Steve Pearce is running for the Senate seat just vacated by Pete Domenici. Pearce is nominally the Representative for my hometown, but no one ever cares about Alamogordo. Anyway, that means a GOP primary battle between Pearce and Heather Wilson, who represents Albuquerque. Pearce is quite a bit more conservative than Wilson, so the primary will be between north and south, conservative and (somewhat) moderate. Not exactly what the GOP needs right now, but don't expect me to cry any tears over it.

I don't see how either Pearce or Wilson (or for that matter Spiro G. Vassilopoulos, whoever that is) will be able to win a general election against either Marty Chavez or Diane Denish - who isn't running, but the rumors are swirling.

As much as I can't stand how Albuquerque and Santa Fe dominate New Mexico, they'll go heavily for Chavez, or Denish if she runs, and that will pretty much be the end of it.

As far as Pearce's seat, I know the GOP doesn't have a very deep bench in New Mexico, but neither, it seems, do the Democrats in every case. From my gut I'd say that NM-2 is a tossup or lean GOP. But the Dems have a chance to compose NM's entire Congressional delegation. That'd be nice to see, whatever it might do to certain of my family members.

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