{"id":1540,"date":"2007-04-04T14:38:00","date_gmt":"2007-04-04T20:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/04\/mccamley-announces-hell-attempt-to-unseat-pearce\/"},"modified":"2007-04-04T14:38:00","modified_gmt":"2007-04-04T20:38:00","slug":"mccamley-announces-hell-attempt-to-unseat-pearce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/04\/mccamley-announces-hell-attempt-to-unseat-pearce\/","title":{"rendered":"McCamley announces he’ll attempt to unseat Pearce"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Do\u00f1a Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley<\/a> announced today that he\u2019s running for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Steve Pearce<\/a>, R-N.M. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley, a Democrat, will have to face Al Kissling<\/a> in a primary to earn the right to take on Pearce next year. There\u2019s also a possibility that other Democrats, including State Rep. Joseph Cervantes<\/a>, D-Las Cruces, will enter the race.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n

The stars will have to align for a Democrat to take down Pearce, Albuquerque<\/st1:place><\/st1:City> pollster Brian Sanderoff<\/a> said. Pearce, 59, was first elected in 2002 and has fought off challenges from strong Democrats in the past.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley said he\u2019s up to the task.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cWe need leaders in Washington who will work together to find real solutions to the problems facing America<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need results, not the same old political games. I will focus on developing Southern New Mexico\u2019s economy, helping people get quality, affordable health care, and keeping Washington<\/st1:state><\/st1:place> fiscally responsible.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley, 29, has been a commissioner since January 2005 and, in that time, has become a local powerhouse. He was elected chairman of the commission at his first meeting and quickly authored a rewrite of the county\u2019s ethics policy.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley pledged during his campaign to solve a decades-old water battle that hampered growth in the southern part of the county. A little over a month after he took office, the county and Sunland<\/st1:placename> Park<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place> signed an agreement that ended the fight. Gov. Bill Richardson<\/a> credited McCamley with being instrumental in negotiating the truce.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

More recently, McCamley led the charge for approval of a 1\/4 percent gross receipts tax increase in Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> to help fund Spaceport America<\/a> \u2013 approval that is pending the consideration later this week of 541 provision ballots, but is likely.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He also pushed for a local tax increase for public safety and helped reorganize the county health care financing system to make it more efficient. McCamley said such results show a focus on representing the people who elected him.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cSteve Pearce has worked hard to represent the current administration and not the people of Southern New Mexico<\/st1:place>,\u201d McCamley said. \u201cI will work hard to bring back the voice of the 2nd District to Capitol Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling disappointed, but will fight<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Kissling said he was disappointed to learn McCamley had jumped into the race.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m running,\u201d he said. \u201cI heard McCamley is running. I\u2019m sorry to hear that, because I think it dilutes the energy we need to run against Mr. Pearce.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling immediately went on the attack, calling McCamley \u201cyoung and impetuous\u201d and saying he\u2019s up to the challenge of tough primary and general elections.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be the grassroots against the politicos,\u201d Kissling said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Kissling, who has never held elective office, ran against Pearce in 2006 and secured just over 40 percent of the vote. He raised and spent a little more than $180,000, while Pearce raised more than $1.4 million and spent just under $1.3 million.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Pollster Sanderoff said the money is just one of several major obstacles a Democrat will have to overcome to beat Pearce. A Hobbs<\/st1:place><\/st1:city> oilman, Pearce wins a lot of Democratic votes on the east side of the district. Sanderoff said one model for challenging Pearce would be a strong, moderate Democrat from Las Cruces who can regionalize the race and win Republican votes on the district\u2019s west side.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sanderoff agreed with Kissling that a Democrat\u2019s chance at beating Peace would be hampered by a primary race, but he said Kissling is \u201cnot the most credible or well-funded candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

For a Democrat to have a shot at winning, Sanderoff said Pearce would have to face a scandal that challenges his credibility, and the national wave that favored Democrats in 2006 would have to continue in 2008. Sanderoff predicted the second would happen because of the unpopularity of the continuing war in Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>. Pearce remains one of the strongest supporters of President Bush\u2019s Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> policy.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In addition, should Richardson<\/st1:city> successfully get on the national ticket as the Democrats\u2019 presidential or vice presidential candidate, that would benefit Democrats running in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>, Sanderoff said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Fundraising must be an imm<\/span>ediate focus<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley is a graduate of Mayfield<\/st1:placename> High School<\/st1:placetype> and earned a bachelor\u2019s in government from New Mexico<\/st1:placename> State<\/st1:placetype> University<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>. He also has a master\u2019s in public policy from Harvard<\/st1:placename> University<\/st1:placetype><\/st1:place>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He is executive director of the New Mexico Rural Development Response Council<\/a> and has worked in many small communities in the congressional district, which could help him on the east side. McCamley said he plans to spend the next couple of months traveling the district to \u201ccontinue my conversations about how we make Washington<\/st1:state> work for Southern New Mexico<\/st1:place>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

He will also need to immediately focus on fundraising. Though Kissling started 2007 with only $2,555 in his congressional account, Pearce had $147,446.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sanderoff said a Democrat, to successfully challenge Pearce, must convince the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee<\/a> that he is in \u201ca viable race to unseat an incumbent.\u201d Doing that meant millions of dollars for Patricia Madrid\u2019s unsuccessful campaign last year to unseat U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson<\/a>, R-N.M.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

McCamley recently went to Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> to meet with the group.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI talked with many members of the DCCC, and they were very encouraging,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Will Cervantes enter race?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Cervantes is perhaps the most prominent Democrat who has considered running for Pearce\u2019s seat in 2008. He said in December that he was seriously thinking about such a run.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are great opportunities to better represent this community in Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> than we see now,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cLas Cruces<\/st1:city> and Do\u00f1a<\/st1:placename> Ana<\/st1:placename> County<\/st1:placename><\/st1:place> is a thriving community and deserves representation familiar with the area and with roots in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Cervantes is one to wait patiently for what he believes to be the right time to make a move, and he\u2019s keenly aware that other strong Democrats, including Sen. John Arthur Smith<\/a> of Deming and Attorney General Gary King<\/a>, ran against Pearce and lost after resource-draining primaries.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Cervantes told me in December that he and his family would, \u201cas soon as I\u2019m done with the session,\u201d meet and \u201cmake an intelligent decision and determine whether we\u2019re the right person to represent this community and the southern half of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I was unable to reach Cervantes for comment this afternoon.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In recent months, Pearce has been eyeing the Senate seat held by Pete Domenici<\/a> and the governor\u2019s office. Though it\u2019s not likely, if the current scandal involving U.S.<\/st1:country-region> attorneys or some other event were to end Domenici\u2019s career before 2008, many speculate that Pearce would run for the seat even if Wilson<\/st1:city><\/st1:place> also runs.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

That would eliminate the Republican incumbency advantage in the 2nd District and might tempt Cervantes and other Democrats into the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do\u00f1a Ana County Commissioner Bill McCamley announced today that he\u2019s running for the 2nd Congressional District seat currently held by Steve Pearce, R-N.M. McCamley, a Democrat, will have to face Al Kissling in a primary to earn the right to take on Pearce next year. There\u2019s also a possibility that other Democrats, including State Rep. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}