Sen. Steve Fischmann
Fischmann is the third Doña Ana County lawmaker in about a week to announce that he isn’t seeking re-election this year. All three are Democrats.
State Sen. Steve Fischmann told a group of Doña Ana County women on Saturday that he isn’t seek re-election this year.
NMPolitics.net hasn’t been able to reach Fischmann, D-Mesilla Park, for comment, but did confirm with multiple sources that Fischmann made the announcement at a Saturday meeting. He’s the third Doña Ana County lawmaker to announce his retirement in the last nine days, and all three were surprises to many.
The others are Sen. Cynthia Nava of Las Cruces, who is retiring, And Rep. Joni Gutierrez of Mesilla, who is seeking the political position of Democratic national committeewoman for New Mexico instead of running for re-election. Both women are Democrats.
NMPolitics.net expects a formal announcement from Fischmann in the coming days.
Fischmann join a growing list of lawmakers from around the state who are not seeking re-election this year. Other senators include Albuquerque Democrats Dede Feldman, who is retiring, and Eric Griego, who is giving up his state Senate seat to run for the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House; and Republicans Clinton Harden of Clovis, Vernon Asbill of Carlsbad, and Mark Boitano of Albuquerque, who are all retiring (read more about Harden’s departure here, Asbill’s here and Boitano’s here).
Several House members – all Democrats –are also not seeking re-election. In addition to Gutierrez, they are Speaker Ben Luján of Námbe and Danice Picraux of Albuquerque, who are retiring (read about Luján’s retirement here); Al Park of Albuquerque, who is running for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission; Bill O’Neill of Albuquerque, who is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Feldman; and Joseph Cervantes, who is running for the Senate seat Nava is vacating.
Fischmann, who unseated longtime Republican Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson in 2008, has been known for being more focused on policy than politics. He recently tried to find middle ground in the debate over allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and went well beyond what others were proposing with a bill that attempted to comprehensively address immigration issues.
The move didn’t win him friends on the right and also angered some on the left.
Fischmann, who was a successful community activist focused on growth and energy issues before running for Senate, recently helped start the nonprofit Children’s Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County.
Fischmann was expected to face a tough re-election battle this year, though no one has yet announced their candidacy for his seat. Earlier this year, redistricting make his Senate seat one of the most competitive in the state.
This article has been updated to include redistricting information.