Political hopefuls outline campaign views

Ron Dolin focused on education and healthcare during his talk Tuesday at the Curry County Federated Republican Women monthly meeting.

David Pfeffer believes securing America’s borders should be the federal government’s top priority.

Dolin and Pfeffer are considering running for office against Democratic incumbents.

Dolin, a part-time mathematics professor at the University of New Mexico and technical chief of staff for the Center of Homeland Security at Los Alamos National Laboratory, told the group he is “testing the waters” for a possible bid to unseat incumbent Tom Udall in New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.

Clovis is the second stop on his political tour.

Before making his final decision in November, Dolin plans to cover all the counties within the voting district.

“I will run for office if my view strikes a chord,” said Dolin, who has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

Dolin said he believes his areas of skill and expertise are currently needed in Washington. “Our country is in need of competent leaders,” Dolin said.

Dolin calls himself a “retro-republican” and said he believes in the traditional American values that made America strong and prosperous.

Dolin said he would like to see New Mexico have a stronger education system. He would also like to see the current lottery scholarship offered to non-traditional students as well as to recent high school graduates.

Another issue that Dolin considers important are regionally placed nursing schools, so senior citizens are not forced to relocate.

According to Dolin, the federal government needs to rein in their spending, reform the prescription drug plans and create a safety net for healthcare consumers.

If elected, Dolin said, he does not plan to spend 30 years as a member of Congress. “My goal is to go there and make my contribution, then come home,” he said.

Pfeffer plans to run for the U.S. Senate against Jeff Bingaman.

A Santa Fe City Councilor for three years, Pfeffer is a self-employed architect and former president of the Santa Fe Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Pfeffer said he was previously a Democrat but now considers himself a “reconstructed Republican.”

Pfeffer has been campaigning since December with a focus on illegal immigration. Pfeffer said the United States needs “to secure the border.”

“The first thing a responsible government does is secure the border during a war,” Pfeffer said. “We forget that we are at war.”

Pfeffer said the U.S. border should mirror Mexico’s border. “We should know who is coming across our border and what they are bringing with them,” Pfeffer said.

“Securing the border would begin to solve our illegal immigration problems.”

According to Pfeffer, the Senate is the most powerful governing body since it only has 100 seats. He believes those seats should be filled with “loud and determined” people because our country is “under siege.”

Pfeffer said he has not seen or felt Sen. Bingaman’s presence in the “critical issues,” so he believes he can do a better job in the position.

Carolyn Shipley, president of the Republican Women, said she thought both men were brave for taking on incumbents of long standing. She said she does not consider herself a “straight line party person” and believes in voting for the person, not the party.

“I believe I would vote for them,” Shipley said. “They made some valid points.”