Can Heather Wilson pick up a Senate seat in New Mexico?

Heather Wilson

Washington Post - Former New Mexico congresswoman Heather Wilson (R) has tried this before. In 2008, she ran for the U.S. Senate but lost narrowly in the primary to Steve Pearce. That might have been fortunate for Wilson’s future political prospects. In a victorious Democratic election cycle, Pearce went on to get clobbered by Tom Udall by more than 20 points, while President Obama carried the state by 14 points. In 2012, however, the political landscape has changed, and Wilson’s prospects to take back a seat from the Democrats looks good. But why would she want to work in a dysfunctional place like the U.S. Senate? Wilson told me on Tuesday during our interview on Capitol Hill that what is appealing about the Senate is the chance to “shape the agenda.” That’s something the current Democratic leadership, which refused again this week to pass the budget, certainly hasn’t done. Wilson got her start in national politics under the tutelage of a New Mexico legend, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, for whom she has great admiration and affection. In the Senate, he was a tough negotiator, but back in New Mexico, she said, “He was just ‘Pete.’ ” Her other model is former senator Jack Danforth (R-Mo.), a conservative respected on both sides of the aisle and a man with a wonkish devotion to policy. Wilson is a conservative in what has lately been a blue state. But like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, she is the sort of Republican who has successfully rounded up votes from independents and Democrats. She told me, “I became a Republican because I trust people more than I trust government” to make important life decisions. And as important, she said, “After Vietnam, the Democrats became fundamentally the anti-military as a party.” As a former Air Force officer and a National Security staffer (for President George W. Bush), she is all too aware that in a crisis we don’t have time to rebuild a depleted military; A responsible, long-term plan for defense spending has to be in place. Read More News New Mexico 

Can Heather Wilson pick up a Senate seat in New Mexico?