Chávez formally enters U.S. Senate race

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez announced today that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated next year by Pete Domenici. “I am pleased this morning to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate,” the Democrat said during a news conference in Albuquerque. “These are extraordinarily difficult times for our country. … As a senator, I will vote to end this war now.” The mayor was flanked by a number of high-raking Democrats who were obviously aiming to show a great deal of support for Chávez at a time when many are concerned that he isn’t the strongest candidate they could run against formidable Republican opponents. GOP U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson has already announced that she’s running, and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., will announce later today whether he’s running. Continue Reading

Pearce to announce decision on Senate today

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U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., plans to announce later today whether he will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. A reliable source confirmed that the congressman will make the announcement this afternoon, but did not know what Pearce’s decision will be. Pearce’s campaign refused to comment. U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson is currently considered the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the Senate race, but if Pearce gets in the race, that could change. Newcomer Spiro G. Vassilopoulos is also running, assuring a GOP primary regardless of Pearce’s decision. Continue Reading

Lyons mum about conversation with Pearce

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New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons confirmed this morning that he spoke on Monday with fellow Republican Steve Pearce about the U.S. Senate race, but he would not reveal the details of their conversation. “Oh yeah, I talked to him,” Lyons said today. “We haven’t made a decision yet and I don’t think he has either, so we’ll have to see how things shake out.” Both Lyons and Southern New Mexico’s congressman are considering getting into the race, and Lyons had been trying for days to discuss the situation with Pearce. Republicans U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and newcomer Spiro G. Vassilopoulos have both entered the race, so Lyons and Pearce would have to face both in a primary. Lyons is also considering running for governor in 2010, and though Pearce has never publicly said whether he’s interested in that race, a number of Republicans, including the state party’s chair, have said they would like to see him run. Continue Reading

Poll finds Pearce stronger than Wilson against Dems

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The first public polling done on the dynamics of the 2008 U.S. Senate race finds Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., significantly stronger than GOP Rep. Heather Wilson in potential head-to-head contests against Democratic opponents. With Pearce still undecided on whether to challenge Wilson in a primary, the SurveyUSA poll is certain to put further pressure on Southern New Mexico’s congressman to get into the race. He has said his decision won’t be based on polls, but will instead be based on what he believes is right. Read the poll’s full results by clicking here. Regardless of what Pearce says, the numbers are hard to ignore. Continue Reading

Don’t discount her: Denish seriously pondering Senate

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Lt. Gov. Diane Denish says, despite reports to the contrary, that she is “very seriously” considering running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. Media reports in recent days have suggested that she was making a deal with Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez to stay out of the Senate race if he stayed out of the 2010 gubernatorial race, and many have suggested her consideration of the Senate race isn’t serious. No so, Denish says. “The compelling argument is this: The country is in a mess and what we need is really good candidates to step forward,” Denish said today in an interview. “If the country wasn’t in a crisis, I think I would not blink an eye (in deciding against running for Senate), but I think building a stronger majority in the Senate is a real priority at this time.” Denish, a Democrat, told me several months ago that she had no interest in leaving New Mexico for Washington. Continue Reading

Ethics subcommittee to meet Wednesday

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The Legislature’s interim Ethics Subcommittee will hold its second meeting to consider reform proposals on Wednesday. This meeting will be about the recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Ethics Reform, according to the agenda. Those proposals include campaign contribution limits, tougher restrictions on lobbyists and creation of an ethics commission that could investigate complaints against public officials and issue opinions on ethical questions. Most members of the legislative subcommittee have been reluctant to embrace ethics reform proposals. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in room 309 at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Continue Reading

Kucinich, wife to visit N.M. this week

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On Tuesday, Dennis Kucinich will become the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate other than Bill Richardson to visit New Mexico. Kucinich will be in Albuquerque to speak at 6 p.m. at Smith-Brasher Hall on the campus of Central New Mexico Community College, the campaign announced this weekend in an e-mail to supporters. And Kucinich’s wife, Elizabeth, will make her own trip through New Mexico this week, stopping on Wednesday in Albuquerque to hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. at the Center for Peace and Justice. She will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the Plumber’s and Pipefitter’s Union hall in Albuquerque before heading to Taos Pueblo for a tour at noon on Thursday. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, Elizabeth Kucinich, who will be accompanied on the trip by her mother, will hold a reception at the Kachina Lodge in Taos. Continue Reading

