Udall says he can win in Pearce’s 2nd District

Despite the 2nd Congressional District’s slant toward Republican candidates, Democratic Senate hopeful Tom Udall plans to win the southern region that his GOP opponent, Steve Pearce, has represented in the House since 2003.

Udall has a chance at winning here, but the 2nd District is one Pearce could also win, said New Mexico State University government professor Jose Z. Garcia. Polls have repeatedly shown Udall with a double-digit lead over Pearce statewide, but Garcia said the 2nd District will be hotly contested because of its conservative nature and familiarity with Pearce.

The key to victory in the 2nd District will likely be Doña Ana County, Garcia said. Though the east side has historically been more important, a population shift has changed the dynamics in the district.

In a recent interview in Las Cruces, Udall, the representative of the 3rd Congressional District in the northern part of the state, said he plans to campaign actively in Doña Ana County and throughout Pearce’s district. He has already made several trips to Las Cruces and plans more.

“It’s a very important county,” said Udall, who has represented voters in Doña Ana County in his past role as state attorney general.

Wilderness

One topic on the minds of many in Doña Ana County is wilderness. Pearce recently jumped into the battle over what to do with several hundred thousand acres of federal land in the county by introducing a bill that would eliminate all wilderness study areas and mandate the sale of tens of thousands of acres.

Pearce’s bill is controversial because, though many ranchers and business owners like it, a competing plan that would give hundreds of thousands of acres a permanent wilderness designation has support among local governments and the media.

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici attempted to take an active role in trying to find compromise early on, but the division has caused him and Sen. Jeff Bingaman to stay largely on the sidelines awaiting consensus. Udall said he would take an active role in trying to resolve the situation as a senator. He said he would seek meetings with interested parties to gain a greater understanding of the contentious issues and try to find consensus on other points. He said he would work with the district’s new congressman — Democrat Harry Teague or Republican Ed Tinsley — to try to resolve the situation.

Immigration

Immigration and border security are hot topics in southern New Mexico, and Udall said he’s tired of the “piecemeal” approach to reform that Congress has taken thus far. He said he supports a comprehensive plan that includes additional Border Patrol agents, greater use of new technology, holding employers who hire illegal workers accountable and developing an instant background-check system for employers.

Udall said he also favors “a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who pay a fine, pay back taxes, learn English and go to the back of the line for citizenship.”

“This is an example of the kind of issue that’s been used for politics instead of doing what’s right, and in the Senate I’m going to keep fighting to change that,” Udall said.

Udall was in Las Cruces in May for a briefing by the New Mexico National Guard on drug trafficking countermeasures along the border. Following that, he backed a program that would provide $1.5 billion to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in Mexico and Central America. The bill, Udall said in a news release, was aimed at stopping violence along the U.S.-Mexico border that has threatened to spill over into southern New Mexico.

Energy, economy

The state’s powerful oil and gas industry is based in the eastern portion of the 2nd District. Udall said he believes the industry will remain strong in New Mexico even as the nation shifts over the next 20 to 30 years to alternative energy sources.

Udall has pushed alternative energy by supporting shifting the mission of the nation’s laboratories and proposing a national renewable electricity standard. He said New Mexico will gain from the nation’s need to increase its use of solar and other renewable energy sources. Gov. Bill Richardson has attempted to attract industries that will develop new energy technologies to the state.

“This is really about where the jobs of the future are going to be,” Udall said.

He said he believes such economic development is the most important issue in southern New Mexico and will help create the “growing, vibrant communities” people want.

Udall said he wants to expand broadband access to the state’s rural areas to improve small-business opportunities and access to education. He’s a supporter of Spaceport America, which state officials predict could create thousands of new, high-paying jobs in southern New Mexico.

Richardson has for years sought federal funding for the spaceport to no avail. Udall said he is “happy to help with that.”

A tightening race

Though Udall has maintained strong leads in polls of the Senate race, he and Garcia both expect the race to tighten as the general-election season heats up. In addition to the vote in Doña Ana County, the success of Udall in Pearce’s district will depend on whether the Republican or Democratic candidates catch fire in the presidential and 2nd District House races. Udall said he is confident that he and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will win because of the desire for change that is sweeping the nation.

But Garcia said there’s no certainty that Obama will win the 2nd District. Hillary Clinton easily won the district in the state’s Feb. 5 Democratic primary, which propelled her to statewide victory. Many conservative Democrats who voted for Clinton often vote Republican in congressional races, which is what has made the district a Republican stronghold in the House even though the majority of registered voters are Democrats.

Still, Garcia agreed that voters’ desire for change puts Pearce at a disadvantage because he has sided with the unpopular President Bush, whose popularity is sinking, on most issues. In addition, in a year in which Democrats are expected to win greater control of Washington, Garcia said Pearce will have difficulty arguing that he can be more influential than Udall in the Senate.

‘A governing majority’

Udall has repeatedly complained that the Senate kills legislation the House approves. He said in the interview that a handful of additional votes in favor of encouraging alternative energy and other issues would make all the difference by creating “a governing majority.”

It takes 60 votes in the Senate to stop the minority from filibustering an issue. There are currently 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans and one independent in the Senate. Udall said he doesn’t necessarily want 60 Democrats in the Senate. He said he wants 55 or 56, which would force the party to reach out to a handful of Republicans.

“To me, if you can’t get a couple of Republicans on board on almost any issue, then I think you should rethink what you’re doing,” Udall said.

Udall cited his own example of bipartisanship, saying he has worked with Domenici — the retiring Republican whose Senate seat Udall hopes to win — on mental-health parity in the insurance industry. Both have family members who suffer from mental illness and their work on that issue has brought the families of the two politicians together, Udall said.

He said Congress will likely complete work on that issue this year on behalf of the retiring Domenici.

“I think that will be part of his legacy,” Udall said.