It was the year of major political stories, 2008.

We had good politicians. And the naughty ones. And it seemed the rest were just plain busy.

The year started with Gov. Bill Richardson still in the contest for the White House. It drew to a close with the ambitious Democrat set to take over the U.S. Department of Commerce, but with a complication: Stories were surfacing about a probe into a possible "pay-to-play" connection between a Beverly Hills financial company's contributions to Richardson's political activities and the nearly $1.5 million the company received for work on a state road-building program.

Richardson's continued striving for a return to Washington was certainly the biggest political tale this year, but his dramatic path from presidential wanna-be, back to governor, then to President-elect Barack Obama cabinet nominee was just part of the crazy story of New Mexico politics this year.

It wasn't long into January when Richardson dropped out of the big race after scoring in the low single digits with voters in both Iowa and New Hampshire. He came back to Santa Fe to find a Legislature a bit miffed at him for being gone for much of the past two years.

Meanwhile, at the end of the month, former state Treasurer Michael Montoya was sentenced to four years in federal prison for his involvement in an investment kickback scheme that had dominated headlines for much of 2007.

In February, the presidential race, minus Richardson, remained hot. Back then you couldn't get through a half-hour sitcom without seeing three Tom Udall commercials, four by John McCain and a handful by those guys running for the U.S. House seat down south ...

Then came the New Mexico presidential caucus run by the Democratic Party.

Provisional ballots? Oh yeah. Scraps of paper used for ballots? Sure. Long lines, days of waiting for results and tension at the Democratic Party? Had that too.

Eventually, Sen. Hillary Clinton barely won the contest, but not without major grumbling by Democrats and Republicans about rethinking that whole caucus idea anyway.

Although the state was projecting budget surpluses early in the year, the regular Legislative session ended with little progress on health-care reform, one of the key things Richardson said he wanted lawmakers to accomplish.

Next thing we knew, Richardson in March endorsed Obama, earning him nicknames we can't print here as well as the title of Judas from some Hillary Clinton supporters.

April found Richardson trying out for secretary of state, flying to Venezuela to meet with President Hugo Chávez to talk about three Americans held hostage in neighboring Colombia. When the three men were finally released in July, little credit went to Richardson.

The month of May meant high season for the state's congressional primaries. Debate, jab, attack, repeat. The primaries were watched with great interest, in part because all three of the state's U.S. House members ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici. All of their seats had to be filled as well.

The June primary ended one of the state's most expensive races, in which a Santa Fe developer, Don Wiviott, spent a small fortune, but lost out to Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Luján for the 3rd Congressional District seat held by Udall. It also saw the fall of longtime U.S. House Rep. Heather Wilson, who lost the bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to Rep. Steve Pearce.

July brought hot days and big fees for the state's former insurance regulator, Joe Ruiz, who was sentenced to 48 months in prison after being convicted on two counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, seven counts of corrupt solicitation by an agent or organization and 11 counts of corruption under the Hobbs Act. In addition, Ruiz was ordered to pay $102,000 in restitution and a $3,000 special assessment, or $100 per felony count of which he was convicted.

August meant a special session at the Capitol, the first summer session in ages. Lawmakers signed off on tax rebates and some highway funds but balked at big plans by Richardson to get health insurance to more New Mexicans.

Then came the political conventions in Denver and Minneapolis. Reporters left at home weren't left out, however, as we started to juggle the ever-increasing presidential-candidate visits, including one by Obama in September to Española.

October brought a guilty plea from former state political powerhouse Manny Aragon, shocking some and drawing calls for ethics reform from others.

The former Senate president pleaded guilty to three felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud, and accepted a plea deal that calls for 51/2 years in federal prison. Prosecutors said he schemed to defraud the state in the construction of an Albuquerque courthouse.

The month also brought more presidential visits. One Obama event at The University of New Mexico attracted 35,000 onlookers who fit into Johnson Field and another 10,000 who didn't.

November was a happier time for state Democrats as they grabbed control of all the open seats in New Mexico's congressional delegation, meaning no Republicans will represent the state in Congress next year. Democrats also gained three seats in both the state House and Senate in the general election.

The glad days didn't last long though: Revenue projections dropped further, putting the state in a projected deficit. Richardson ordered agencies to figure out ways to trim their budgets for this year and next.

Later in the month, Rio Arriba County political leader Emilio Naranjo was buried in Española.

December brought some more changes for the state, as Obama picked Richardson as his commerce secretary-designate and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish inched closer to becoming the state's first female governor.

This month brought the end of Domenici's career, as he closed his Washington office after 36 years. In an interview with radio reporters in the middle of the month, Domenici said he was nostalgic about the end of his work in the Senate — and about what would happen next. "I can't say I'm looking forward to a new time in my life because I loved what I was doing," he said. "So I'm kind of worried about what I'm going to do next, whether I'll like it."

December also brought sad news with the death of former first lady Alice King. About 2,000 attended her funeral in Moriarty.

The month also included the opening of the commuter train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, a feat that to many didn't seem possible at the start of the year.

As service began, the train already had earned a nick name, the RaelRunner, a nod to Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. The group oversees the train service.

Rael's name will no doubt be mentioned more as a possibility in the clamor for the lieutenant governor's spot as Denish prepares to make her move. But that's a chapter of history to be decided in 2009.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at greenchilechatter.com.