Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Trio files for Domenici's seat

The Associated Press

SANTA FE — Republican Reps. Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson were among the first to file for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, the official filing day for candidates for Congress.

Pearce, who currently represents New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, and Wilson, who represents the 1st District, announced last year that they would run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pete Domenici.

Domenici said last October that he would not seek re-election because he has an incurable brain disease. All three of New Mexico’s House members — Pearce, Wilson and Democrat Tom Udall, who represents the 3rd District — said they would run for Senate instead of seeking re-election to the House.

That left all three House seats up for grabs, and numerous candidates have announced for those districts.

Greg Sowards, a businessman from Las Cruces, filed early Tuesday as a Republican candidate in the 2nd District.

Tuesday also was the day for state Supreme Court justices or Court of Appeals judges to declare that they are candidates for retention in office.

In New Mexico, judges are appointed and must run after their appointment in a partisan election to keep the post. Thereafter, judges are subject to periodic nonpartisan retention elections in which New Mexicans vote yes or no to keep the judge in office.