Democracy for New Mexico

Heather Wilson's Running for U.S. Senate in NM & Richardson Says No

According to unnamed sources quoted in an article today by The Hill, Rep. Heather Wilson will run for Pete Domenici's Senate seat. And so it begins. No doubt Domenici will give her his blessing during his retirement announcement today at 4 PM at St. Mary's School. And according to this report, Wilson will officially announce her Senate bid at 1:30 PM MDT on Friday at her Albuquerque office.

Also, Gov. Bill Richardson says NO again:

“There’s no equivocation. Bill Richardson is running for president, and all the signs are there that he’s going to be president,” said Mike Stratton, a senior adviser to Richardson.
“The only people who are talking about rationales for him to run for the Senate are pundits. Bill Richardson is singularly focused on being a good governor in New Mexico and being the next president of the United States,” he said.

See our previous posts on the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico.

Wiviott Hanging Tough - Hopeful on Dem Senate Seat Pickups

Don Wiviott at Yearly Kos Blogger Convention 2007

I talked with Dem U.S. Senate candidate Don Wiviott last night and we discussed what a powerfully positive affect Domenici's retirement (and those of other Republicans) will have on the effort to end the Iraq occupation, deal responsibly with our economic problems and inequities, and redirect our energy towards an environmentally sustainable future. Wiviott said it was a great day in terms of improving our chances to move the Democratic agenda forward to bring much-needed change to benefit the country and the planet.

Wiviott had the courage to get into the race and organize a serious campaign when others in the state were afraid to stick their necks out. He spent July and August putting together a run, started raising money around Labor Day and is now hard at work finalizing his campaign team and materials. Now that Domenici is retiring, he seems even more determined to work hard to win a chance to take on the Republican candidate next Fall. He said unequivocably that he's in the Senate race to stay and will take on all comers in a Democratic primary. He's pledged to raise up to $2.1 million to spend in a primary if necessary, and he's already seeded his campaign with $400,000 of his own money. He's that passionate.

Meet Wiviott at DFA-DFNM Meetup Tonight
You can judge for yourself by attending tonight's DFA-DFNM Meetup at 7:00 PM at the Social Hall of the First Unitarian Church on the SW corner of Carlisle and Comanche in Albuquerque. Wiviott will speak and participate in a Q and A session. To join the group and/or RSVP for tonight's event click here.

Dem Senate Chances
I certainly share Don's enthusiasm about the Dems' chances to gain Senate seats next year, including here in New Mexico. Even though Domenici recently expressed some criticism of Bush's Iraq tactics, he's really still a true believer in everything Bush. With Domenici retiring, we have a real opportunity to replace a supporter of the Bush agenda with someone who will work to regain our positive momentum. The Dems now have an even better chance to win in the neighborhood of 4-6 Senate seats in the 2008 election -- or maybe even more.

Open Senate races are also shaping up in Viriginia (Warner retiring), Nebraska (Hegel retiring), Colorado (Allard retiring) and Idaho (Craig reportedly retiring). Plus a number of incumbent Republican Senators running for reelection in Dem trending states have tumbling approval numbers due to their support of the Bush agenda. These include Susan Collins (ME), Gordon Smith (OR), John Sununu (NH) and Norm Coleman (MN). Repubs also have to defend 10 more Senate seats than the Democrats do in '08. It could be a very good year for starting to turn the floundering ship of state around.

To read more posts about the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive. Photo at top by M.E. Broderick.

Revealed: Domenici Retiring Due to Progressive Brain Disease

Sad news. According to an , Sen. Pete Domenici is retiring because he suffers from a progressive disease that can cause dysfunction in the parts of the brain important for organization, decision-making and control of mood and behavior. The disease is said to be Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD). A draft of his retirement statement supplied to the AP reveals that Domenici learned the disease is worsening when he had it checked in late September. Excerpts:

The progress of this disease is apparently erratic and unpredictable. It may well be that seven years from now, it will be stable," Domenici intends to say, according to a draft of remarks prepared for delivery.

"On the other hand, it may also be that the disease will have incapacitated me. I am not willing to take a chance that the people who have so honored me with their trust for 40 years might not be served as well as they deserve in the United States Senate."

... In his prepared remarks, Domenici said that as recently as April, "the disease had not progressed."

... "No cure for my disease exists, yet," he said. "But, if we work hard enough, we may be able to find a way to cure people with diseases of the brain in the future. That would be truly a wonderful thing."

In the draft remarks, Domenici also says he is confident he'll be able to serve the rest of his current term.

