I'm currently living in New Mexico and as most people know, Pete Domenici is retiring from his Senate seat at the end of this term.

I was among those who publicly called for Bill Richardson to announce his candidacy because he's the closest thing to a lock, I may have ever seen. When he said that he wasn't interested in running for the Senate this time around, I added my voice to those trying to convince the reluctant Tom Udall. At first, Rep. Udall said that he also wasn't interested in changing chambers, he's in a really safe seat, but as the calls for his candidacy rose to a clamor, he relented and threw his hat into the ring.

The NM Democrats switched their Presidential Primary to what was called a caucus, but was really more like a primary to coincide with Super Tuesday. The Democratic down-ticket races and everything Republican will be voting on June 3rd.

The major Republican candidates for the Senate are Reps. Steve Pearce and Heather Wilson. Both have strengths and weaknesses and both are currently polling behind Rep. Udall, but I expect the race to tighten-up by the fall, more so if Rep. Pearce becomes the Republican nominee.

What has struck me though, is that both Republican candidates are referencing their support for the Iraq War in current advertising. Earlier, Rep. Pearce ran a negative ad calling Rep Wilson out for missed votes and she's responded with an ad saying that he voted against funding more border guards and was absent, when one of the Democratic bills calling for an end-date in Iraq came up for a vote.

While on the other hand, Rep. Pearce has been running ads where he touts his unflagging support for the war and in earlier radio ads, he highlighted his fight against "Islamoterrorists" as a plus.

I don't know how this will all play out and right now, we mostly have Republicans on the airwaves because more of them are in a contested primary, but I do find it interesting that both major Senate candidates are trumpeting their pro-War stance, when a lot of people are under the impression that it could be a losing position in the fall.