Heath Haussamen / NMPolitics.net
Sen. Dede Feldman (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Feldman joins one other Democrat and two Republicans who aren’t seeking re-election to the Senate this year; Democrat Bill O’Neill says he’ll give up his House seat to run for Feldman’s Senate seat.
State Sen. Dede Feldman, a longtime champion of government transparency, announced today that she won’t seek a fifth term this year.
“Now it is time for me to move on into new fields, and clear the way for someone new to carry the torch for Senate District 13 in Santa Fe,” the Albuquerque Democrat wrote in an e-mail to constituents this morning. And in a news release, she said it had been “a great honor to represent the people of the North Valley for 16 years.”
State Rep. Bill O’Neill, D-Albuquerque, quickly announced that he plans to give up his House seat to run for Feldman’s Senate seat. He was expected to face a tough re-election battle in a contested district. Feldman’s seat is generally considered safe for a Democrat, though that doesn’t mean O’Neill won’t have a tough primary fight.
His decision may make it easier for Republicans to pick up his House seat, since they won’t be facing an incumbent.
Feldman said she plans to restart her consulting business and work on writing and journalism projects, including a book “on how the New Mexico legislature really works.”
Feldman joins Republican Sens. Clinton Harden of Clovis and Vernon Asbill of Carlsbad in announcing in recent days that they won’t seek another term this year (read more about Harden’s departure here). Like those two, Feldman plans to serve out the remainder of her term, which runs through the end of the year.
Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, tweeted that all three retirements are a “big loss for NM.”
Sen. Eric Griego, D-Albuquerque, is also leaving the Senate at the end of the year. Instead of seeking re-election, he’s running for the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House.
‘A tremendous ally’
In her news release, Feldman touted her work on health-care and campaign-finance reform in addition to her work on open-government issues.
She was a leader in the push to open legislative conference committees to the public. Last year she successfully pushed legislation to require more transparency from health-insurance companies seeking rate increases. And this year she pushed, without success, to require webcasting of Senate committees.
Gwyneth Doland, a former reporter for this site and now the executive director of the N.M. Foundation for Open Government, tweeted that she was “devastated” by Feldman’s retirement. She called the senator “a tremendous ally.”
O’Neill called Feldman a “strong advocate for all New Mexicans, especially in the areas of ethics and health care reform,” and pledged to “continue to champion these causes for the people of our district.”
Update, 4:20 p.m.
It sounds like O’Neill will face a primary challenger. Laura E. Sanchez, former executive director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, confirmed that she also plans to run for Feldman’s Senate seat.
“I’ve been a constituent of Senator Dede Feldman’s for the past six years and, like many of her constituents, I’m sad to learn that she is not seeking re-election. She has been a strong and effective leader, and I have been honored to have her as my senator,” Sanchez said. “I’ve decided to run for her seat, Senate District 13, and will formally announce next week. I look forward to continuing the insightful and inspired leadership that she has provided to voters in our district. I look forward to working hard to follow in her footsteps.”