{"id":1662,"date":"2007-05-01T16:24:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-01T22:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/05\/domenici-scandal-creates-opportunity-for-a-young-energetic-democrat-to-become-an-elite-player\/"},"modified":"2007-05-01T16:24:00","modified_gmt":"2007-05-01T22:24:00","slug":"domenici-scandal-creates-opportunity-for-a-young-energetic-democrat-to-become-an-elite-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/05\/domenici-scandal-creates-opportunity-for-a-young-energetic-democrat-to-become-an-elite-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Domenici scandal creates opportunity for a young, energetic Democrat to become an elite player"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> attorney scandal has created a ripe opportunity for an up-and-coming Democrat to jump into the top-tier of politicos in the party. <\/p>\n

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

Democrats are having trouble recruiting an elite candidate to run against the 74-year-old Sen. Pete Domenici<\/a>, R-N.M., who was once untouchable but has watched his approval rating drop since mid-February, when the U.S.<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> attorney scandal first broke.<\/p>\n

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

There is a good reason many of the top-tier Democrats don\u2019t want to run against him: He\u2019s Pete. Though his approval rating has fallen from 64 percent to 54 percent in two months, he still won\u2019t likely to lose the election.<\/p>\n

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

But there are other reasons this is a great race for an up-and-coming Democrat.<\/p>\n

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

Domenici has had some health problems, and the scandal has taken its toll. A number of sources in Washington<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> tell me Domenici looks tired, distracted and discouraged. How could he not be? This is the first major scandal of his long and prestigious career.<\/p>\n

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

Let\u2019s be honest: Though Domenici has made very clear his intention to run and is already raising money, there\u2019s a chance, however slight, that health problems will force him to retire.<\/p>\n

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

I hope that doesn\u2019t happen. It would be a sad end to his career, and I prefer people continue to serve or are defeated based on what they\u2019ve done, not their health. But there\u2019s an outside chance health will become an issue.<\/p>\n

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

In addition to the health factor, former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias<\/a>, whose name was added to the list of attorneys who would be fired last year only after the now-famous phone calls from Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson<\/a>, R-N.M., has honed his message. He appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher<\/a> last week and gave his most polished performance yet. (Watch the video by clicking here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhat they wanted me to do was come up with some bogus prosecutions with no evidence of voter fraud, that\u2019s No. 1,\u201d Iglesias said. \u201cAnd, No. 2, they wanted me to rush indictments against Democrats who were engaging in corrupt activities. I couldn\u2019t do that because the case wasn\u2019t ready. It was that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI took an oath to support and defend the constitution, not the Republican Party of New Mexico,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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

Iglesias is refining his message the same way Republicans gradually refined their attacks last year against Wilson<\/st1:place><\/st1:city>\u2019s challenger, Patricia Madrid. That\u2019s essential for Democrats who want to unseat Domenici. The U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> attorney scandal is important, but difficult to grasp. Iglesias\u2019 statements on Maher\u2019s show were, to date, his most clear and concise about the allegations.<\/p>\n

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

Running against Domenici with the senator\u2019s health and the U.S.<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> attorney scandal as assets isn\u2019t something U.S. Rep. Tom Udall<\/a> or Albuquerque Mayor Martin Ch\u00e1vez<\/a> might be willing to do. They have a lot to lose, and they would probably lose it.<\/p>\n

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

But an up-and-comer would gain even by losing the race, as long as he or she made a decent run against Domenici. And, with the slight chance that Domenici might bow out of the race, that Democrat would be well positioned.<\/p>\n

\n

Some potential candidates<\/span><\/p>\n

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

State Rep. Joseph Cervantes<\/a>, who still hasn\u2019t announced whether he\u2019ll run against U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce<\/a> next year, is one who might want to consider the race against Domenici. He\u2019s well-known and respected by Democrats and moderate Republicans. He had more success with ethics reform than any other lawmaker this year. One of three ethics bills backed by the governor that passed was sponsored by Cervantes, and he also convinced his peers to approve a whistleblower law he proposed.<\/p>\n

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

I can see the commercial now:<\/p>\n

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

\u201cIn October 2006, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici tried to pressure former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to issue indictments against Democrats in a public corruption scandal to help his friend, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, win re-election. When Iglesias refused and put the law above partisan politics, Domenici had him fired.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cMeanwhile, State Rep. Joseph Cervantes was drafting a law that would protect whistleblowers who report government corruption and fraud, and another that would ensure that state contracts are awarded to the most qualified bidders, not those with inside connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWhile Domenici was trying to abuse the system for his own purpose, Cervantes convinced his colleagues and the governor to enact laws that would stop abuses in state government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

And so on. I\u2019m not trying to promote a potential Cervantes candidacy, but you get the point.<\/p>\n

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

Some others who might be able to distinguish themselves against Domenici are state Auditor Hector Balderas<\/a>, state Rep. Jose Campos<\/a>, Public Regulation Commissioner Ben R. Lujan<\/a>, or anyone else who has worked his or her way into influence but isn\u2019t among the top Democrats in the state.<\/p>\n

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

Win the race, and you\u2019re in the Senate. Lose, but come close, and you\u2019re in the top-tier of New Mexico Democrats.<\/p>\n

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

It\u2019s like what Bill Richardson<\/a> did in 1980, running in a race against Manuel Lujan<\/a> everyone said he couldn\u2019t win. He lost by only 1,000 votes, and became the king of the mountain.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Domenici is aging and he\u2019s ethically vulnerable for the first time in his career. A young, energetic candidate could make a name out of taking him on. Will any have the guts to take the risk?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. attorney scandal has created a ripe opportunity for an up-and-coming Democrat to jump into the top-tier of politicos in the party. Democrats are having trouble recruiting an elite candidate to run against the 74-year-old Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., who was once untouchable but has watched his approval rating drop since mid-February, when the […]<\/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-1662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1662","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=1662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}