Madrid won’t seek Senate, may consider House run

Former state Attorney General Patricia Madrid has decided against running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, but there may be a chance she will run for the First Congressional District House seat she unsuccessfully sought last year.

Madrid said in an interview that she decided a contested Senate primary “will not be good for the Democratic ticket, particularly if I’m running against Mayor (Martin) Chávez.”

“He and I have much the same support statewide, and even if the race were friendly and amicable, it still would be competitive, and I would not want to compromise the Democrats’ chances of winning the seat,” Madrid said.

Her decision follows a weekend trip to Las Cruces to discuss the situation with her family.

Chávez is the only top-tier Democrat in the race, but Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is considering it, and political newcomers Don Wiviott, Jim Hannan and Leland Lehrman are also running.

On the Republican side, U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce and newcomer Spiro G. Vassilopoulos are running.

Madrid lost to Wilson by 861 votes out of more than 211,000 last year in the House race. Wilson’s entrance into the Senate race means her House seat is open. Asked if she’s considering running for that seat, Madrid said, “I can’t say at this time.”

“I think people in Washington are considering it for me,” Madrid said. “But I only make one decision at a time.”

On the Democratic side, attorney Jon Adams, Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich and former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham are running for the House seat. On the Republican side, Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White is the only announced candidate. Other Democrats and Republicans are considering the race.

Madrid said she is “concerned that New Mexico has some Democratic representation, not only in the Senate but also in the House. I am very concerned about putting the strongest candidate forward for Democrats. But that’s not to say I’m running.”

As she did when I asked earlier this month whether she would run for Senate, Madrid pointed out when asked about the House race that she is “immensely” enjoying her job as a consultant for a powerhouse Washington law firm.