Democracy for New Mexico

(Updated) NM-Sen: Udall to Officially Announce Candidacy Thursday in ABQ, 8-City Tour Follows

UPDATE 2:35 PM: Here's the complete schedule for Rep. Udall's announcement tour:

• Thursday, November 29th
  • Albuquerque – National Hispanic Cultural Center – 11:30 AM, 1701 4th Street, SW – Salon Ortega Room
  • Los Lunas – Casa de Pizza – 6PM, 221 U.S. Highway 314
• Friday, November 30th
  • Las Cruces – Roberto’s Restaurant – 8 AM, 908 East Amador Avenue
  • Silver City – The Red Barn Restaurant – 12 PM, 708 Silver Heights Boulevard
  • Clovis – Clovis-Carver Public Library – 5 PM, 701 North Main Street – North Annex
• Saturday, December 1st
  • Las Vegas – Spic and Span – 8:30 AM, 715 Douglas Avenue
  • Mora – Hatcha’s Restaurant – 9:30 AM, Highway 518
  • Taos – The Kachina Lodge – 12 PM, 413 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte
  • Santa Fe – Eldorado Hotel – 4 PM, 309 West San Francisco – Sunset Room

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Here's what we've been waiting for. Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03) will officially announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate tomorrow! Here's the statement released by his campaign:

NEW MEXICO – New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall, D-N.M., will be making his bid for the United States Senate official this week in a series of events scheduled around the state.

The Tom Udall for Senate announcement tour will kick-off tomorrow at 11:45 A.M. in Albuquerque at the National Hispanic Cultural Center's Salon Ortega room. Udall will then travel the state hitting eight additional cities in three days, with events scheduled in Los Lunas, Las Cruces, Silver City, Clovis, Las Vegas, Mora, Taos, and finally concluding in his hometown of Santa Fe on Saturday. All events will be open to the public and press.

"As a prosecutor, state attorney general and congressman, I have stood strong for New Mexico values," said Udall. "I am proud to bring my proven record of leadership to the United States Senate.  New Mexicans know my record on issues like reducing domestic violence and DUI, improving access to health care and education, protecting our Constitutional freedoms, conserving our natural treasures, and ending the misguided war in Iraq.  New Mexico deserves a Senator who has the courage to do what's right, and I have the integrity and experience they can trust. As we begin this campaign, I ask for all of your support."

Tom Udall currently is serving in his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has earned a reputation as a principled and effective legislator known for taking courageous stands.  During his two terms as Attorney General, he reduced domestic violence and instances of DUI, tackled political corruption, and protected consumers from corporate misdeeds.  In Congress, he consistently has voted to end the war in Iraq; improve access to health care and educational opportunity; fight for our brave veterans and small businesses; as well as protect our natural treasures like the Valle Vidal, Ojito Wilderness, and Valles Caldera.  Tom Udall has demonstrated his effectiveness to reach across partisan lines for the benefit of all New Mexicans, and he will take that same courage to the Senate.

The dream of Draft Udall comes to fruition!

To see our previous coverage of the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

Bogus Richardson for Senate Petition Being Sent to Dems

So have you gotten a letter and petition in the mail recently asking you to gather signatures for a Senate run by Gov. Bill Richardson? I did, and so have others I know. Seems that members of the Dem Party's State Central Committee and those that hold other Party offices have received copies via snail mail. I've heard that they're also being left in prominent locations in restaurants and other locales.

If you give them more than a passing look it's obvious they're bogus -- no return address, no official stationery, etc. Looks like an anonymous someone is trying to hold down declared candidate fundraising by trying to convince potential donors that Richardson is still considering running for Senate if his presidential bid fails. Or something. Whoever and whatever is behind the attempt, it's definitely weird. Unfortunately, in an election cycle like this one, we can probably expect to witness an abundance of shady tactics being used to try and gain an edge.

Email from Richardson Campaign
Here's the official word from the Richardson for president campaign declaring the petition effort a sham:

Over the past few days many of you have received anonymous letters and petitions asking you to gather names to support a supposed run for the Senate by Governor Richardson. I just wanted to let you know that these petitions are not coming from Richardson for President and do not have the support of Governor Richardson, ourselves or anyone working for Governor Richardson.

The Governor, as he has repeatedly said, plans on being the next President of the United States and has no interest in running for the Senate.

