Why is NM-02 Candidate Steve Pearce Running for Job He Says Provides No Voice?

GOP's Steve Pearce: Running for seat he sees as powerless

Get a load of this one. The GOP candidate for Congress in NM-02 is running for a job he has dismissed publicly as a position with no clout. After being overwhelmed by now Senator Tom Udall in the 2008 election, Steve Pearce is trying to win back his seat in the U.S. House -- even though he suggests it's not worth a damn.

Saturday, Pearce said the following to a group in Alamogordo, "[I] ran for the Senate seat because it's where small states, such as New Mexico, have power. In the House, we have three seats. There are more than 400 seats in the House. California has more than 50, Texas more than 30 and New York more than 30. Our voice is nothing."

Scott Forrester, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of New Mexico, issued the following statement in response to Pearce's remarks:

“Why is Steve Pearce running for an office he believes has no voice? The constituents of New Mexico’s 2nd congressional district deserve someone who is committed to fighting for their values and interests. They don't need an opportunistic, do-nothing politician who is using the office as a political placeholder while he waits for the right time to run for the U.S. Senate.

“In six years, Pearce's accomplishments on issues which matter to New Mexicans -- like supporting working families and our veterans -- were scarce. Perhaps it is because he always treated this Congressional seat as a stepping stone instead of it as a platform to fight for the people of southern New Mexico.

"Southern New Mexicans don't need someone who believes their district has no voice in Congress. We need someone who puts his constituents first, someone who fights for our values, fights for southern New Mexico jobs, believes in funding for veterans and that someone is Congressman Harry Teague. Harry has delivered on the issues that matter and he won't abandon his district or his constituents for a convenient political opportunity.

"Steve Pearce didn't use his voice in Congress to help the people of southern New Mexico when he had one, why should they think another term in the House would be any different?

"New Mexico deserves better than that -- New Mexico deserves Harry Teague."

Pearce also made it clear he still has his eye on running for the Senate -- apparently after he gets another desultory two years in the House if he should win in 2010:

Pearce said he continues his belief for a conservative New Mexican voice in the Senate.

... "I am running for the next two-year term. As far as guarantees into the future, we take it two years at a time."

Just what New Mexico's 2nd district needs -- a placeholder who sees the job as a waste of time while he's waiting for an opportunity to run again for the Senate. That should go down well in a district -- like most others -- that's in need of strong support on so many fronts. Am I the only one who thinks Pearce is self-serving to the max in seeking another two years to bide his time while he plans his political future?