United States Senate election in New Mexico, 2008
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The 2008 New Mexico Senate Election will be held on November 4, 2008. The election is an open contest due to incumbent Republican Senator Pete Domenici's retirement. All three of New Mexico's U.S. Representatives (Democrat Tom Udall and Republicans Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson) chose to retire from the U.S. House of Representatives in order to run for the seat. On June 3, 2008, Udall won the Democratic primary and Pearce won the Republican primary.[1]
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[edit] Background
In February 2007 Domenici indicated his intention to run for re-election.[2] By October 2007, he changed his mind, stating that because of the progression of a medical condition, he would not seek a seventh term.[3] Domenici also lost his chairmanship after Republicans lost control of the Senate in the 2006 Senate election, which may have inclined him against running. After Domenici announced he was not running, Democratic Governor Bill Richardson was considered a leading candidate for the seat, but in October he affirmed his commitment to his presidential nomination campaign.[4]
In October Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez entered the race for the Democratic nomination.[5] In early November five-term Democratic Rep. Tom Udall entered the race.[6] On December 7 Chavez withdrew from the race, saying "While I deeply appreciate all the support I have received, it has become very clear to me that Democrats should not be divided in the upcoming election."[7]
Udall raised more than $801,000 prior to November 29th.[8] Wilson had slightly less, including a November Washington fundraiser with Vice President Dick Cheney that netted $110,000, bringing her total to about $750,000.[9]
In February 2008 Congressional Quarterly changed the rating of the election from No Clear Favorite to Leans Democratic citing polls."[10]
On June 3, 2008 Pearce and Udall won their respective nomination contests. [11]
[edit] Controversy
Domenici and Wilson are both being investigated by the Senate for their roles in the dismissal of prosecutor David Iglesias. This may have affected Wilson's chances in the 2008 election.[12]
In late October Pearce made 130,000 automated phone calls, which led Wilson to "cry foul."[13] At issue was Pearce's use of the phone calls to justify his opposition to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. The Wilson campaign claimed that "Pearce violated House ethics by urging those he called to contact him through his official, non-campaign phone number or check out his official, non-campaign Web site."[14]
[edit] Candidates
[edit] Democratic Party
[edit] Republican Party
[edit] Also Ran
[edit] Independent
- Zack Boatman[15] campaign website
[edit] Polling
[edit] Republican Primary
| Source | Date | Pearce (R) | Wilson (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | November 16-18, 2007 | 37% | 56% |
| SurveyUSA | May 15, 2008 | 49% | 46% |
[edit] General Election
Pearce (R) v Udall (D)
| Source | Date | Pearce (R) | Udall (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA | May 15, 2008 | 36% | 60% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 14, 2008 | 37% | 53% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 10, 2008 | 40% | 54% |
| Rasmussen Reports | February 29, 2008 | 42% | 50% |
| New Mexico State University | February 11, 2008 | 31% | 53% |
| SurveyUSA | November 16-18, 2007 | 40% | 54% |
| Research 2000 | November 5-7, 2007 | 37% | 54% |
| SurveyUSA | October 27-30, 2007 | 40% | 56% |
| Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates | October 23-27, 2007 | 33% | 50% |
| SurveyUSA | October 5-7, 2007 | 37% | 55% |
[edit] Election Results
[edit] Republican Primary
Unofficial results [1]:
| 2008 New Mexico U.S. Senator Republican primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Steve Pearce | 57,410 | 51.4 | ||
| Republican | Heather Wilson | 54,264 | 48.6 | ||
| Turnout | 111,674 | ||||
[edit] General Election
| 2008 New Mexico U.S. Senator general election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Steve Pearce | ||||
| Democratic | Tom Udall | ||||
| Independent | Zack Boatman | ||||
| Turnout | |||||
[edit] References
- ^ http://election.kob.com/article/stories/S463780.shtml?cat=10568
- ^ Talhelm, Jennifer. "Domenici: 'I am running' in 2008", The Santa Fe New Mexican, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
- ^ Murray, Shailagh. "Citing Health, GOP's Domenici says he'll retire from Senate", The Washington Post, 2007-10-05. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
- ^ Press, Associated. "Richardson Sticks with Presidential Bid", The New York Times, 2008-10-04. Retrieved on 2008-10-05.
- ^ "Chavez announces U.S. Senate run", KOB-TV, October 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ "NM Rep. Tom Udall to Run for Senate", Associated Press, November 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Chávez drops out of U. S. Senate race", KRQE-TV, December 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
- ^ "Ten things to know about Senate hopeful Rep. Tom Udall", Albuquerque Tribune, November 29, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ "Wilson pulls $110,000 at Cheney fundraiser", The Hill, November 16, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ "Democratic Udall Running Strong in New Mexico Senate Race", CQ Politics, Feb 11, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-12-18.
- ^ http://election.kob.com/article/stories/S463780.shtml?cat=10568
- ^ "Wilson, Possibly Udall To Seek Domenici's Senate Seat", The Gate, October 4, 2008. Retrieved on 2007-10-18.
- ^ "Pearce calls voters, Wilson cries foul", KOB, 10/22/2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Senate hopefuls don't inspire", Alamogordo Daily News, October 31, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- ^ "Teacher Joins Senate Race", Santa Fe New Mexican, October 26, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
[edit] External links
- Pearce vs Udall graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Wilson vs Udall graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