Additionally, let me assure you that Richardson for President would never send out material that is not on an official letterhead and personally signed. These anonymous letters, with no return address and no signature, were not generated by Richardson HQ and we do not want anyone to sign them or return them to our offices. If you know anyone who has started to collect names, or see someone trying to gather signatures, please tell him or her that Governor Richardson is not going to run for the Senate and instead encourage him or her to support the Presidential campaign.

In just a few weeks, the first voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will head to the polls, we're focused on winning the Democratic nomination for President and hope you will stand with us and make sure the best candidate gets elected.

Those who sent out these letters were clearly trying to influence our closest supporters and provide them with misleading information. We are looking into this matter, and please disregard any more so called "Richardson for Senate" petitions you receive in the mail.

Thank you very much,

Dave Contarino
Campaign Manager
Richardson for President

Amanda Cooper
Deputy Campaign Manager
Richardson for President

Leland Lehrman to Formally Announce U.S. Senate Run

From Leland Lehrman for U.S. Senate:

• What: Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Leland Lehrman to Formally Announce Candidacy
• Where: New Mexico State Capitol Rotunda - Corner of Paseo de Peralta and Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe
  When: 12 Noon, Friday, Nov. 30th - Press Discussion at 11:30 AM
• After Party: 7:30 PM at the Green Palace, 209 E. Palace Ave, Santa Fe, Shiva Brothers to Play

David Alire Garcia interviews Leland Lehrman on KNME TV's New Mexico In Focus

New Mexico, the United States and the world need new leadership and representation to change the current disastrous direction of public policy and world events. New Mexico's leaders, including Senate candidate Tom Udall have recently been asked to step forward and provide this leadership and representation, but they have failed. Whether it be impeachment, exposing the propagandistic "War on Terror" or aggressively changing the mission of Los Alamos National Labs to end the homegrown terror of nuclear warfare, our local and national leaders have failed, and it is time they be challenged.

I am a family man and farmer, a citizen, an ecological and peace activist, and now an editor and publisher. I was a voting member of the State Legislature's Election Reform Task Force that helped implement statewide paper ballot election protections. I led the effort to impeach the President and Vice-President in the New Mexico Senate. Still, some wonder at my motivation, and question my credentials to hold office. In these dangerous times, courage is the most important of the qualities necessary in a Senator: the courage to filibuster war, corporate globalization and assaults on our civil liberties.

The filibuster is an awesome privilege and power in the US Senate. It can bring the nation to a halt, an especially useful tool as we come to the brink of military defeat, economic and ecological collapse. Congressman Tom Udall has demonstrated time and again that he lacks the courage necessary to use the filibuster and related Senatorial powers in time of national crisis. I can't wait for the chance to stand before America and refuse to enable endless death and destruction. I am convinced that the people will rise in overwhelming support, helping to change the minds of our colleagues and fellow citizens.

Tom has also demonstrated his unwillingness to represent the Democratic Party of New Mexico, who overwhelmingly voted to impeach President Bush in March of 2006. How does Udall respond to the voice of the people? He votes to table the impeachment resolution that the courageous Representative Dennis Kucinich and 85 other Democrats brought to the floor of Congress just weeks ago.

Two things are necessary in a leader: the willingness to represent the people and to be courageous in time of crisis. I wish I could believe Tom Udall was such a leader, but his actions prove otherwise. If you can't trust your Representatives to represent you on the issues, you have to run against them. That's what Democracy requires of its citizens, and if our cherished form of government is to be successful, good people, not just professional politicians, must run for office, and win.

Note: Supporters and Members of the Press are reminded that they are invited to our tearoom, the Green Palace at 209 E. Palace in Santa Fe, from 7:30 PM on Friday for music by the Shiva Brothers. *** $5 cover charge waived for Media.
--
Leland Lehrman
www.thesun-news.com
www.mothermedia.org
h: 505.982.3609
o: 505.473.4458

NM-Sen: Chavez Accuses Udall of "Endangering Our National Security"

It's really hard to take in. Continuing his recent mean-spirited barrage against his high-polling Dem primary opponent for U.S. Senate, Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez is now accusing Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03) of "endangering our national security." He's also likening Udall to Republican Senate candidates Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and Steve Pearce (NM-02). In a campaign email (PDF) today, Chavez said:

Enough is enough.  If Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce -- our elected Representatives in Congress -- won't fight to save our labs, we will.

