U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who will likely consider running for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, released a statement this evening calling the senator “a mentor and an inspiration.”
Wilson gave no indication of whether she’ll run for the seat being vacated by Domenici, but it’s no secret that she has been the senator’s protégé for years.
“I understand Senator Pete Domenici will make an important announcement tomorrow,” Wilson said in a statement released by her office. “Whatever his announcement, New Mexicans can be grateful for all our senator has done for our state and nation. He drove the Balanced Budget Act that led the country to balance the budget for the first time in thirty years in 1998, 1999 and 2000 – paying off $450 billion in publicly held debt. He was the engine behind the 2005 Energy Bill that is already helping America to be more energy independent. He has been honored internationally for his contributions to non-proliferation of nuclear material through the landmark Nunn-Lugar-Domenici legislation and has championed insurance coverage for the mentally ill.”
“Pete Domenici has been a mentor and an inspiration to me and I will support whatever decision he makes tomorrow afternoon,” Wilson said.
Wilson and Domenici have both been under fire in recent months for their involvement in the U.S. attorney scandal. Both are targets of preliminary ethics investigations because of allegations that they pressured former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias in October 2006 to speed indictments in a public corruption probe involving high-ranking Democrats to influence voters in the November 2006 election.
Questions about Wilson’s potential Senate candidacy include whether the scandal has damaged her reputation to the point that she would have difficulty winning a statewide race. Regardless, a number of Republicans will certainly urge her to run for Senate.
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, who may also consider running for Domenici’s seat, is the only member of the New Mexico delegation who hasn’t released a statement on the senator’s pending retirement.
The chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, Brian Colón, also released a statement this evening about Domenici’s retirement – fairly cordial words from a man who has spent months attacking Domenici over the U.S. attorney scandal.
“Pete Domenici has served the state of New Mexico with distinction over a long career,” Colón said. “New Mexico Democrats will field a strong Democratic nominee who can wage a spirited campaign and win this seat.”
U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who will likely consider running for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici, released a statement this evening calling the senator “a mentor and an inspiration.”