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POLITICS NOTEBOOK
-Deborah Baker, dbaker@abqjournal.com – James Monteleone, jmonteleone@abqjournal.comtent>
Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, has picked up a challenger: Republican Rep. David Chavez of Los Lunas.
Chavez announced last week that he would not run for re-election to the House because he wanted to devote more time to his law practice. But within a few days he had changed his mind, saying he would take on Sanchez, who has been in the Senate since 1993.
It won’t be the first time: Chavez ran against Sanchez in 2000 and lost.
The race will be a priority for the GOP because Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has criticized Sanchez for blocking her agenda, and she’d be delighted to see him ousted.
Other candidates announcing legislative campaigns include:
⋄ Former Albuquerque City Councilor Vickie Perea will run for the Republican nomination for Senate District 30. The seat is now held by Sen. David Ulibarri, D-Grants.
⋄ Albuquerque attorney Lisa Torraco will run for the Republican nomination for Senate District 18, the Northeast Heights district held by retiring Republican Sen. Mark Boitano. Republican Gerges Scott also is seeking the party nomination in that district.
⋄ Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, a Democrat, is seeking re-election to a 14th term representing Santa Fe-area District 48. Varela, who has served in the Legislature since 1987, is vice chairman of the Legislative Finance Committee.
⋄ Republican Nancy Cooper will run for the party nomination for Senate District 21 in Albuquerque. The seat is now held by Sen. Lisa Curtis, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez late last year to replace former Republican Sen. Kent Cravens when he stepped down midterm. Republican Mark Moores also has announced plans to run in that district.
Congressional Long shot: First Congressional District candidate Gary Smith plans to continue his bid to be the Republican nominee for the Albuquerque-area House seat, despite winning less than 4 percent of Republican delegate votes at the party’s pre-primary convention Saturday.
Smith, an Army veteran, now plans to collect more than 1,500 additional voter signatures required to qualify for a spot on the June 5 primary ballot.
“We’re the only candidate that’s going to have the money to continue on through the primary, so we think we’re in a good place,” campaign spokesman Rhead Story said Monday.
Smith’s campaign through December had not received any outside campaign contributions, according to the most recent available campaign finance reports. Smith, however, had given his own campaign $125,000 in contributions or loans.
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal
