WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Udall is reconsidering his decision not to run for the seat of retiring Sen. Pete Domenici.

"New Mexicans have urged the congressman to reconsider running for the United States Senate and he's doing just that," Marissa Padilla, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe Democrat, said today.

New Mexico Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colon confirmed that Udall called him Thursday to say he might run after all.

Udall announced last month that he wanted to stay in the House and build up seniority on the House Appropriations Committee, which he just joined this year.

But Udall has been lobbied by Democrats here and in New Mexico who think he might be a stronger candidate than Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez to oppose either of the Republican choices, Rep. Heather Wilson of Albuquerque or Rep. Steve Pearce of Hobbs.

Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Wednesday he was continuing to recruit candidates and would not hesitate to throw the weight of the DSCC behind one Democrat. That drew a response from Chavez campaign manager Mark Fleisher that the primary race would be "decided by New Mexicans, not New Yorkers."

Asked about Schumer's remarks, Colon said, "We welcome the support of all people who are interested in changing the seat from a Republican to a Democrat."

As for a Udall-Chavez race, Colon said, "I think it's wonderful the Democrats have an option of who they're going to send to Washington, D.C."

Udall, 59, was first elected to the House in 1998 after serving eight years as state attorney general. He is the son former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall and the nephew of the late Congressman Morris Udall of Arizona. His cousin, Rep. Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat, already is running for the Senate.

Udall's voting record would be a decided contrast to either Wilson or Pearce. For instance, he has voted to support a deadline for withdrawing U. S. troops from Iraq, which both Wilson and Pearce oppose.