In The News

Former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson endorsed former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez in his bid for Congress in New Mexico Friday.

Chavez is in what's shaping up to be a competitive primary with State Sen. Eric Griego -- a favorite of progressive groups -- in the race to replace Rep. Martin Heinrich in the open 1st Congressional District.

Animal Protection Voters (APV) released a statement today saying it is "proud to announce its endorsement of Marty Chavez for U.S. Congress-District 1 in New Mexico. Marty Chavez has been an outspoken and determined leader for animal protection issues, both when he served in the New Mexico Senate and throughout his tenure as Mayor of Albuquerque."

Former three-term Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez invited Barb and I to sit down for a discussion regarding his reasons for running for Congress in New Mexico's First District, as well as his positions on the issues. This very important seat in the Albuquerque area will be vacated in 2012 by Congressman Martin Heinrich, who is running for U.S. Senate. Recently, we met over coffee and had a wide-ranging conversation.

Why did you decide to run for Congress?

Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez is running for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by Martin Heinrich; meanwhile, former Lt. Gov. Diane Denish has decided against running.

Chávez, a Democrat, declared his candidacy late Tuesday in an Albuquerque Journal article. The newspaper also referred to a video it said was posted on Chávez’s website, but as of the publication of this article, the video and any announcement of his congressional campaign had not been posted.

From the Journal:

Former Albuquerque Mayor Marty Chavez announced Wednesday he is running for the open 1st district seat, giving Democrats what they believe is a strong general election contender.

Chavez, who served three terms as mayor, met recently in Washington, D.C., with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a New Mexico Democratic insider said.