I've often been tough on Sen. Domenici for his political positions and actions. Right now, though, I want to express my compassion for his health problems and my hope that modern medicine can bring them under control. Whatever political views we have, I think we can honor Pete Domenici for his distinguished career in the public spotlight and extend our thanks for his decades of service to Albuquerque, the State of New Mexico and the nation.

Some milestones from the Pete Domenici's life, from his Senate website:

Personal History

• Born May 7, 1932 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• One of five children, and only son, of Italian immigrants
• Worked in father's wholesale grocery business
• Graduated 1950 from St. Mary's High School, Albuquerque
• Earned education degree, University of New Mexico, 1954
• Pitched for Albuquerque Dukes—a farm club for the old Brooklyn Dodgers, 1954
• Left baseball to become math teacher at Garfield Junior High in Albuquerque, 1955
• Earned law degree, University of Denver, 1958
• Returned to Albuquerque, entered private practice, 1958
• Married the former Nancy Burk, 1958
• The Domenicis have eight children: two sons and six daughters

Political Experience

• Domenici elected to Albuquerque City Commission, 1966
• Elected Commission Chairman (equivalent then to Mayor), 1967
• First Republican in 38 years in New Mexico to be elected to U.S. Senate, 1972
• With re-election in 2002, Domenici became the first New Mexican elected to serve six full six-year terms in the Senate.
• Domenici has served longer in the U.S. Senate than any other New Mexican in history

"...Mr. Domenici enjoys a universal reputation as one of the Senate's hardest working, most intelligent and most intense members."—New York Times, May 1995

To read other posts on the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

More on Domenici Retirement: Announcement Set for 4 PM Tomorrow in ABQ

According to the Albuquerque Tribune:

Republican sources confirmed that the Albuquerque Republican plans to make the announcement at 4 p.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic School, where he went to school, and where his sister long served as principal.

... The sources say the decision is not related to an ongoing Senate ethics investigation of Domenici's phone call to former U. S. attorney David Iglesias last year about a local corruption report or publicly reported polls that showed his approval rating dropping.

Domenici has been plagued by shooting pains in his left leg that caused him to sit down frequently at press conferences and other public events. And he has appeared to tire from the strain of a hectic Senate schedule.

I wonder if the recent poll showing his approval rating at 41% has anything to do with it.

Brian Colón, who chairs the Democratic Party of New Mexico, today had this to say about Domenici's announced retirement:

"Pete Domenici has served the state of New Mexico with distinction over a long career. New Mexico Democrats will field a strong Democratic nominee who can wage a spirited campaign and win this seat."

Also see our previous post on Domenici's retirement. For our previous posts on the 2008 U.S. Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive.

(With Updates) AP Report: Domenici to Announce Retirement Tomorrow

Big news. Tomorrow Sen. Pete Domenici will announce his intention to retire at the end of his current term according to "anonymous Republican officials" quoted in a short AP story released about an hour ago. The story says he'll make the formal announcement in New Mexico that he will end a 36-year career in the Senate next year. I'll be adding more as it becomes available.

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post quoted sources close to the 75-year-old Senator saying "he will fly home to New Mexico tomorrow to make the announcement that he is retiring."

UPDATE: The top Dem contender in the Senate race right now is Santa Fe green developer Don Wiviott, who just happens to be scheduled as the keynoter at our DFA-DFNM Meetup in Albuquerque tomorrow night. Click for more info on that.

Wiviott is saying he's committed to the race regardless:

"We remain committed to moving forward in this race. The issues remain the same. When no one else was willing to get up and go against Pete, we were committed, and we remain committed now."

The possibility of other, more prominent Democrats jumping into the race, Wiviott said, is “certainly no more daunting than running against Domenici.”

“We jumped in early, we got committed and we got set up,” he said. “I’ve never backed out of a fight, and I won’t do it now.”

Domenici’s retirement, Wiviott said, is “a seismic shift for the agenda that we’re putting forward. What this means is that we have a much better shot of ending the war…”

Wilson and Pearce
The phones of Reps. Heather Wilson (R, NM-01) and Steve Pearce (R, NM-02), the most likely to run for Senate on the Republican side, must be ringing off the hook. Both have some problems. Wilson is implicated in the scandal surrounding the firing of U.S. Attorneys by virtue of a phone call she admits making to former USA David Iglesias and just barely won her race against former Attorney General Patricia Madrid last time out. Pearce is so far to the right that it's difficult to see him winning a statewide race. Both were recently named by CREW to a 22-member list of the most corrupt members of Congress -- Wilson for her admitted role in the Iglesias scandal, Pearce for failing to report a stock transaction and allegations having to do with BLM Otero Mesa oil leases and Yates Petroleum, Pearce's single largest donor. Domenici also made the list due to a phone call that Iglesias described as "pressuring" him to issue indictments in a pending corruption case.