... Unfortunately, my 3 opponents in the Senate race -- Representatives Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce -- all had a chance to stop these cuts.  Instead, earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would strip about $400 million in funding from Los Alamos and Sandia labs.

Tom Udall voted for these funding cuts, saying it would send the labs "a message." Well, throwing people out of work and endangering our national security is not the "message" New Mexicans want to hear from people in Washington like Tom Udall.

... Our Representatives Tom Udall, Heather Wilson, and Steve Pearce should be fighting for New Mexico, not siding with Washington lobbyists and insiders. [emphasis mine]

It's one thing to criticize your primary opponent's positions, but I think this kind of over-the-top rhetoric coming directly from Chavez can only serve to turn more Dem voters against him. Chavez already has a reputation for publicly and privately trashing fellow Dems on the Albuquerque City Council, supporting Repubs and their causes and vowing to vote for Repub Sen. Pete Domenici if he ran for reelection.

Do Chavez and his campaign team really believe that using inflammatory language like this to attack one of the most highly respected and popular Dems in the state will help him in his quest for Dem primary voters? Astonishing. Not only is it wrong, it's bad politics.

Status Quo vs. 21st Century Mission
First off, where does Chavez get off claiming that Udall is "siding with Washington lobbyists and insiders" by trying to get our national labs to leave the Cold War behind and embrace a green future? The last time I looked, monied lobbyists and insiders were all for the status quo in terms of building new nuke weapons systems and clinging to old greenhouse gas-producing technologies. It's the people -- and the best scientific minds in the nation -- who are clamoring for an Apollo-like project to address emergencies related to climate change and our dependence on foreign energy sources.

We don't need a new generation of nuke weapons -- we need our best and brightest to solve what is probably our most urgent problems this century -- the severe damage being caused by dirty-burning fossil fuels and the huge price in money and lives we are paying for oil in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

Is Plutonium Pit Manufacturing Green?
I'd  love to know how Mayor Marty squares his self-proclaimed "green" orientation and his recent pandering about nuclear weapons research and production. Do people concerned with the environment and sustainable energy generally support creating large plutonium pit manufacturing projects in their states? Do they clamor for funds to support a new "replacement" line of nuke weapons that's essentially banned by the treaties we've signed? Do they push for retaining lab funding for nuke weapons instead of using common and economic sense to try and steer the labs towards a new, critical mission of developing green technologies and researching renewable energy alternatives?

Clearly, Chavez is "green" only when it suits his political aspirations and anti-green when it doesn't.

Facing Facts
Nobody wants workers at the New Mexico labs to lose their jobs, least of all Tom Udall, who has strongly represented their interests in a balanced way for years. But it's clear that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, as well as a majority of Americans, see turning the page on an outmoded Cold War mentality as the only way to go. It's time to face facts. Today's national security, energy and environmental concerns can only be addressed by the U.S. turning green in a genuine sense -- and by generously supporting our best scientific minds to dedicate themselves to green renewable energy and tech research.

As Rep. Udall has said, he cast his vote for the budget cuts because the labs should be conducting energy research and science programs to address national security issues. It may well be the only way for them to survive in today's world. The national consensus is shifting dramatically and quickly against renewed nuke weapon production and towards a new scientific paradigm. Hanging onto the past at New Mexico's labs, as Chavez is touting and as Domenici strived for, is not wise or even tenable any longer. But you wouldn't know it by the tone and rhetoric being employed by Chavez to try and peg Udall as some kind of traitor for facing reality.

That's a very sad commentary on how Chavez hopes to win the nomination, isn't it? Fortunately, I don't think most New Mexico Dems will be buying it anytime soon.

See recent posts on related topics at local blogs , Only in New Mexico and Heath Haussamen. The latest post on m-pyre also deals with this topic and includes a couple of useful pie charts about budgets at the labs.

To read our previous coverage on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

NM-Sen: Udall Reports Richardson Won't Enter Race

We've all heard it over and over again from many sources -- Governor Bill Richardson isn't interested in entering the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico. He's running for president and that's that. The Albuquerque Journal's front page headline this morning says it again, in case anyone's still unconvinced at this point: "Udall Says Governor Confirms He's No Senate Threat." The story reports on a conversation reporter Jeff Jones had with Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03) yesterday:

Gov. Bill Richardson to his key New Mexico backers: Support anyone you want for the 2008 U.S. Senate race, because I'm not getting in. That was Richardson's message during a face-to-face meeting with those supporters earlier this month, according to Rep. Tom Udall, a fellow Democrat who next week will announce his U.S. Senate bid.

