New Mexico Congressional Clout Ranked

A complex ranking of congressional clout released today shows New Mexico's congressional delegation is the 16th most powerful in the country, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman is now the most powerful member of Congress hailing from New Mexico.

Knowlegis, a privately held firm that provides data and software to lobbyists, used 20 different criteria to make the assessments. It found that Bingaman, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is the 16th most powerful member of the Senate.

Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican who is retiring this year, fell from 38th to 45th in the Senate ranking. Democrats control both the House and Senate providing an obvious edge to members in the majority party.

Rep. Tom Udall, a Democrat who snagged a seat on the House approps committee last year, made a jump from #157 last year to #130 this year. Rep. Heather Wilson clocked in at #235 and Rep. Steve Pearce was listed as the 273rd most powerful member in the 435-person House.

See the rankings and methodology here:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/overall.tt#house