Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici moved quickly today to endorse Steve Pearce in the U.S. Senate race following his victory in Tuesday’s primary as special-interest groups on the left and right set their sights on Pearce and Democratic candidate Tom Udall.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Pearce is ahead of
“I want to thank Heather Wilson for running a spirited race,” Pearce said in a statement released today by his campaign. “As we said in the debates, we will now move forward with the help of Heather Wilson, Pete Domenici and a unified New Mexico Republican Party to win the U.S. Senate seat for people of
Udall said in an interview that the poor economic situation in
“It appears to me that this is going to be a choice — do you want a continuation of the policies that got us into the situation that we’re in or do you want a new direction? I’m for a new direction, and it looks to me like my opponent is for the status quo,” Udall said.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who will help lead the charge to elect Udall in November, agreed.
“There are very clear distinctions between the two on policy,” she said in an interview. “I think the odds are in favor of Tom Udall because he is more in sync with the needs of New Mexicans. Steve Pearce not only was a Tom Delay lackey, but he was also in lock step with George Bush, and the American people are going to soundly reject the policies of George Bush.”
Special-interest groups were quick to strike at Pearce and Udall today. The liberal Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which has been running TV and radio ads attacking Wilson and Pearce for months, will now focus on Pearce’s environmental record.
“Pearce is absolutely irredeemable. He never votes to protect the environment if big oil and other special interests want something else. He is an anti-environmental extremist in the true sense of the phrase,” Rodger Schlickeisen, president of the group, said in a news release.
Meanwhile, the conservative Club for Growth, which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to run TV ads attacking
“Club for Growth members are proud to have supported an economic conservative like Steve Pearce in his primary win,” President Pat Toomey said. “… The general election will be competitive, but we are confident that New Mexicans will rally to Steve Pearce when they hear about his record of fighting for the prosperity, jobs and opportunity that come from free enterprise.”
Domenici,
Despite the negative campaigns Wilson and Pearce ran against each other, Republicans were quick today to rally around Pearce and set their sights on Udall. Domenici, who endorsed
“I look forward to doing all I can to support Congressman Pearce’s candidacy in the general election and help him become our state’s next
“Republicans have made their choice and I gladly accept it,” she said. “I congratulate and commend Congressman Pearce and wish him all the best. He has my support and my endorsement as he campaigns for the United States Senate.”
“As Republicans, we fight hard for the things we believe in,”
Udall has outraised the Republican candidates in the first few months of the year and saved most of his money, because he did not have a primary, while they spent theirs. In addition, several polls have shown Udall with a huge lead over Pearce in a general-election contest. But analysts say the gap will narrow as November approaches.
What’s next for
One question many are asking is what’s next for
“While I certainly would have preferred to declare victory tonight, I remain very positive about the future of our nation and our great state,” she said. “And I’m sure all of you can understand that the beautiful silver lining for us tonight is that I can look forward to watching less mud wrestling in Washington and more soccer… and softball… and tennis… and baseball… and basketball here in Albuquerque.”
Domenici said only that he expects that
U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., suggested today that
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that Davis was a Democrat.