It could be the setting for a sitcom.

The Democratic and Republican party command centres sit just a few metres apart from each other in a quiet mall in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

I ask both sides if they avert their gaze when leaving the front door to avoid catching sight of the enemy.

Neither finds the question especially amusing – a sure sign I shouldn’t try my hand at comedy.

Refreshingly, the managers say they get along fine.

But Republican Sarah Huskins admits, "we can’t always control our children" -  the volunteers whose red-hot enthusiasm must be the lifeblood of any political campaign.

So for the most part, Democrats and Republicans are easy-ish bedfellows.


New Mexico has flip-flopped in the past eight years: Democrat Al Gore squeezed past Republican George Bush by less than 400 votes in 2000; then Bush beat Democrat John Kerry by a healthier 6,000 in 2004.

Now Barack Obama has his guns trained on this enchanting part of the old Wild West.

He’s opened two dozen offices across the state – more than John McCain.

Rio Rancho is the kind of territory Obama’s after.

It’s Republican but it’s growing at an enormous pace and is now the third-largest city in the state.

People have settled there from all over the US, including big liberal cities like New York.

There are also younger Hispanics, who are thought to favour Obama’s platform rather than the conservative values of their elders.

That said, the Democrats have their work cut out for them.

We take a spin around the neighbourhood and it’s plain there are many more Republican flags planted in front lawns.

Stephen Howen lets us film the John McCain sign on his front lawn and the stunning view west to Sandia Mountains that turn the colour of watermelon at sunset.

Why McCain ?

Stephen replies: "The other candidate, Barack Obama, scares me. He wants to infringe on some of our basic American rights. He wants to take away our right to bear arms. Also he wants to socialise our country, healthcare and medicine. I really won’t go for that."

So the Democrats have a mountain to climb, though maybe not quite as big as Sandia’s rugged peaks.

The latest polls show Obama is pulling ahead in New Mexico.

Clearly, you can’t judge an election on a snapshot but, back at the battle centres, the Democrats’ office is noticeably busier.

During the hour we film there, a steady stream of mostly younger voters and even teenagers too young to cast their ballot pour in demanding T-shirts, bumper stickers and other bits and pieces.

There’s a momentum and sense of urgency which is absent at the much quieter Republican office.

But they are the incumbents and it’s their turf to lose.

John McCain has been to this region several times already and people like the Arizona senator’s next door neighbour credentials.

So the next four years could all hinge on this picturesque corner of New Mexico.