"He basically released them to do what they wanted to do in the Senate race," the 3rd Congressional District representative told the Journal on Tuesday.

Rep. Udall was in Rio Rancho yesterday to speak at a joint luncheon meeting of the Rio Rancho and Greater Albuquerque Chambers of Commerce, an appearance scheduled before his decision to run for Senate.

Richardson's campaign joined in with another attempt to make the Governor's position clear:

"We are not running for Senate," Richardson campaign spokesman Tom Reynolds said again Tuesday.

Udall also explained that hearing about Richardson's statement to his supporters was a major factor in his decision to run for Senate:

Udall initially had said he would seek to stay in the House. In an interview Tuesday, he said he reconsidered "almost immediately" upon getting news of what Richardson had to say to his top supporters.

"I wasn't a part of the group (at the meeting)," he said. "But I heard from many people that were at the meeting."

As further evidence, Udall said he's now lining up "some longtime Richardson backers" to support his Senate campaign. He also said that he'll officially enter the race "over a period of several days next week."

Will all this finally put to rest the rumors and speculation about Richardson still eying a Senate run if his quest to be the Democratic nominee for president fails? We'll see.

In the meantime, the Richardson campaign reports that the Governor has real momentum in New Hampshire's presidential primary race:

A new CNN/WMUR poll released today shows New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson surging in New Hampshire, climbing six points to pull even with John Edwards and shrinking the gap with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

... "The momentum we are seeing in New Hampshire is happening in all of the early states," Contarino added. "Voters are looking for bold solutions, backed by a real track record of success, and more and more are supporting Bill Richardson."

According to the new CNN/WMUR poll:

Hillary Clinton	36%
Barack Obama	22%
John Edwards	13%
Bill Richardson	12%

Check our archive for previous coverage of the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico. Photo credits: Udall photo by Jeff Jones, published the Gallup Independent. Richardson photo from campaign Flickr album.

NM-Sen: Latest SUSA Poll Confirms Udall's Strength in Primary & General

Udall (R) at Taos Fiestas Parade

The latest SurveyUSA polling of 2100 registered voters conducted for local KOB-TV on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico confirms the results of SUSA's earlier surveys, as well as other recent polling. Bottom line at 180 days before early primary voting begins: the lead of Rep. Tom Udall over Dem primary challenger Marty Chavez continues to be daunting. And if the general election were held today, he'd win handily over either of the Repub contenders -- Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) or Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) -- while Chavez would lose to both of them. Meanwhile, Wilson is trumping Pearce in the Repub primary by almost 20 points:

Democratic Primary:
Rep. Tom Udall (D) 62%
ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez (D) 32%
Other 4%
Undecided 2%

Republican Primary:
Rep. Heather Wilson (R) 56%
Rep. Steve Pearce (R) 37%
Other 3%
Undecided 4%

General Election Matchups:
Rep. Tom Udall (D) 54%
Rep. Steve Pearce (R) 40%
Undecided 5%

Rep. Steve Pearce (R) 52%
ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez 42%
Undecided 7%

Rep. Tom Udall (D) 56%
Rep. Heather Wilson (R) 41%
Undecided 3%

Rep. Heather Wilson (R) 47%
ABQ Mayor Martin Chavez (D) 46%
Undecided 7%

"Moderates" vs. "Liberals"
If you look at the cross tabs data, perhaps the most telling are the numbers that show Udall winning a significant majority of both "moderate" and "liberal" voters -- putting to rest Chavez's claim that Udall is "too far to the left" for New Mexico voters. Instead, the results suggest that Chavez may be too far to the right for New Mexico Dems and not far enough to the right for the state's Repubs. He seems to inhabit that middle-of-the-road, trusted-by-neither-party netherworld that's so unpopular with voters in an era of unrest and disgust with the status quo. Or it may just be that neither moderates nor liberals trust him, based on his combative and controversial years as Mayor of Albuquerque.

NM FBIHOP trend lines from earlier polling, as well as some interesting analysis. Quote:

Against Pearce, Chavez garners the support of just 4 percent of moderates and 68 percent of liberals. Compare this to Udall, who has the support of 63 percent of moderates and 85 percent of liberals. This is a shocking disparity for Chavez, showing that liberal Democrats really, really do not like Chavez.

