The conventional wisdom has been that Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, an incumbent with 34 years of service in the Senate, is an institution in New Mexican political culture, and that it would take more than an inappropriate phone call or two to a U.S. Attorney to undo the reservoir of goodwill that the Senator has earned over his long tenure.
Well, think again. SurveyUSA has come out with its second round of approval tracking since Pajama Pete’s role in the U.S. Attorney scandal broke, and the trendlines don’t look good for the old man:
Democrats should not wait any longer for a hypothetical Domenici retirement: the time to attack is now. A prolonged, sustained third-party independent expenditure campaign hitting with the dual prongs of ethics and Iraq, where Domenici marches in lock-step with President Bush, could set the stage for a barnburner of a Senate race, whether the Senator retires or not. Will a strong candidate step up to pile on the pressure? (Rep. Tom Udall, anyone?)
Race Tracker: NM-Sen
(H/T: The Guru)
Update: New Mexico FBIHOP has more.
An elder statesman Senator who loses his seat by landslide margin.