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Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Chávez Says No Way to House Bid

By Jeff Jones
Copyright © 2007 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Politics Writer
    Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez on Tuesday tossed a bucket of ice water on any speculation that he might be considering a run for the 1st Congressional District seat.
    Chávez, in a telephone interview, blasted the U.S. House of Representatives and said that jumping into the race for the open, Albuquerque-based seat is "not an option."
    The House is "not a place where I want to be," said Chávez, who late last week unexpectedly abandoned his short-lived bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
    He said Tuesday that while the Senate remains a place where "individuals of substance gather," the House— whose members face re-election every two years, compared with six-year terms for senators— is "not a place for ladies and gentlemen any longer. ... They play a type of politics (that) I think is destructive."
    Chávez said a possible run for a fourth mayoral term, a bid for the governor's job in 2010 or a return to the private sector all remain "on the table," but added that he's currently focused on his mayoral duties.
    He announced in October he was seeking the Senate job after Republican Sen. Pete Domenici revealed he has an incurable brain disease and said he would not seek a seventh term in 2008.
    For several weeks, Chávez was far and away the top dog in the Democratic race. That changed in November, when Rep. Tom Udall from northern New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District changed his mind about seeking the party's nomination for the Senate and also jumped into the race.
    On Saturday, Mark Fleisher, campaign manager for Chávez, said he and the mayor began discussing a possible exit from the race Dec. 3, when the camp got disappointing results from an internal poll.
    While the campaign declined to provide specifics, the Journal learned that the poll showed Chávez trailing Udall by double digits.
    Chávez on Tuesday contended the poll did not play a role in his decision to get out of the race. He said he became convinced it would take a "particularly hard-hitting" primary race to secure the Democratic nomination, leaving the winner "bloody and weakened" heading into the general election.
    Udall got into the Senate race after being courted by grass-roots backers and national Democratic leaders, and Chávez's abrupt departure led to speculation that power brokers in Washington, D.C., had some role in his exit.
    Not so, according to Chávez: He said Washington had "no role in my getting in, or getting out."
    Udall and Santa Fe alternative newspaper editor Leland Lehrman are currently the only two Democrats seeking their party's Senate nomination.
    Rep. Heather Wilson, who represents the 1st District, and Rep. Steve Pearce, who represents southern New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, are seeking the Republican Senate nod.
    Former Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich, former state Health Secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham, schoolteacher Jason Call and attorney Jon Adams are vying for the Democratic nomination for Wilson's 1st District seat.
    Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White and state Sen. Joe Carraro are seeking the Republican 1st District nomination.