Lyons ‘not any closer’ to decision on Senate race

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New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons said this morning he’s still undecided on whether to run for U.S. Senate. Lyons, a Republican, has been trying to reach U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., to discuss the situation before making a decision. Pearce is also seriously considering the race. Lyons said he wasn’t able to speak with Pearce this weekend, but the congressman is supposed to call him Tuesday or Wednesday – which may be an indicator of when Pearce plans to reveal his decision. “We’re not any closer,” Lyons said. Continue Reading

Chávez will enter Senate race on Tuesday

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This article has been updated. It previously stated that Chávez’s entrance into the race was likely. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez will announce at 11 a.m. Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici. Though Chávez would not confirm that he’s running, other sources with firsthand knowledge of his plans did. Chávez would confirm the 11 a.m. news conference at the offices of Eclipse Aviation in Albuquerque, but said only that it is to announce “what my intentions are.” Asked if he could provide any clues about whether he plans to run, Chávez talked about his teenage son and the war in Iraq. Continue Reading

Newcomer to battle Wilson in Senate primary

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A Republican oil man who had previously considered a primary run against U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici told a group of 60 people in the Alamogordo area on Saturday that he will run for the seat next year. That means U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson will have a primary battle regardless of whether U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce decides to jump into the race for the open Senate seat. Spiro G. Vassilopoulos made the formal announcement at a pig roast, the Alamogordo Daily News is reporting. “I will begin my campaign this coming January,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “And I feel my only serious competition will be Stevan Pearce, if he decides to run for the position. Continue Reading

Most who vote in poll say Perea will win judgeship

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The majority of those who voted in last week’s non-scientific poll on this site think there will be a change in the leadership of the Las Cruces Municipal Court when voters go to the polls on Nov. 6. Of 157 voters, 88, or 56 percent, said Conrad F. Perea would win the race for presiding judge of the court, while 69, or 44 percent, said incumbent Melissa Miller-Byrnes would be re-elected. Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll, located at the top of the right column on this page. Continue Reading

Arnold-Jones may run for Congress

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State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, R-Albuquerque, is considering running for the seat in the U.S. House being vacated next year by Republican Heather Wilson, who is running for Senate instead of seeking re-election. Arnold-Jones confirmed on Saturday that she may get into the race. “I am really considering this,” she said. Arnold-Jones said she will be on the phone this week to determine how much cash she can raise, but she doesn’t think money is the only factor in building support for a run. In the mostly metropolitan First Congressional District, door-to-door campaigning is much more doable than it is in the state’s other congressional districts. Continue Reading

Analysis: Bet on Richardson replacing Pete

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By Jose Z. Garcia Before discussing the political fallout, let me assert that Pete Domenici ranks among the top two senators in New Mexico history. His contributions in reforming the Senate budget process were historic, and if Congress squandered a chance to be fiscally responsible in the last few years, it was not because of him. At the peak of his power his moderate, bipartisan approach to policy, abandoned years ago by Senate leaders in favor of the Gotcha Game, helped produce legislation of which people were actually proud. His work ethic on behalf of New Mexicans is legendary, and there is no one in the state who has not benefited from this work. His modest, unassuming character was rare among first-tier politicians, and he knew how to listen well. Continue Reading

Chávez says he’s seriously considering Senate race

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Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez confirmed moments ago that he’s seriously considering running for U.S. Senate. In a brief phone interview, Chávez said he has been honored to receive phone calls in recent days from all across the state and nation from people urging him to run. “This decision is a very serious one, not one to be taken lightly, and I’ll make a decision in the near future,” he said. Chávez also asked if I knew anything more than has been reported publicly about whether U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., would join the Senate race. I told him I did not, and he said Pearce is “the toughest the GOP could put up.” He said U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who announced today that she will run, is “damaged.” Continue Reading

Wilson confirms run, hasn’t sought Domenici backing

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U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., formally announced today that she will give up her House seat to run for the Senate seat coming open next year because of the retirement of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici. “We’ve been so fortunate to have Sen. Pete Domenici working for us for the last 35 years,” Wilson said. “… I will treasure the next 15 months working with Sen. Pete Domenici in the United States Congress.” She talked about what she believes are the nation’s most pressing needs – better schools and health care and increased security – and said New Mexicans “deserve leaders who will fight for these things.” “For these reasons I want the people of New Mexico to know that I will run for the United States Senate,” Wilson said. The news was first leaked on Thursday that Wilson would seek the seat, so today’s announcement was a formality. Wilson, 46, also indicated that today’s event, at which she was joined by her husband and children, wasn’t her formal announcement or campaign kickoff. Continue Reading