New Mexico Has Some Great GOP Candidates!

STEVE PEARCE WINS SENATE NOMINATION

From The Pink Flamingo

Everyone here in New Mexico is acting like a grown-up when it comes to Steve Pearce’s slight win over Heather Wilson for the GOP nomination to fill legendary Pete Domenici’s Senate seat. He was immediately endorsed by the outgoing Senator and by his opponent. Around the same time, Tom Udall, the Democratic nominee for Senate quickly endorsed Barack Obama.

Already Pearce is being castigated:

“…Special-interest groups were quick to strike at Pearce and Udall today. The liberal Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which has been running TV and radio ads attacking Wilson and Pearce for months, will now focus on Pearce’s environmental record. “Pearce is absolutely irredeemable. He never votes to protect the environment if big oil and other special interests want something else. He is an anti-environmental extremist in the true sense of the phrase,” Rodger Schlickeisen, president of the group, said in a news release. Meanwhile, the conservative Club for Growth, which spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to run TV ads attacking Wilson in the primary, sent out a news release praising Pearce and attacking Udall as “an inveterate liberal who has voted for tax increases and government spending.” “Club for Growth members are proud to have supported an economic conservative like Steve Pearce in his primary win,” President Pat Toomey said. “… The general election will be competitive, but we are confident that New Mexicans will rally to Steve Pearce when they hear about his record of fighting for the prosperity, jobs and opportunity that come from free enterprise.”…”

Currently Udall has a 2 to 1 lead over Pearce in the polls. Udall is extremely well funded and has the NM Dem (corrupt) machine behind him. Pearce is not a pauper and has a fairly decent war chest. According to Heather Wilson, Pearce may just give Udall a run for the money since he’s never really had actual competition in any of his previous races. I’m surprised Udall is not waiting to run for Governor.

TINSLEY GETS 2ND DISTRICT NOD
Congrats go to Ed Tinsley for his 2nd District win.

“…“We look forward to an invigorated general election,” Tinsley said. “I think they’re both great gentlemen and I think they both stand for their party issues. I just think there will be distinct differences.”Tinsley praised some of his primary opponents, saying Newman “ran a great race” and Sowards “really exceeded expectations.” Tinsley said he considered Dunn the frontrunner through most of the race, but stayed consistently on Dunn’s heels and remained patient. And he said he sympathizes with his opponents because he’s been in their shoes. Tinsley lost the Republican 2nd District primary in 2002. “We’re excited about what’s occurred tonight and I want to reiterate the fantastic people that I’ve run with and against during this campaign,” Tinsley said. “They are champion folks.” Newman said he was “thankful to be a part of the process.” “Ed did a good job and ended up with a win tonight,” he said. “We’re very pleased with our performance and what we’ve done in a short time.”