RACE OF THE DAY: N.M.-02

Ex-Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) can now count former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) among his backers in the race to regain the congressional seat he once held for three terms. 

Palin called Pearce “a principled conservative” in a Facebook endorsement Wednesday — a coveted prize for many conservative candidates this cycle. 

Pearce, Palin wrote on her Facebook page, “understands what makes this country great. As a decorated military veteran, Steve served our country with honor and distinction. As a successful business owner, he has created real jobs for New Mexico. By sending Steve back to Congress, we add one more strong voice for fiscal discipline, energy independence and getting Americans back to work.”

Palin’s endorsement puts the national spotlight on a race where freshman Rep. Harry Teague (D-N.M.) is struggling to hold onto his seat.   

Teague was one of just 39 House Democrats to vote against the healthcare reform bill, and that’s looking like a good decision given new numbers from The Hill/ANGA midterm poll.

Overall, Pearce leads Teague by four points in the poll — 46 percent to 42 — with 10 percent of likely voters undecided, but opinions of the recently enacted healthcare law are less mixed. 

A full 65 percent of all likely voters in the district said they want the law repealed. Among Democrats, 49 percent said they favor repeal, as did 61 percent of independents and 86 percent of Republicans. 

Teague’s “no” vote on the measure last spring, which he said he took because the bill didn’t do enough to contain costs, has taken at least one major issue away from Pearce.

Pearce was first elected in 2002 and served three terms before deciding to embark on a run for Senate in 2008. He lost handily to then-Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and now he wants his old seat in Congress back.   

Teague’s battle with Pearce is increasingly a contest for independents, who will likely decide which way the race ultimately breaks. It’s one key group with which Teague currently holds a slight edge in The Hill/ANGA poll, winning 43 percent of independents to 41 percent for Pearce. A full 15 percent of independent voters are still undecided.    

A larger problem for Teague is the vote he cast in favor of cap-and-trade, which has been a consistent line of attack for Pearce. 

The Republican has also targeted Teague’s past in the oil business, charging that the Democrat cut health benefits for his employees and engaged in questionable business practices.

Nationally, Democrats are starting to focus attention on Pearce’s recent comments at a town hall forum that “questions need to be asked” about President Obama’s citizenship. 

In a video, posted on the Huffington Post, Pearce responded to a question from a woman who asked whether he would be willing to subpoena the president and force him to show a birth certificate. 

“My position is that Barack Obama raised the most significant questions himself,” Pearce said in reponse. “He said, after he came to the U.S., that he traveled to Pakistan. Now, at the point that he traveled to Pakistan it was not legal to go there with a U.S. passport. And so he, himself, raised the greatest questions. I think that those questions need to be asked.” 

The president was born in Hawaii and released his birth certificate during the 2008 campaign after claims about his birth were first made in a series of chain e-mails. 

Currently, Pearce holds the edge in the sprawling 2nd district given its conservative tilt and a national environment that’s very much working in his favor. But Teague is one of the few embattled incumbent Democrats in 2010 polling well enough with independent voters that he can’t be counted out ahead of November. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved TV time in Teague’s district ahead of November, but has now scaled that time back, according to a Republican media buyer tracking the spending.