A day after being attacked by Democratic challenger Al Kissling and veterans who are upset with him, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., announced that he has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee.
“During my years representing the 2nd Congressional District in Congress, we have achieved historic progress in areas such as concurrent receipt,” Pearce said in a news release. “Yet, I am determined to fight on – holding the VA accountable for the bureaucratic inefficiency that keeps veterans from receiving the benefits they earned, while pushing for significant reform.”
“I am deeply grateful to the men and women of the VFW who have shown a strong commitment to our nation’s veterans. Organizations like the VFW continue to renew the spirit of our great nation, and I am honored and humbled to have their support,” he said.
Many veterans are upset because they believe Pearce has voted against issues important to them. The Disabled American Veterans have given Pearce a rating of zero (with 100 being the highest mark) three of the past four years for voting against the group’s position on various bills.
A group delivered a letter to Pearce’s office Wednesday asking him to debate veterans’ issues and explain the DAV rating. I called Pearce’s campaign after that event seeking comment and did not get a call back. After the news release was sent today, I sent an e-mail seeking comment on the DAV rating. I got a reply telling me to call if I had questions.
I did, but could reach nobody.
Pearce has not publicly addressed the request for a debate. His office told the Las Cruces Sun-News the DAV ratings appeared to be skewed along party lines. If his office directly addressed Pearce’s rating, the Sun-News did not include it.