If Pearce decides to run for Senate that would likely benefit Dem Bill McCamley, who's currently in the running, and any other Dems who would decide to enter the race.

Dem Senate Candidates
Besides Wiviott, there's speculation all over the net about the possibility that other Dems will get in the race now that Domenici's out of the way. Names popping up include Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03), Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, ex-Attorney General Patricia Madrid (who ran against Wilson last time out), Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez, State Auditor Hector Balderas, State Treasurer James Lewis and Gov. Bill Richardson. Candidates must declare for the race by February 2008, and any primary would be decided in June of that year.

If Udall decides to run for Senate, it's almost a shoe-in for any Dem that runs for Congress in New Mexico's liberal 3rd District up North.

Tomorrow: U.S. Senate Candidate Don Wiviott at DFA-DFNM Meetup

*** REMINDER ***

Attend the

Democracy for New Mexico Meetup

First Unitarian Church; SW corner of Carlisle & Comanche
from 7:00 to 8:30 PM

this week

Thursday, October 4

to meet Don Wiviott,

Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate from New Mexico

He has agreed to a full hour with our group and will have a question and answer segment with us. We can ask him the hard questions and express our concerns. We look forward to seeing you at our intimate conversation with Don Wiviott.

To join the Albuquerque DFA-DFNM Meetup group or RSVP for Thursday's Meetup click here. If you plan to attend, please RSVP so we can set up the room appropriately. Thanks.

ActBlue Fundraising Totals for NM Dem Congressional Candidates

As of September 30, 2007 via ActBlue online fundraising:

Don Wiviott for U.S. Senate: $60,698, including $644 from local blog effort Beat Back Bush New Mexico, most of it this past quarter.

Jim Hannan for U.S. Senate: $75

Martin Heinrich for Congress NM-01: $71,954 including $530 from local blog efforts Beat Back Bush New Mexico and $1000 from DFNM Netroots for Heinrich. About $40,000 of that was raised during this past quarter. Heinrich had raised about $181,000 from all sources through the second quarter.

Jon Adams for Congress NM-01: $4,801, all of it this past quarter.

Bill McCamley for Congress NM-02: $31,225, about $20,000 of that during the past quarter.

Al Kissling for Congress NM-02: $795

Rep. Tom Udall hasn't yet raised any money using ActBlue.

Official third quarter fundraising reports from all sources for these candidates are due by October 15, 2007 at the Federal Election Commission.

Domenici's Approval Rating Takes Big Plunge; Wiviott & Dems Gain Momentum

"Pajama Pete"  Domenici

As you've probably heard by now, Sen. Pete Domenici's approval rating tumbled to 41% in the latest Survey USA poll commissioned by Albuquerque's KOB-TV. This is down from 52% who approved in Survey USA's August poll. Six hundred adults in New Mexico were surveyed by telephone for this month's poll during the period 09/14/2007 - 09/16/2007. Ominously, 54% disapproved of Domenici with only 6% not sure. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 4.1%.

Dem State Party Chair Brian S. Colón weighed in on Domenici's falling numbers: "The people of New Mexico are clearly unhappy that Pete Domenici is more loyal to George Bush and his failed policies than to the families of New Mexico. This poll confirms that Domenici is in serious danger of losing his job when New Mexicans go to the polls next year."

Only 38% of women and 37% of Hispanics approved of Domenici, while a mere 34% of independents and 40% of moderates -- groups Domenici needs to win if he's to keep his seat -- approved of the job he's doing.

Down, Down, Down
Pete's numbers have generally been trending downward since last November when 68% approved. You can track the trend lines here. The number started dipping at the beginning of 2007, when 66% approved. In March 2007, his approval dropped to 57% as the U.S. attorney firing scandal story broke and Domenici was implicated in the firing of David Iglesias, the U.S. Attorney in New Mexico. The damage has continued as Domenici became the subject of a Senate Ethics Committee probe about his dealings with Iglesias and Pete continued to vote in support of Bush's failed policies in Iraq. Despite trying to distance himself rhetorically from the president's positions, Domenici hasn't really budged from his rubberstamping of Bush's policies. Tellingly, Bush traveled to Albuquerque in August to raise campaign funds for Pete.

Domenici's between a rock and a hard place on Iraq. If he sides with the Dems in trying to end the occupation, he may lose his conservative base in New Mexico. If he continues to stick with the sinking ship that is the Bush administration, he has a good chance of going down with it. Meanwhile, ads pointing out Pete's loyalty to Bush on Iraq, like the latest by Americans United for Change, will no doubt increase in frequency. And ad campaigns from the conservative side, like the one by the Swifboat-related "Freedom's Watch" that spent more than $200,000 recently on an ad buy supporting Pete, don't seem to be making a dent.

