State Rep. Brian Moore, R-Clayton, announced today that he will leave the Legislature when his current term ends in December 2008.
The decision opens a third seat in the state House currently held by a lawmaker who has been part of a bipartisan coalition that often stood up to the speaker during this year’s session.
“I think the time is right for me. Eight years is a long time,” the District 67 representative said. “I told some folks in Tucumcari last night that I was going to go into political rehab.”
“It’s flattering that people call,”
Even if his consideration of the congressional race isn’t that serious,
Gov. Bill Richardson said in a statement released by his office that he is “sorry to see Brian leave the Legislature, but I understand and respect his decision.”
“Brian was a statesman who put the interests of New Mexicans ahead of partisan politics,”
House Minority Whip Dan Foley of
He said he’s looking forward to the debate on proposed changes to the school-funding formula in what will be his last legislative session next year. The proposal, which aims to more fairly distribute money, is one of the best proposals he’s seen in his time in
“So it will be fun. Health care will be fun. Ethics will be fun,”
Key players leaving House
“It is kind of tough to see Peter go to the Senate and Joseph run for Congress,”
“As a group, I hate to see Wirth and Cervantes and Moore leave, because you finally start to see some of these guys stand up to the speaker and the institutional corruption,” Foley said, but he added that he believes some others are starting to stand up as well.
“But losing them is going to hurt the Legislature,” Foley said. “Wirth is one of the most liberal guys in the Legislature. He’s also one of the most honest. … Same with Cervantes. He’s honest.”