Former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish says she’s still considering running for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by Martin Heinrich.
“It’s still on the table,” Denish told NMPolitics.net today.
Several sources had told NMPolitics.net that Denish, a Democrat, decided against running, but they’re apparently wrong.
NMPolitics.net was the first to report in April that Denish and former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez were considering running for the congressional seat. The two heavy-hitters would dramatically change the race.
On the Democratic side, State Sen. Eric Griego of Albuquerque is the only declared candidate, and he’s been gathering support from the progressive wing of the party lately. Terry Brunner, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s former state director who now heads USDA Rural Development in New Mexico, says he’s also considering running.
On the Republican side, Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis is running, and former gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones of Albuquerque has formed an exploratory committee. Economic Development Secretary Jon Barela, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2010, is considering joining the race.
Denish said there is “a lot of assessing the district that has to go on,” and said she expects “a lot of activity in the next 60-90 days.” She gave no timeframe for when she might decide whether to run.
“What I’m factoring in is what I want to do, and do I want to run?” Denish said. “Could I serve the district in a way that would be smart and meaningful? Is that the best spot for me?”
“I’m pretty comfortable with how I could run,” she said.
Heinrich is vacating the U.S. House seat to run for the Senate seat Bingaman is vacating.