Sanchez Announcing Senate Campaign Tuesday
New Mexico Lt. Gov. John Sanchez (R) will announce his Senate campaign on Tuesday, a Republican source familiar with his decision has confirmed to Hotline On Call.
Sanchez filed statement of candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission to run for the Senate, the Senate Public Records office confirms. The papers arrived on the 19th and was reported first in a tweet by Bloomberg's Greg Giroux.
Sanchez, a first-term lieutenant governor who is serving under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, has been mulling a run for months. In an interview with Hotline On Call in late March, he pulled no punches in going after former Rep. Heather Wilson, the most prominent Republican currently in the race, saying "I don't believe that she is a conservative Republican."
Sanchez's candidacy sets up a marquee primary battle. He will run to the right of the moderate Wilson, his advisers say, in hopes of rallying the conservative base. Two lesser known candidates, Greg Sowards and Bill English are also in the running in the Republican race.
Republicans struggled to attract Hispanic voters in some battleground states in 2010 but in New Mexico, they performed well at the statewide level. Martinez was elected the nation's first female Hispanic governor last November. As Sanchez noted, the state's top three elected officials are Hispanic Republicans.
In a state where the Hispanic population grew by nearly a quarter during the last decade, having a prominent Hispanic candidate on the ballot could prove to be a boost for Republican chances in the general election. But Sanchez is not without his weaknesses: during his 2002 campaign, Sanchez was attacked by opponents for employing illegal immigrants at his roofing company.
The Democratic race is shaping up to be a two-candidate race as well, as Rep, Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and state auditor Hector Balderas are facing off is what is also looking like a competitive contest. Activist Andres Valdez, a minor candidate, is also running in the Democratic race.
Hotline Executive Editor Josh Kraushaar wrote in April about the likelihood of heated primaries in both parties that would pit a white candidate favored by the establishment against up-and-coming Hispanic challenger, which is what we are now seeing in New Mexico.
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