The same can be seen against Heather Wilson. Chavez has the support of just 51 percent of moderates and a better 73 percent of liberals. But Udall eclipses both of those numbers, with 66 percent of moderates and 86 percent of liberals.

Also see analysis at DraftUdall.com.

Undecideds
Note that undecided respondents make up only 3% to 7% of the totals, demonstrating that the name recognition for all the candidates is very good statewide, even at this early stage. With candidates as well known as these four, it may well be difficult to change voters' minds before election day. 

Where Will Marty Get Support?
With convincing numbers like these favoring Udall, you have to wonder where Marty Chavez can find voters to support his run -- how he intends to go about it. Will he trying to somehow convince voters that Udall has huge, hidden flaws that haven't been revealed during Tom's several decades of service to the state? Clearly, New Mexicans know these candidates, and I don't expect that many will suddenly change their views. You also have to wonder where Chavez expects to raise the level of funds that will be needed in this race, given such dismal poll numbers. His continued candidacy with Udall in the race seems more and more like a Quixotic quest, doesn't it?

Summary of Senate Race Polling:

• SurveyUSA Poll 1, released October 8, 2007
• Udall's internal Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin Poll, numbers released October 29, 2007
• SurveyUSA Poll 2 released November 5, 2007
• Daily Kos Research 2000 Poll released November 8, 2007
• SurveyUSA Poll 3 released November 19, 2007

There were also a few numbers leaked by the Chavez campaign from an older Lake Associates poll, but no documentation has ever been provided. Chavez admitted that the results were purchased and were actually from a poll performed on behalf of former AG Patricia Madrid when she was considering entering the Senate race.

For our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

NM-03: Wiviott Files Papers to Enter Congressional Race in Northern NM

Santa Fe small businessman and Democrat Don Wiviott announced today that he has filed the necessary papers with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress in New Mexico’s third congressional district.

Wiviott released a statement today commenting on his entry into the race. “This summer, I announced my intention to run for the U.S. Senate because I believed that New Mexico needed another strong, progressive voice representing us. Congressman Udall is a good friend of mine and a great legislator—his decision to seek that Senate seat guarantees that a progressive voice will be heard. So I’m running in the tradition of Tom Udall to succeed him in the House of Representatives.”

Wiviott’s initial commitment to his congressional campaign is $325,000. Wiviott explained, “I am not a career politician, but another career politician is the last thing New Mexico or our country needs. As someone who is not a career politician, I understand that it’s going to take money to introduce myself to the people of northern New Mexico and explain why I’ll do the best job of fighting for them in Washington for better healthcare and a cleaner environment. I’ve personally committed to making sure my campaign has the needed resources.”

Wiviott continued, “Under George Bush, Washington has failed the people of New Mexico and we need a change. George Bush has gotten us involved in an endless civil war in Iraq—as the son of two veterans, I know the best way to support our troops is to bring them home and that’s how I’ll vote in Congress. George Bush has opposed providing thousands of New Mexico children with the healthcare they need—I’ll fight for quality, affordable healthcare for every child in New Mexico. And George Bush has put polluters in charge of protecting our environment—I’ve spent my life promoting responsible clean energy solutions and that’s what I’ll do in Washington.”

Over the last two decades, Wiviott has built a successful New Mexico-based business and established himself as one of the nation’s leading “green builders.” His projects in Santa Fe, like the Lofts, have helped create jobs, grow the economy and protect New Mexico’s precious natural resources. 

The Third Congressional District contains all of San Juan, Mora, Colfax, Union, Curry, Roosevelt, Los Alamos, Taos, Rio Arriba, San Miguel and most of Santa Fe, Sandoval, and McKinley counties. 

For more information about the campaign, please check Wiviott's revamped website at:

www.donfornewmexico.com.

To read our previous coverage of the 2008 U.S. Senate race click here. To see our past coverage on the NM-03 Congressional race, click here.

NM-Sen: Chavez Town Hall Provides Glimpse of Campaign Themes

Last week, the Marty Chavez for U.S. Senate campaign conducted a live online "town hall" with Mayor Chavez (right). It was obvious from listening to what Chavez had to say -- and what some of his obvious supporters typed into the comments screen -- that two of his main campaign talking points in the early going will be that "Udall cut funding for Los Alamos National Labs" and that Marty is proud to be a "native son" with longstanding Hispanic roots in New Mexico.

