Domenici to not seek re-election
Posted: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 6:13 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Congress, Democrats, Republicans
From NBC’s Doug Adams and Chuck Todd
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) will not seek re-election in 2008, sources close to Domenici tell First Read and NBC News. Domenici will make the announcement tomorrow at 4 p.m. Mountain Time in New Mexico.
Domenici's decision not to seek re-election, opens up yet another opportunity for Democrats -- this in a key Western "purple" state.
Not counting Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), Domenici would make the fourth retiring Republican senator this cycle. Wayne Allard (R-CO), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and John Warner (R-VA) are the others. Each of these seats will be competitive for Democrats.
Domenici's retirement comes as a bit of a surprise, considering that President Bush made a campaign stop for him in late August that netted nearly a half million dollars. Domenici had raised at least $1.7 million for his re-election as of the end of June. Known in New Mexico as "St. Pete" by admirers, Domenici has been in office since 1972 and won re-eelction in 2002 handily.
But Domenici was in trouble at home. He became involved in the controversy over the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. He acknowledged calling Iglesias, and Iglesias has accused him of improperly pressuring his office to speed up indictments of prominent Democrats before the 2006 election.
A poll out last week by KOB, an NBC affiliate in Albuquerque, found Domenici’s approval rating at a historic low -- just above 40% -- and it's dropped more than 25 points this year alone. Domenici's staff disputes the numbers.
Democrats’ dream candidate is Governor (and presidential candidate) Bill Richardson, but Richardson has said he's not interested. His term runs until 2010, and he's said if he loses his presidential run, he'll return to finish out his term. Still, he's the most popular politician in the state. His approvals are north of 70%.
If Richardson really doesn't run -- the next most likely candidate is Patricia Madrid, former New Mexico attorney general, who lost a squeaker of a House race to Rep. Heather Wilson last year. Rep. Tom Udall (a famous political name in the Southwest) might run as well, if Richardson definitely takes a pass.
