Wide-open N.M. races draw dozens

All three of New Mexico’s House members are giving up their seats to run for the Senate, creating a free-for-all contest among more than two dozen candidates who have announced or are considering campaigns.  

One district is seen as a toss-up; a second has long been held by Republicans but is now coveted by Democrats; and Democrats believe they have a stranglehold on the third seat, which is being vacated by Rep. Tom Udall (D).

{mosads}The marquee match-up will be to succeed Rep. Heather Wilson (R), who was reelected in 2006 by just 861 votes. The district consists mostly of Albuquerque, and voted against President Bush in the past two presidential elections.

Republicans think they have a candidate who, like Wilson, can appeal to Democrats and independents in Darren White, the Bernalillo County Sheriff and the former state Public Safety Secretary. White won reelection as sheriff last year with 63 percent of the vote, something he points to as evidence of bipartisan appeal. He has long appealed to law-and-order conservatives; in 1999, he resigned his secretary post under Republican Gov. Gary Johnson because he disagreed with Johnson’s support for drug legalization.

“I think I’ve been a very effective leader and also someone who’s independent,” said White, who wants to limit government spending and continue Wilson’s focus on national security if elected. “I think the public looks to me as someone [who] is willing to speak out and speak my mind.”

Any candidate in the 1st district will need to have centrist credentials like Wilson, said Heath Haussaman, editor of the New Mexico Politics blog. “She convinced enough Democrats to win every time,” he said. “In a year [2006] when Republicans fell like flies, she survived.”

White faces a primary challenge from Joe Carraro, a veteran state senator who also touts his independence from party leaders. Carraro said his legislative experience — something White lacks — would help him fight for lower taxes, a strong military and effective programs for the poor.

“I’m not a conservative or a liberal,” he said. “Both congressmen and senators, they take a party position; to me there is no such thing.”

Democrats are hoping either former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich or former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham can finally win the seat, which has been represented by a Republican since 1968.

Heinrich has highlighted his ability to work across party lines in enacting city measures, including a minimum-wage increase and restrictions on the sale of products that can be made into methamphetamine.

"I think [New Mexicans] are looking for someone they can trust, somebody who can actually get things done on behalf of the district and behalf of the nation,” he said.

Lujan Grisham has been campaigning on increasing access to healthcare; during her nearly three years as health secretary, the state doubled the number of school-based health centers, where uninsured children can receive primary care.

“I’m great at building programs and things that make a difference,” she said.

New Mexico’s other two districts have a more partisan bent.

In the 2nd district, Rep. Steve Pearce (R), a fiscal conservative who won both of his last two races by nearly 20 points, is running to replace retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R). In the 3rd district, Udall is running for the Senate and is expected to win his party’s nomination.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Doug Thornell said that disenchantment with the Bush administration and with Republicans over illegal immigration will help whichever candidate emerges in the 2nd district, which is 42.5 percent Hispanic. “They are sick and tired of Bush policies that are taking this country in the wrong direction,” he said.

Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he’s confident his party will retain the seat. “A candidate committed to lowering taxes and shrinking the size of the federal government who also understands the importance of securing our borders stands a very good chance of winning,” he said.

Five Republicans are running to succeed Pearce: Ed Tinsley, former chairman of the National Restaurant Association; Aubrey Dunn, a former bank executive; Bob Cornelius, former Bernalillo County Republican executive director; C. Earl Greer, chairman of the Sierra County Republicans; and Greg Sowards, a daycare center mogul. Four others are considering running, including Monty Newman, the mayor of Hobbs, Pearce’s hometown.

Tinsley said he will draw on his experience as a small-business owner — he owns 19 K-BOB’s Steakhouse franchises — and in backing privatized healthcare for small businesses as a trade group leader in Washington. Both Cornelius and Dunn have campaigned on finding solutions to end illegal immigration.

The Democratic field is just as muddled. It includes Bill McCamley, a Dona Ana County commissioner and Harvard graduate; Harry Teague, a former Lea County commissioner and owner of an oil-rig business; and Al Kissling, a retired pastor and the 2006 Democratic nominee.

The 3rd district is the least likely to switch parties, Haussaman said. Udall beat his 2006 Republican challenger by 50 points, and five of the six candidates running to replace him are Democrats.

They include Ben Ray Lujan, chairman of the state Public Regulation Commission; Jon Adams, a former New Mexico assistant attorney general; and Don Wiviott, a builder of environmentally friendly houses.

The only Republican in the race is Marco Gonzales, an attorney and former Domenici aide.

Haussaman said candidates in each district will have to prove to voters that they can lead right away. With four of the state’s five members of Congress leaving their seats, the state will lose the benefits of their seniority, something Domenici used effectively to fight for funding for nuclear research at the Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.

“That’s going to be one of the themes of the campaign,” Haussaman said. “Who can get in there and lead and bring home the pork?”