Of course Chavez also hit on this election cycle's mainstream Dem themes during the online event -- bringing the troops home from Iraq, providing universal access to health care, promoting renewable energy and finally getting rid of the incompetence and dishonesty of the Bush administration. Those are givens, where the devil is in the details and the real test comes if and when the candidate gets to Washington to reveal them. After all, anyone can say anything or promise anything during runups to elections, and they do.

But in trying to communicate distinctions between himself and primary rival Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03), Chavez has been focused on suggesting that Udall won't do a good job of representing the interests of New Mexico. Why? Because Udall voted recently against sacrificing more money to fund the on-its-last-legs plutonium pit nuke weapon mission of Los Alamos -- preferring to push a new mission of renewable energy development for the labs to increase their chances of survival. And because Udall wasn't born here in the state. Chavez spent the early minutes of the town hall describing his family's origins here and his experiences growing up in state.

Udall's Roots and Popularity in NM
Using this kind of spin against Udall is problematic at best. Udall is one of the most popular political figures in the state -- across the board -- and his family has pioneer roots that go back a long way. He has a distinctly Western sensibility -- reserved, low key and statesmanlike. While representing New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District, he's had strong support from Hispanics, Native Americans and Anglos alike.

As discussed by David Roybal of the Albuquerque Journal, "Elected attorney general in 1990, Udall got more votes than any other Democrat in a statewide race. In 1994, only Court of Appeals candidate Richard Bosson collected more votes. Democrat Jeff Bingaman, in his successful re-election bid for the U.S. Senate that year, got nearly 30,000 fewer votes than Udall." Contrast these results with Chavez's performance in his only state level race -- for Governor in 1998 -- when he lost to Repub Gary Johnson by a margin of 55% to 45% statewide, and by 58% to 42% in Albuquerque's Bernalillo County, where he lives.

Udall and Zia Pueblo members celebrate ribbon cutting for Ojito Wilderness Area

To the Left or Repub-Lite?
Even though Chavez continues to try and advance the notion that Udall is "too far to the left" for New Mexico voters, he isn't delineating how he significantly differs with Udall on the majority of the positions he's discussed so far. Does that make Chavez "too far to the left" too? Just asking. So far, on paper, the primary foes don't look that different in terms of their public expressions on major issues. However, in reality we all know that Chavez operates in Republican-lite land much of the time -- especially in terms of being what he calls "pro-business" and what others often call "in the pocket of big donors and sprawl developers." Since he doesn't want to dwell on that orientation much, at least in the primary race, Chavez will apparently stay with the lab cuts and native son mantras for now.

Green or Greenwashed?
Another theme he hit on a lot during the town hall had to do with his "green" achievements. Even though many see a number of Marty's claims in this area to be mostly "greenwashing" -- given his never-ending support for sprawl development and roads through where he wants them to go -- he likes to list off all the awards and top ten listings the city has received during the Marty years. He's been working on that front for some time now, building up resume material for his now abandoned 2010 run for governor. Again, what candiates look like on paper and how they operate in the real world is often at odds. Granted, Chavez has done some good things in this area, but they've often been offset by his actions to promote unlimited growth policies. For example, it's a positive thing to push for water savings, but that effort loses its luster when you are supportive of fast and furious growth that adds thousands of new users to the system.

Chavez may well encounter more problems in this area as time goes on. For instance, he boasts about his role in securing a new supply of drinking water for Albuquerque from the Rio Grande via the San Juan - Chama watershed. If he supports funding for expanded plutonium pit production and other nuke weapons work by Los Alamos labs, there's a real danger that radionuclides and chemicals used in such processes may travel into the Rio Grande and pollute Albuquerque's primary drinking water source. It's hard to have it both ways.

Regardless, it will be difficult indeed for Chavez to trump the reputation and achievements of Tom Udall and his family relatated to conservation and the environment, stretching back to Toms' dad Stewart and his Uncle Mo. The family's green credientials are impressive and long-standing, with an innovative environmental record that goes back to the 1960s and continues to this day with Tom, as well as cousin Mark, who's running for U.S. Senate in Colorado.

Fit for the Senate?
Not every native son (or daughter) has the right qualifications, skills and persona to be a strong and effective Senator, no matter how deep their roots go. After all, a Senate gig is primarily a collaborative and collegial post, where gaining the respect of your fellow Senators, working well with others and negotiating honestly and personably over time are necessities for success. Udall has been known for operating in this manner for years, earning high marks from almost everyone he's worked with both inside and outside the government.

