Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell
‘It’s clear to me that I can have a greater impact trying to help create a Republican majority rather than trying to be a part of it,’ senator says.
Longtime State Sen. Rod Adair announced Tuesday that, rather than running against another GOP incumbent in a primary, he will not seek re-election this year.
The shift for the Roswell Republican came two weeks after he filed to seek another term. Adair, a campaign consultant and demographer, said the GOP has “the greatest opportunity we’ve ever had to free the state from more than 80 years of Democrat domination in the Legislature,” and he can better help that happen by working on other campaigns than his own.
“Republicans have fielded more candidates in more competitive districts than ever before,” Adair said. “Now is the time to try to effect change. I have determined that I can be of better service to my community and our state by concentrating my efforts on helping these campaigns be successful.”
His decision leaves Republican Bill Burt of Alamogordo, the other incumbent, without a primary challenge. Burt will face Democrat Stephanie DuBois of Tularosa in November.
This year’s redistricting put Burt and Adair in the same district, forcing the two to run against one another in a primary unless one stepped aside.
Adair has represented District 33 since 1997. He has been a strong backer of Gov. Susana Martinez and managed Secretary of State Dianna Duran’s 2010 campaign.
Adair noted that his decision to not seek re-election means no incumbent Republican senator will face a primary, which he said would “conserve resources and create a focused and united Republican effort as we move to the general election.”
“Just as was the case in the redistricting negotiations, it’s clear to me that I can have a greater impact trying to help create a Republican majority rather than trying to be a part of it,” Adair said. “It’s an easy choice to make.”
The legislative shuffle
In all, 21 state legislators aren’t seeking re-election this year – 12 House members and nine senators. Nine lawmakers are giving up their seats to run for other positions. Several House members are running for Senate seats.
In addition, redistricting means one other lawmaker won’t be back next year. There’s another district in which legislative incumbents are running against each other in a primary.
And the 2012 exodus from the Legislature may not be over. At least seven legislative incumbents and several other candidates left the district number off their nominating petitions, though state law says failure to include that information will make those petitions invalid. The candidacies of several are being challenged in court.