(Abq Mayor) Marty Chavez drops out of NM Senate race, endorses Tom Udall

[LandOLincoln]

Source: KOB-TV, Albuquerque

Just announced on KOB's 5:00 newscast.

Read more: http://kob.com/article/stories/S279154.shtml?cat=500

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Well I'll be damned. Good for Marty. Didn't know he had it in him.

[Ken Burch]

1. Don't know that much about the Chavez-Udall race.

Why is Chavez' withdrawal a good thing? Did the race have the potential to get ugly?

[LandOLincoln]

3. It was already ugly, though Chavez never really had much of a chance.

BTW, Chavez is also a Democrat, though well to the right of Udall.

[Ken Burch]

4. I assumed he was, since he was endorsing Udall.

Thanks for the info though.

[LandOLincoln]

5. LOL! Yeah, normally that endorsement would be a safe

indicator of party affiliation, but these times are not what I'd call normal.

[Robbien]

2. Great news.

Chavez could have lost that seat for the Democratic party.

Wonder why the idiot dropped out.

[queerart]

6. I Would Guess. . . . . . .

It may have something to do with his ex-wife, that has a little crazy on her face.....

Or his troublesome daughter.......

Just Guesses on my part however.........

[LandOLincoln]

7. Udall was outpolling Marty by a wide margin, and I suspect

Marty got leaned on by a whole posse of party bigwigs.

Anyway, Kos is on it, as I knew he'd be. He hates Chavez:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/12/7/18943/4215/731/419300

[queerart]

8. Hummmmm.......

I don't know about any pressure......

But didn't his ex-wife run against him in the Mayor's race when they got divorced? (just for a short period)

... and I remember vividly about his intoxicated daughter ending up in someones back yard (in her vehicle)

I think he simply has too much baggage for higher office.....

[VP505]

9. He does have

too much baggage, too many ethics problems and he has pissed off too many people to risk loosing that Senate seat over.

[Drunken Irishman]

13. Your Rocky quote makes me smile. He's my mayor and I'm very proud.

Too bad he's leaving in January, though the guy replacing him is a liberal too!

[newruby]

10. marty chavez

just want to mention that Udall is one of the best guys around, he has an excellent record and is a really clean politician

[BenDavid]

11. Now that a Udall is in the race for the Senate maybe

we can pick this seat up. I have not been keeping up with NM but I do know that Rep. Heather Wilson(r) is seeking this office. Remember Rep Wilson was also named as one of several people that called the U.S. Attorney to see how indictments of democrats were proceding prior to the 06 election.

Ben David

[LandOLincoln]

12. According to today's Albuquerque Journal,

"Chavez's announcement came less than two months after he declared his candidacy and apparently after much behind-the-scenes maneuvering." (My emphasis)

I would bet money (if I had any) that everyone from Bill Richardson and Howard Dean (whom Marty endorsed in 2003) on up to and including Marty's (former) close buddy the Big Dog himself* leaned on him to get his ass out of the race and leave the field clear for Udall to kick Heather's ample behind.

*During the Dawg's first term, he used to come swooping in on AF One for an appearance or two here and in Santa Fe (wearing cowboy boots IIRC), then grab up Marty and some takeout from M&J's restaurant downtown and head back for DC, where they were often photographed jogging together.

This was shortly after Henry Cisneros went down in flames, and it was obvious Marty was being groomed as the next up-and-coming Hispanic pol. Ah, nostalgia...