The Sun News

The day after a new poll showed U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici’s approval rating falling to 41 percent, Bill Richardson’s presidential campaign made its strongest statement yet that the governor isn’t interested in running against the state’s senior senator next year.

“The governor is running to be the next president of the U.S.,” spokesman Pahl Shipley wrote today in an e-mail. “With Congress, been there, done that. Not interested.” Richardson spent 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Shipley’s comments come the day after the new SurveyUSA poll had the GOP senator’s support dropping 11 points since August and below 50 percent for the first time in the history of the poll that began in May 2005.

The news excited Washington Democratic insiders, as many in the nation’s capitol already had Domenici on the list of those most likely to lose their seats next year. But Domenici has yet to draw a well-known Democratic challenger.

The ongoing U.S. attorney scandal and attacks from the left for failing to support an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and new renewable energy standards have caused Domenici’s support in the poll to drop 27 points in the last 10 months, and the news could get worse: The newest poll was conducted just before Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington listed Domenici as one of the 22 most corrupt members of Congress for his role in the U.S. attorney scandal.

The governor recently told the Associated Press that the idea he might get out of the presidential race and in to the Senate race was “wishful thinking.”

But the rumors persist, and many Democrats in Washington and New Mexico, believing Richardson has no chance at the presidency, are pushing hard for him to consider the Senate race. Many speculate that he could transfer money to a Senate campaign from his presidential campaign in February, if he loses the early primaries.

Richardson has said he’ll remain governor of New Mexico if he loses the presidential race, but Shipley’s comments are the strongest yet that the governor isn’t interested in a race against Domenici.

Domenici’s opponents aren’t surprised by drop

The three Democrats who are vying for the right to take on Domenici next year said they aren’t surprised by the newest drop in his approval rating.

“Folks are upset because Pete Domenici has been saying one thing in New Mexico but voting another way in Washington,” said Don Wiviott, a Santa Fe developer who has pledged $400,000 of his own money for the race. “But the number that really matters is that Pete has voted 99 percent of the time in support of George Bush. It’s time for new leadership and it’s time to listen to New Mexicans and end this war.”

Jim Hannan, another Democrat who wants Domenici’s seat, has been running newspaper advertisements in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe for months highlighting Domenici’s voting record.

“For the first time in many years, the Pete Domenici voting record has been presented to the citizens of New Mexico. It’s clear that my campaign is having an effect,” Hannan said. “… Since (approval for) George W. Bush is at about 25 percent, and Pete has supported Bush on everything, it’s clear that his numbers will continue to decline.”

Leland Lehrman, the third Democrat in the race, said he “can’t celebrate the collapse of a senator’s reputation,” but said Domenici’s falling approval rating reflects “a hopeful trend” in the United States and world.

“The senator’s serial advocacy of war, nuclear weapons, nuclear energy and corrupt partisan politics have earned him these dismal approval ratings as well as the inclusion on the 22 most corrupt senators list,” he said. “At last, the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to grow stronger.”