State Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces, will announce on Wednesday whether he is running for the congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M.
Rawson sent me an e-mail today stating that he’ll send a news release on Wednesday announcing his decision. I called him, and asked whether he would also hold a news conference. He said he hasn’t “finalized all the details yet,” but said the announcement will come sometime in the afternoon.
Rawson, the owner of Rawson Inc. Builders Supply in
It’s also notable that Rawson’s Senate district overlaps part of the House district of state Rep. Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat who is also considering the congressional race. Rawson’s decision might have an impact on that of Cervantes, who has said he’ll announce whether he’s running for Congress before Nov. 4.
I asked Rawson today if he could provide any clues about his decision, and he chuckled. All I can tell you is that the e-mail he sent to me was also sent as a carbon copy to Diane Kinderwater, who was former Gov. Gary Johnson’s press secretary but now works for Republicans in the state Senate.
Why? You tell me, but maybe she’s going to handle press for a Rawson congressional campaign. In addition, if Rawson is even thinking about holding a news conference – he didn’t discount the possibility when I asked about it today – I’d say this: Conventional wisdom suggests you don’t hold a news conference to announce that you’re not going to do something.
But I’m just speculating. Republican sources I’ve spoken with don’t know whether Rawson is running.
Three Democrats have already entered the race: Al Kissling, Doña Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley and former Lea County Commissioner Harry Teague. Several other Democrats and Republicans are considering running for the seat, which Pearce is vacating because he’s running for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, but no Republican has yet entered the race.