds like he might think he's going to win?

R.I.P. BO DIDDLEY

He was the coolest.

Here's his Pitchfork obit.

As I noted about a year ago when Bo had his stroke, this photo was taken back in 1985 by Barbaraellen Koch in the lobby of the mayor's office in Santa Fe. Mayor Louis Montano made him an honorary Santa Fean. I interviewed Bo for the Albuquerque Journal to preview a show at Club West. We talked about his years in the state during the 1970s. For awhile he was a member of the Valencia County Sheriff's Reserves and actually arrested a drunk driver, who, Deputy Diddley said, had mouthed off to him.

Tune in Terrell's Sound World Sunday for a decent tribute.

Enjoy some YouTubes below.