UPDATE AND CORRECTION: As our Democratic correspondent from the Sunshine State, The Florida Masochist, notes, there are actually 22 Republican seats up for reelection, not 21 as I originally posted - this is the year with 34 total seats up. I've corrected it in the text below.
75 year-old New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici will not seek reelection in 2008, Aaron Blake and Elana Schor report for The Hill:
Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) is expected to announce Thursday that he will not run for a seventh term in 2008, according to sources close to Domenici's office.Domenici's retirement would make him the fourth Republican senator to bow out this cycle, joining Sens. Wayne Allard (Colo.), John Warner (Va.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.). Competitive races in those seats are likely, and New Mexico should be no different.
Domenici's retirement also would open up a Pandora's Box in the state's congressional delegation, as all three of its House members are considered potential candidates for his seat: Reps. Heather Wilson (R), Steve Pearce (R) and Tom Udall (D).
Read the whole article at the link provided. Domenici's retirement is a mixed bag politically. His age and health status, as well as controversy over his role in the firing of the U.S. Attorney would likely have made him vulnerable if Democrats could field a strong candidate. On the other hand, multi-term Senators have a reelection rate of over 95%, so he wouldn't necessarily have been an underdog.
2008 promises to be a difficult year for Republicans in the Senate. Of the 34 seats up this cycle, 22 are currently held by Republicans and only 12 by Democrats, so the risks are all with the GOP. Democrats have a substantial early lead in fundraising for Senate and House elections, to boot.
In New Mexico, even a strong GOP candidate will face tough opposition, and if sitting Representatives Wilson or Pearce make the run, their House seat might be at risk.
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Filed under:
2008 Senate races, New Mexico, Republican
Tags: Domenici, reelection, Republicans, Senate
Comments (2)
Watch Joe Wilson try to run... (Below threshold)1. Posted by kim | October 5, 2007 12:13 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Watch Joe Wilson try to run.
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1. Posted by kim | October 5, 2007 12:13 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 5, 2007 12:13
2. Posted by kim | October 6, 2007 11:34 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Joe is on a WaPo list of Clinton's foreign policy advisers. I've earlier thought he might be Richardson's gift horse to the Trojan Clintonistas. Sooner, or later, she will regret embracing that one.
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2. Posted by kim | October 6, 2007 11:34 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 6, 2007 11:34