Tom Udall for U.S. Senate

I spent this weekend attending my son's soccer tournament in Bernalillo. We stayed at Tamaya, rather than trekking back and forth from the East Mountains. We rationalized the expense of staying at the resort as our way of reducing our carbon footprint. I even used one of those little electric carts to check out the culturally and ecologically sensitive areas around Twin Warriors.

Now, I hadn't brought my computer, so I missed the announcement over the weekend that Congressman Tom Udall was getting into the U.S. Senate race (subscription):

U.S. Rep. Tom Udall will seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pete Domenici in 2008, making him the third of New Mexico's three U.S. House members to seek the seat.

"He's definitely running," Udall's chief of staff Tom Nagle said Saturday.

However, learning of this news today explains the loud noise I heard coming from the direction of Albuquerque over the weekend. It was obviously the collective groan of Mayor Martin Chavez's campaign camp. Any chance they had of winning the Democratic nomination of the U.S. Senate seat vanished with Udall's announcement.

Udall's announcement is also a clear indication that Governor Richardson is serious about not getting into the Senate race. Udall's step-daughter, Amanda Cooper, is the deputy campaign manager of Richardson's presidential campaign.

This also mean that every Congressional seat except for one, Senator Jeff Bingaman's seat, is up for grabs. Combine that with the fact that every state legislative seat is up re-election, and we've got the makings of "all politics, all the time" in 2008.

Richardson for U.S. Senate

I get the question everyday. "So, do you think Bill Richardson is going to run for the U.S. Senate seat."

My answer? "No, I just don't see it happening."

Of course, anything is possible, but it just wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. I can't be the only one struggling to see Governor Richardson in the Junior Senator role. Think about it, can you imagine Bill Richardson comfortably taking a backseat to Senator Bingaman in public forums? Me neither. Senator Bingaman has always played second fiddle to Senator Domenici, but Bingaman is not a flamboyant character like Richardson. Governor Richardson does not know how to wait patiently in the wings:

Richardson in Philly: I didn’t actually see this while viewing Tuesday’s televised debate from Philadelphia on MSNBC, but the Associated Press reported that after not being called on for the first 20 minutes of the debate “... Gov. Bill Richardson threw up his hands in protest that he hadn’t been called on either and exchanged a frustrated glance with (Dennis) Kucinich.”

If the Governor found his Philly experience frustrating, its not hard to picture how disheartening he is going to find his years as a freshman Senator. And, as a former member of Congress, he knows just how ignored and far from center stage he is going to be.

No, I just don't see Richardson signing up for that. I think he'll hold out for that Secretary of State appointment. Does that mean he'll be coming back to the Land of Enchantment in February? No, I think he'll quickly jump on the bandwagon of the leader, probably Hillary Clinton, and campaign all over the country for the Hispanic vote. Campaigning is something he does well.

Then, if he doesn't get a cabinet appointment, I think he'll take a job in the private sector as the CEO of a Fortune 250 company. After all, as was recently pointed out to me, that's one arena that remains unconquered.

Anyone Can Do Anything

Last weekend, I attended my 20th high school reunion in Philadelphia. Maybe as a result, I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic about the impact great teachers can make. So, it's probably not all that surprising that this article about a Santa Fe High School English teacher running for the open U.S. Senate seat caught my attention:

It might sound like a joke at first, an unknown English teacher deciding to run for the U.S. Senate seat held for more than 30 years by Pete Domenici, R-N.M. But it isn't.

Zach Boatman is jumping into a race that includes Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez and U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. He said he's doing it because he believes the U.S. election process makes it possible for anyone to run for any position.

The 41-year-old Santa Fe High School teacher decided a couple of weeks ago to run for Domenici's seat because, he said, "this is the first time in like three decades that there's been this open door."

Boatman, who's teaching Advanced Placement English this year, said a recent conversation in one of his classes turned to politics and students' complaints about the election process. "(Students) said, 'There's nobody to vote for; they're all the same,' " Boatman said.

Now, I don't know anything about this guy, and his chances are very slim, but in this case, I don't think that is what matters. What I think is important is that a teacher is putting himself out there to show his students what is possible. It's actually what many great teachers do everyday. [Disclaimer: I worked in education for over a decade].

We've got a huge civic problem in the country - too few people care enough to vote or get involved. We've also got this great human experiment occurring, the emergence of social media, that gives everyone and anyone a voice.

I think it would be very cool if kids got behind this teacher and got him the 16,000 signatures he needs to get on the ballot . I don't think most students realize the power they have to create change. Is there an adult out there who wouldn't sign a petition to get someone on the ballot if their son or daughter, nephew or niece asked them to do it. I know I'd sign. Students under 18 may not be able to vote, but there is nothing from stopping them being part of the process.

Mayor Martin Chavez's Finance Committee Fiasco

The fact that two of three Democratic heavy hitters (the third is apparently just staying away from the phone) are contradicting Mayor Martin Chavez's assertion that they are serving on his finance committee is nothing short of extraordinary:

Since the names were published on Thursday, accusations have surfaced on the Internet and within Democratic circles that Chávez may have exaggerated or lied about their involvement in his campaign.

Not so, Chávez said today.

“They’re all on,” he said of Blanchard, Cope and Gonzales. “I talked to them yesterday. They’re all on.”

But Blanchard, when I reached him today by telephone, refused to talk about whether he’s a member of Chávez’s finance committee – a clear indicator that something unusual is afoot.

“At this point, I don’t want to comment on anything,” he said.

And Gonzales said today that he is not a member of Chávez’s committee.

What makes this so bizarre is that Mayor Martin Chavez is a seasoned politician. We're talking about a man who should know better than to assert publicly that someone is on his finance committee when they aren't.

My guess is that this is the first of many mistakes we are going to see from the Mayor in the coming months.