Democrat - Challenger
Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Council for a Livable World

New Mexico has an open Senate seat for the first time in 25 years, a rare opportunity to win another seat in the closely contested U.S. Senate. In October 2007, Senator Pete Domenici announced that he would not seek reelection in 2008 due to his serious illness. Domenici has been a leading advocate for building new nuclear weapons and expanding the large nuclear weapons complex in New Mexico.

Running to replace him is Democratic U.S. Representative Tom Udall, currently serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives. A hardworking and effective legislator, Udall is well-known and highly respected across the state as a strong advocate of progressive issues.

U.S. Representative Steve Pearce is the Republican nominee. He defeated Rep. Heather Wilson in a hard-fought primary that got quite negative.

Udall's record is excellent on arms control as well as on issues of war and peace. He scored a 100% on Council for a Livable World PeacePAC's last three voting scorecards. He voted:

• To cut funding for unreliable missile defense programs
• To prohibit funding for development of nuclear earth penetrator weapons
• For a ban on space-based weapons
• Against the U.S.-India nuclear deal

Udall has been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. He voted against the authorization to send troops in 2002, for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, and against building U.S. permanent bases in Iraq.

In response to General David Petraeus' testimony to Congress in September 2007, Udall argued, "The time has come for the White House to finally realize the war in Iraq needs a political solution, not a military one. Once again, I renew my call to responsibly redeploy our troops from Iraq so we can begin to address the dire readiness state of our military and refocus on fighting terrorism around the world."

Udall has worked to prevent a military strike against Iran:

"While we address our ongoing concerns, we must be vigilant in ensuring that the United States works with the international community and approaches the Middle East diplomatically...we must not preemptively strike other sovereign nations because of incomplete and questionable information."

Furthermore, he voted for the investigation of the treatment of foreign detainees, for the closing the Abu Ghraib prison and for repealing the most egregious sections of the PATRIOT Act. Udall has made fair and adequate treatment of veterans a major cause: he served on the Veterans' Committee for eight years. Udall wrote the renewable energy standard provision in an energy bill passed by the House, although Domenici led the effort to kill the language in the Senate.

Udall has an impressive resume. Educated at Prescott College, Cambridge University in England, and the University of New Mexico School of Law, Udall served as U.S. attorney and Chief Counsel to the Department of Health and Environment. He was New Mexico's Attorney General for eight years before he entered Congress in 1998.

Pearce has a dismal Council for a Livable World PeacePAC voting record of 18%. He portrays himself as the "Consistent Conservative" in his television ads. He has consistently supported the war in Iraq and was one of only 24 House members to support permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. He has voted against increased funding for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (a nuclear non-proliferation program), as well as against cutting funds for nuclear reprocessing and missile defense.

The Udall family commitment to public service is well-known in the West. Tom Udall's father, Stewart Udall, was elected to four terms in Congress and then served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961-1969. His uncle, Morris Udall, served 30 years in Congress, and two of his cousins, Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), currently serve in Congress.

Although Tom Udall is the favorite -- many nonpartisan pundits rank New Mexico as the 2nd most likely Senate seat to switch parties -- he is not a cinch. Those opposing him are sure to spend whatever it takes to distort his progressive record as they fight to hold on to this seat.

Though New Mexico has been trending Democratic in recent years, it is a purple state that supports candidates from both parties. In 2000, Al Gore won New Mexico by fewer than 400 votes. Four years later, President Bush beat John Kerry in the state by 50% to 49%. Moreover, Steve Pearce is independently wealthy and will have adequate resources in the election.

Tom Udall will need your help to beat his Republican challenger in this race. Council for a Livable World is enthusiastically participating in this contest, one of the best chances to gain a progressive seat in the U.S. Senate.

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