Chris Cilliza posted on FaceBook that a guy at Bloomberg tweeted that State Auditor Hector Balderas (D) has filed to run for the seat of retiring Senator Jeff Bingaman. Rep. Martin Heinrich (NM-01) threw his hat in the ring a few weeks ago. We'll see if others join in, but these are both substantial candidates, so we'll have ourselves a contested primary.
Source: Balderas's FaceBook page, caption saying he ran a 5k Law Enforcement Torch run with his 13-year-old son
Politico:
New Mexico State Auditor Hector Balderas, the youngest Hispanic statewide official ever elected in the country, filed statements of candidacy and organization with the FEC on Wednesday.
Formal announcement coming next week.
I like Hector, and I like the idea of a Chicano Democrat in the Senate. I like Martin Heinrich, too. Either would make a great Senator. (Hey, Mayor Martin Chavez of Albuquerque, please give this one a pass!!)
Meanwhile, scandal-ridden former Rep. Heather Wilson's the main contender on the Republican side. About her:
- Sandia Pueblo sent a cool million Abramoff's way back in the day. They got what they wanted regarding some traditional lands - not title, but some authority over uses and the like. Wilson helped them make it happen. McCain sealed the paperwork which showed it when he did the Indian Affairs Committee hearings on Abramoff.
- She was part of the House Page Committee that looked the other way on Mark Foley's sexual advances on kids
- As a state employee, she made a file disappear involving a complaint of inappropriate behavior (to underage kid/s?) against her husband
- She got implicated in the efforts to pressure US Attorney David Iglesias to indict (for non-existent voter fraud) in time to help influence election results. Her mentor, Sen. Domenici, was also implicated and ultimately resigned. Wilson failed, in the 2008 primary, in her attempt to win that seat, so this won't be her first Senate run.
- And so on.
And who can forget this gem where she gives Boehner a run for his money in crocodile tears? She was shocked to the point of quaking over the soul-wounding display of Janet Jackson's nipple on TV during the SuperBowl half time.
We might end up with a race against Heather, so we'll need to get up to speed, again, on all the myriad stuff that's wrong with her.