Marty, on the other hand, is known for being relentlessly stubborn about getting his way, lousy at negotiating with people whose opinions differ with his, pushy to the point of rudeness in trying to advance his agenda and prone to avenging perceived slights along the way. I can't see his personal traits and habits being a good match for those valued in the U.S. Senate.

In a campaign visit up to Farmington last Friday, Chavez himself drew attention to his pugnatious style:

"I tend to get done what I say I'm going to do. I'm a bit of a bulldog in that regard. I believe strongly once you've made a decision, unless something unusual pops up, you stick to it and you stay on it like a laser. It tends to get done."

Chavez, who describes himself as being "pretty hard-headed," believes he can beat Udall during the primary.

We'll see, especially as the campaign trail brings out more of the nitty gritty in the candidates' personas and styles, as well as a deeper comparison of their records in the real world.

The Marty Chavez for Senate campaign just launched its new website, and celebrated the grand opening of its Albuquerque campaign office Saturday morning. has the story. A new , one of the founders of the Draft Udall movement, looks at another aspect of Marty's campaign website.

Rep. Tom Udall officially filed the necessary papers this past Friday to run for U.S. Senate and will formally announce his candidacy sometime over Congress' Thanksgiving recess.

To read our previous coverage of the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico visit our archive.

(Updated) Rep. Tom Udall Files Papers to Enter U.S. Senate Race

UPDATE: Rep. Tom Udall will be the guest of honor at a luncheon on Tuesday, November 20, in Rio Rancho sponsored by the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho Chambers of Commerce. The luncheon will be from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1771 Rio Rancho Boulevard. During the lunch, Rio Rancho Regional Chamber President and CEO Debbi Moore will interview Udall. Visitors are encouraged to participate. The cost is $25 for members of either chamber and $35 for others. The event was scheduled before Udall announced his entry into the Senate race.
*************
From the Albuquerque Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall has made it official: He is running for the U.S. Senate.

The Santa Fe Democrat had hinted he would make the move, and on Friday he filed a statement of candidacy, a staff member said.

A campaign kickoff is planned in New Mexico after Thanksgiving, his office said. Udall is campaigning this weekend in Iowa on behalf of Gov. Bill Richardson's race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Lesser Known Candidates for Domenici’s Senate Seat Topic of KNME’s ‘NM In Focus’ Tonight

From New Mexico In Focus: Big names have already announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate when Pete Domenici retires next year. Along with Tom Udall, Martin Chavez, Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce, the field includes other candidates voters may not have heard much about. This week, ‘New Mexico In Focus,’ which airs Friday night, November 16 at 7 PM and repeats Sunday, November 18 at 6:30 AM, introduces two lesser known candidates -- one a small town newspaper publisher and the other a high school English teacher. Find out why they want to run and what lesson educator Zack Boatman hopes to teach his students by venturing into national politics.

This week’s guests are Zack Boatman (Independent), and Leland Lehrman (Democrat), U.S. Senate candidates; and Santa Fe High School students John Biddle, Louis Demella and Elena Valdez. Also featured is Dr. David Jernigan, executive director, Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.

Protecting our young people from the onslaught of alcohol advertising is also a topic on NM In Focus this week. The alcohol industry spends an estimated $2 billion annually on advertising, much of it targeting teens. Host Gene Grant sits down with one of the leading experts on alcohol advertising impacts, to find out what state leaders can do to shield young people from countless TV, radio and magazine ads.

Co-Hosted by Santa Fe Reporter staff writer David Alire Garcia and Albuquerque Journal columnist Gene Grant, ‘New Mexico In Focus’ takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic, health, education and arts issues and explores them in-depth, with a critical eye to give them context beyond the “news of the moment.”

New Mexico In Focus, KNME, Channel 5’s prime-time news magazine show covers the events, issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. The one-hour show concentrates on bringing viewers important topics of our time, and all the opinions and insight they are used to, in an integrated and cohesive package.

Producer of ‘New Mexico In Focus’ is Kevin McDonald. Support for has been provided by McCune Charitable Foundation. Closed Captioning of has been made possible by a gift from Mrs. Elspeth G. Bobbs.

Editor's Note: Leland Lehrman will officially enter the 2008 U.S. Senate race next week and complete the necessary SEC filings. Click to visit his new campaign website.