With Domenici being named to a recent list of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress, reports that the Senate ethics probe into his involvement in the Iglesias firing is heating up and rumors circulating about Pete's weakening mental and phyiscal health, you've got the makings of a perfect storm to take him down.

The Domenici camp has to be alarmed at the lastest plunge of more than 10 percentage points since last month. The rule of thumb is that an incumbent is in trouble if approval ratings drop below the 50% mark. Domenici's approval rating has never been as low as it is today during his lengthy career in the Senate, which began in 1972. Given his long-standing popularity with the majority of New Mexico voters, the numbers this month are truly shocking.

Wiviott and the Dems

On the other hand, would-be Democratic challengers have got to be encouraged by the lastest polling. Don Wiviott (above), who just yesterday held a meet and greet and free dinner at Ladera Golf Course on Albuquerque's West Side, is the major beneficiary right now. Wiviott, who's creating a growing buzz and has been very successful in raising campaign money via ActBlue, needs to show good fundraising numbers when the third quarter ends on September 30th. According to FEC rules, candidates must release their totals by October 15th.

As expected, some pundits and unnamed Dem sources have been repeatedly lamenting that a so-called "big name" candidate hasn't stepped up to run on the Dem side. In an election season characterized by deep distain for DC insiders and business as usual politicos, I think the time couldn't be more right for a run by someone outside the inner circle of power brokers -- especially someone with Wiviott's talents, positions and passion. Clearly, a large percentage of the electorate is looking for candidates with integrity who have solved real problems in the real world, not familiar faces who've spent decades bloviating for the cameras and raising campaign funds from all the wrong people.

Just because someone has made a "name" in politics doesn't mean it's a good name. In fact, in this era, it's the best known "name" politicians who have most often abandoned the needs of ordinary people and instead spent their time bowing down to big-monied interests and lobbyists. Do we need more of that in the U.S. Senate? I don't think so. If you agree, you're encouraged to donate a few bucks to the cause at Beat Back Bush New Mexico to improve fundraising numbers before the September 30th deadline for the quarter.

For our previous posts on the 2008 Senate race in New Mexico, visit our archive. Thanks to the Down With Tyranny gang for the graphic. Thanks to Terry Riley for the Don Wiviott video clip.

Meet Democratic Senate Candidate Don Wiviott

Meet Democratic
U.S. Senate Candidate
Don Wiviott
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Ladera Golf Course
3401 Ladera Dr.
Albuquerque, NM

Free dinner will be served

Contact:
Theresa Trujeque, (505) 328-4000
RSVP@donfornewmexico.com
Paid for by Wiviott for New Mexico

Senate Ethics Probe of Domenici Intensifies

Uh oh. According to a report by Jason Leopold and Matt Renner of Truthout, Sen. Pete Domenici could be facing more bad news about his late 2006 phone call to then U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico. Iglesias has testified before Congress that he interpreted the call to his home as "pressure" by Domenici to rush an indictment in a corruption case as election day neared. Excerpts:

The US Senate Select Committee on Ethics has stepped up its probe of Pete Domenici, the Republican senator from New Mexico ... Over the past couple of weeks, the Ethics Committee has been interviewing witnesses - including staffers from the US attorney's office in New Mexico - who were privy to a phone call Domenici made to Iglesias last November ... according to the senior staffers.

... According to some senior staffers working for lawmakers who sit on the Ethics Committee, the six-month preliminary investigation into Domenici has turned up enough evidence to open a formal, public investigation into the New Mexico senator, having determined that Domenici acted inappropriately and that he may have violated Senate Ethics rules when he called Iglesias to ask whether Aragon would be indicted before the state's voters went to the polls last year.

But it's unclear if the Ethics Committee will end up launching a formal probe. A sticking point, Ethics Committee staffers say, is the long-standing "ethics truce" between Democrats and Republicans that dates back to the mid-1990s where lawmakers from both political parties agreed not to file ethics complaints against each other.

Oh that's a good excuse, isn't it? Just what we need, an "ethics truce." You might want to contact members of the Senate Ethics Committee to urge them to responsibly carry out their duties instead of playing patsy with their friends across the aisle.

The Truthout piece also reports that the House Ethics Committee is continuing to pursue its preliminary investigation into similar claims involving Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01).

If you'd like to help defeat Domenici and Wilson, consider making a donation -- no matter how small -- to the New Mexico netroots Beat Back Bush New Mexico fundraising page at ActBlue that supports the candidacies of Don Wiviott for Senate and Martin Heinrich for Congress.

To read our previous posts about the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, visit our archive.