Former Santa Fe County Commissioner Javier Gonzales and Española Mayor Joe Maestas have decided against running for the Third Congressional District seat being vacated by Tom Udall, but it appears that Public Regulation Commission Chairman Ben Ray Lujan has decided to run.
In announcing today that he won’t run, Gonzales, a member of the Board of Regents at
“I am blessed with a fantastic wife and two phenomenal daughters. My daughters are at a critical age where they need a full-time dad,” Gonzales said in a news release. “Being a member of Congress would require a significant time away from home and even less time being an important part of their lives. Any good public servant establishes their track record by being a good family servant.”
Gonzales and his wife Consuelo have two daughters – Cameron, 8, and Cadence, 3.
Maestas told The Santa Fe New Mexican that he’s going to seek the PRC seat held by Lujan, the son of the speaker of the House, instead of running for Congress. Maestas said it’s his belief that Lujan is running for Congress. Lujan’s current term on the PRC ends next year.
Lujan has not said anything publicly beyond confirming that he’s considering running for Congress, but party insiders believe he is planning to run.
Meanwhile, a Gonzales congressional run had been pushed by 10 student leaders at
“I will not forget about them, and there will come a day, sooner than later, when I will work tirelessly to serve them all,” he said.
Democrats Harry Montoya, a
No Republicans have entered the race, but Los Alamos National Laboratory engineer Ron Dolin and state Rep. Brian Moore are among those considering running.