Drowning in debates: It's a big week for congressional debates in New Mexico.

Tonight, the 3rd Congressional District candidates — Democrat Ben Ray Luján, Republican Dan East and independent Carol Miller — will discuss the issues from 7 to 8 p.m. at Rio Rancho High School. The event will be taped and will be televised at 7 p.m. Thursday on KNME.

On Wednesday, it's the Senate candidates' turn to debate.

Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Steve Pearce will face off on KOB-TV Channel 4 at 9 p.m. The Senate hopefuls will follow the presidential debate between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, which begins at 7 p.m.

Pearce and Udall will square off again Saturday, this time on KRQE Channel 13. The broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m.

On Sunday night, the House candidates will be back. This debate will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on KOAT-TV.

Biden to campaign in Southern New Mexico: Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden, the only member of a major-party ticket not to visit New Mexico so far this year, will host a Change We Need rally in Southern New Mexico on Friday.

Obama's New Mexico campaign has not released any details of Biden's visit — not even the city where the event will take place. Normally, when Democratic candidates appear in Southern New Mexico they go to Las Cruces, which is a Democratic stronghold. Obama has campaigned there, and in 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry visited the city.

That same month, President George W. Bush campaigned in Hobbs in southeastern New Mexico.

The last presidential-campaign visit to the state was Republican John McCain's rally last week in Albuquerque. Obama's previous visit was a Sept. 18 campaign event in Española. McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, campaigned in Albuquerque in September, immediately after the GOP convention.

In addition to the candidates themselves, surrogates also have come to the state. Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaigned in Northern New Mexico for Obama. Today, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will campaign for McCain in Farmington. Huntsman will appear at a "Victory" rally with other Farmington Republicans at the Farmington Civic Center.

Make room for Ralph: Obama and McCain already have campaign headquarters in Santa Fe. Today, the independent campaign of perennial candidate Ralph Nader will announce the opening of a headquarters here.

The headquarters is at 2864 Cerrillos Road.

Nader has been on the ballot in New Mexico as a presidential candidate every presidential election year since 1996. In 2004, he received 4,053 votes statewide, less than 1 percent of the total.