From The Hill:
Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M) will run for the New Mexico Senate seat that is expected to open up officially later Thursday when Sen. Pete Domenici (R) declares that he will not seek reelection in 2008, according to a source familiar with Wilson’s decision.
A Wilson candidacy could prove to be a great twofer for Democrats: her involvement in the US Attorney scandal provides plenty of baggage to damage her Senate chances, and she leaves behind yet another open House seat ripe for the picking (at a PVI of D+2.4, Kerry won the district by three points in 2004).
And, from a Schumer statement via e-mail:
“New Mexico is a state where Democrats have a long history of winning elections, and with a deep bench of talented Democratic candidates, we look forward to fielding a nominee who will wage a successful campaign. We feel very good about our chances to increase the Democratic majority in the Senate next year.”
Let the games begin.
UPDATE: More reaction from CQ Politics:
New Mexico’s two other House members, Democrat Tom Udall and Republican Steve Pearce, both were said to be mulling bids for the Senate race.Democratic Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado said his cousin, Tom Udall, has “been planning for this moment,” but noted that Richardson remains a key player in the process. Udall was not expected to announce anything Thursday.
Pearce said he wanted to wait “a respectful time” before making a decision. “We should not be jockeying for position, kicking him out the door,” he said.In a statement, Richardson said Domenici had been a “respected and powerful champion for New Mexico’s interests” for more than three decades. Tom Reynolds, a spokesman for his presidential campaign, said Richardson remained “100 percent committed to winning the White House.”
Democratic Lt. Gov. Denise Denish, who has been gearing up to run for governor in 2010 when Richardson would be term-limited out of office, said she would consider the Senate race.
“This reshuffles the whole deck in New Mexico,” she said of Domenici’s retirement.
“I’ve been very focused on running for governor and that’s still where my focus is right now, but I think in fairness I need to listen to some people that are talking to me about the possibility of running for this Senate seat and see what they have to say and see what the possibilities are,” she added.
Former New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid also said she was considering a bid for the seat. Madrid lost the 2006 election against Wilson for the 1st Congressional District by fewer than 900 points, and said she expected she would perform better in a statewide contest. “I think that I could run a very credible race,” she said.
Hopefully an early announcement will do two things: 1) keep Steve Pearce out, and 2) keep Tom Udall out.
There is little indication that the so-called “baggage” from the U.S. Attorney story will dampen her standing in the state, and after defeating a statewide office holder in a Democratic district in a Democratic year, I feel confident about her ability to play statewide.
Udall, meanwhile, hasn’t indicated in the slightest that he’d be interested in the seat, though things chance when there’s an open seat. However, with Wilson’s entry and obvious strength, he might think twice about leaving his cushy seat in the House for a questionable statewide bid.
Pearce, meanwhile, has to realize that he’s too conservative for the state in a Democratic year, and a damaging primary against Wilson will hurt the GOP’s chances overall.
Wow, imagine if Udall, Pearce and Wilson all ran for the seat! We could have an all new delegation with Udall in the Senate, Heinrich in NM-1 and two new Dems to take over NM-2 and NM-3.
What are these points? last time i checked, VOTES determined elections. seems like cq needs a new proffreader.
That’s quite a statement. Even Republicans who have long enjoyed large margins of victory throughout their entire career saw that margin shrink considerably in 2006, for no reason other than political atmosphere.
I consider Wilson to be one of the brightest stars under the GOP tent and she is a formidable opponent. The fact that she once again won in a dem leaning district proves this point.
I do think it will make her district more than competitive. But if the DEMS want to win, then they need to field someone other than Madrid, I watched her debate with Wilson, she was terrible.
In the senate, if Richardson is tapped as HRC’s VP, then Udall has good chances on Richardson’s coattails, but either way, the race will be extremely competitive and yet another state where the GOP will have to spend money it was not planning to have to spend. I suspect that the DEMS will pick this seat up.
The GOP empire is crumbling.
From the Santa Fe New Mexican:
Able to repeat her 06 performance in CD-01, losing by less than 1k votes, Wilson would probably have to get around 65% of CD-02 voters to win.