Wilson shoring up support as Pearce considers race

As U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce considers whether to run for Senate, Rep. Heather Wilson, who has already entered the race, is building support that will make the road more difficult for Pearce if he decides to challenge her in a GOP primary.

A source with the Wilson campaign confirmed this evening that U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert, the former speaker of the United States House of Representatives, has agreed to hold a fundraiser for Wilson sometime this year. In addition, two consultants that have worked for the congressional campaigns of Wilson and Pearce have informed both that they will work for Wilson’s senatorial campaign.

If Pearce decides to get into the Senate race, the two firms will not work for him, the source said.

Pearce is the more conservative of the two members of Congress, and the source said the Hastert fundraiser is significant “because Speaker Hastert is one of the most prominent conservative Republican elected officials in the United States.”

In addition, the two firms that work on fundraising, direct mail and telemarketing are well-known and influential, and their loss has to be a blow to a potential Pearce senatorial campaign.

The source said Wilson has made more than 300 calls in recent days to build support for her senatorial campaign, and said “the fruits of this effort are becoming very apparent.”

The Pearce campaign could not be immediately reached for comment.