VIDEO AND AUDIO: Domenici Jr. enters gubernatorial race

‘We have never faced the economic challenges and lack of intergrity that now confront us,’ Domenici says

Pete Domenici Jr., a Republican and the son of the state’s longest-serving U.S. senator, announced Sunday that he’s running for governor.

Domenici told a handful of invited supporters, family members and reporters at a news conference in Albuquerque that he’s entering the GOP gubernatorial primary because he believes the  state is “on the verge of economic and ethical bankruptcy.”

“Continuous revelations of budgetary disaster and public corruption at the highest levels of our state’s government demand that we not only need a new governor,we need a new direction,” Domenici said. “helping New Mexicans and New Mexico is the sole basis and motivation for my candidacy for governor.”

“I am an ordinary citizen who, like most New Mexicans, is frustrated and fed up with the unprecedented budgetary and corruption crises our state now faces,” Domenici said. “I have a deep concern for our state.”

Domenici, 50, who never mentioned during his speech the names of the other Republicans running for governor, was quick to criticize the likely Democrat Party nominee, Diane Denish.

“As just one glaring example of the mismanagement and corruption at the top, this governor and lieutenant governor have increased the numbers of political appointees by the hundreds,” Domenici said. “As a result, they have created a special upper class of state employees, accountable to no one, who are selected based on whom they know or how much they contributed rather than their qualifications and how they can help the people.”

Domenici, who has never run for public office before and said he’s not a “professional politician,” blamed state worker furloughs on a “rash of other terrible financial and spending decisions.”

“Now the people are forced to bail New Mexico out of a mess the professional politicians got us into,” Domenici said. “Hard-working state employees must take time off without pay.”

He said the first step he’ll take to resolve the budget deficit is to “permanently furlough this administration.”

“I will reduce the number of appointments to only those positions the governor must rely on to effectively implement policies necessary to help the people, not the incumbent,” he said.

‘I am my own man’

Domenici, who has practiced environmental, energy and natural resources law for nearly 25 years, said he has a “deep understaing of the core industries and communities that power New Mexico’s economy.” He said the state has “never faced the economic challenges and lack of integrity that now confront us.”

“Instead of providing leadership, the executive branch is paralzyed,” Domenici said. “People need healing from eight years of fiscal and ethical abuse.”

Watch that and other parts of the news conference here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrmK3SOzhlg[/youtube]

Domenici, who is a single father, has three grown children and is helping to raise his 9-year-old daughter. He is the oldest son of retired six-term U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, who introduced his son on Sunday.

Domenici, flanked by his father and mother, said he’s his “own man” who has “developed his own roots, deep and strong, in commonsense conservatism.”

“This means limited government that removes necessary impediments to attracting businesses and creating jobs,” Domenici said.

He also said it means he supports the “protection of human life, traditional marriage and private gun ownership.”

Domenici said he supports restoring the state’s death penalty, which was repealed last year.

Dems attack

Democrats were quick to attack. State Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales said in a news release that it appears “Republican insiders have been unable to find a candidate for governor with an actual record of fighting for New Mexico families.”

“They’re settling for the biggest name they could find. The people of New Mexico won’t be fooled,” Gonzales said. “It’s common for voters to ask candidates for office, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ In this case, they’ll be asking, ‘What have you done for me ever?’”

Democrats were also quick to publish a blog posting critical of Domenici’s record as an environmental attorney, and of clients he has represented.

Despite efforts to separate himself from his father, Domenici may have to tap the senior statesman’s political network to catch up to four other Republican candidates who have been running against each other since last year.

The other Republicans in the race are state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, Albuquerque businessmen Allen Weh and Doug Turner and Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez.

Turner welcomed Domenici to the race.

“There are so many good Republicans running because New Mexicans are desperate for a change from the policies and corruption they have endured for far too long,” Turner said in a prepared statement. “…This is going to be an exciting year for Republicans, and I look forward to the debate and presenting my vision for New Mexico’s future and becoming our party’s nominee for governor.”

Weh also released a statement in response to Domenici’s entrance into the race.

“This election for governor isn’t about political connections or surname; it’s about who has the experience to create jobs and get New Mexico back on the right track — I believe I have that experience, and the ability to lead this state forward. I look forward to the debate,” Weh said.

A source close to the Domenici campaign told NMPolitics.net that the campaign expects to reach the $500,000 mark in fundraising “very soon.” But the source would not say whether Domenici would agree to more frequent campaign finance reporting than is required by law, as Denish, Arnold-Jones and Martinez have done.

Domenici is quickly assembling a campaign team that includes attorney and Republican strategist Doug Antoon, who managed two successful Albuquerque City Council campaigns last year for Dan Lewis and Michael Cook.

Lewis will be the co-chairman of the campaign in the First Congressional District, which includes Albuquerque. Domenici said he will announce other co-chairs for the campaign at “news events in their respective districts.”

Domenici pointed to Lewis’ Republican victory in the most populated district of Albuquerque as an example of the Republican Party “revitalizing in many parts of our nation.”

He said New Mexico needs “a strong Republican governor to continue this renewal, and I want to be that governor.”

Back on the political stage

The elder Pete Domenici, who lives in Washington, flew into town for his son’s announcement. He told reporters he’s introduced a lot of politicans, but never his son.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttTCr1lAp9U[/youtube]

To listen to audio from the news conference — including the introduction from Sen. Domenici — click the play button the bar below, or listen online here.

A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that Domenici is married.