Environmental groups target New Mexico Senate race

Nope, this is not Heather Wilson no matter
what they say about her in the PAC ads

NewsNM: Swickard - as an independent I have been receiving these mailers regularly. They are nasty ads which do not seem true. From the Carlsbad Curret-Argus - By Alexandra Duszak and Reity O'Brien - U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson, a moderate Republican, has been on the receiving end of more than $1.4 million to date in attack ads urging voters in New Mexico not to vote for her. But it's not big-business-backed super PACs that are targeting her - it's a who's who of the nation's largest environmental groups. Meanwhile, only $250,000 has been spent urging voters to reject her opponent, Democratic Rep. Martin Heinrich, all of it by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The contest has gained national attention thanks to the retirement of highly popular, five-term Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeff Bingaman, which gives the GOP a chance to pick up a seat that was otherwise out of reach, and bring the party closer to seizing control of the Senate. It is also a race where the lines are clearly drawn: Voters have a choice between a pro-union, conservationist in Heinrich and a pro-business, pro-energy candidate in Wilson. The anti-Wilson spending seems to be helping. Polling group FM3 showed Heinrich with a 3 point lead in mid-May, a dead heat when considering the poll's 4 point margin of error. The lead stretched to 9 points in the first week of August. The ads are for "express advocacy," meaning they urge voters to support or oppose a candidate - not included are "issue ads" that mention a candidate by name, usually in a fairly nasty way, but do not urge a yes or no vote. The Federal Election Commission does not require spending on those ads to be reported until 60 days prior to the general election. Read more

Environmental groups target New Mexico Senate race