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They come every day, and sometimes twice or thrice.

They are e-mails from the media representatives for New Mexico's congressional delegation - almost always happy notes about good news.

The news? Buckets of money, small and large, have been awarded to the state, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Sens. Pete Domenici or Jeff Bingaman, or U.S. Reps. Heather Wilson, Tom Udall or Steve Pearce.

The substance of these news releases are New Mexico's bread and butter - federal funds or federal projects - won by days of labor on Capitol Hill, helped along by the seniority of our politicians.

But the amount New Mexico receives from Washington could change as the frenzy over the future of our delegation gets hotter.

With Wilson and Pearce running for Domenici's seat and Udall thinking it over, Bingaman could end up being the only current member left with seniority, a precious commodity in Washington, D.C.

Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican and the state's longest-serving senator, often given credit for leading New Mexico to the federal dollar trough, announced last month that he won't seek re-election.

"The loss of Pete Domenici is potentially devastating to New Mexico, because he has served on such key committees over the decades from budget to energy," Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff said.

"It's not good news for New Mexico in the short term. It's like a baseball team that has a lot of rookies. You know that in three or four years, they'll be a great team, but for now they are lucky to be out of the cellar," he said.

While some of Domenici's would-be successors certainly don't lack for congressional knowledge, Sanderoff said the Senate is different from the House, with "its own clout rules."

Domenici's presence created a certainty, something that leaves those who need federal money anxious.

"We're able to call up his staff and talk with them directly; we have some history with him," said Mark Allison, executive director of the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico.

No matter who enters the Senate in 2009, Allison and other advocates will begin new relationships in hopes of obtaining federal help. But the same is true for a new senator with big shoes to fill.

New Mexico depends heavily on federal funding for everything from its national labs to its military bases and roads. In 2005, the state ranked eighth in pork project dollars per capita. The state got $183 million in pork spending, or $96.50 per person, according to Citizens Against Government Waste.

New Mexico in 2004 also got $2 in federal money for every dollar state taxpayers sent to Washington, according to the Tax Foundation.

"It has a big impact in the state, because we do get so much money flowing in here," said Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation.

But, he said, the amount of money sent to the state from the federal government isn't likely to change dramatically - and isn't likely to change much because Domenici is retiring.

Lawmakers were already questioning lab spending, for example, and moving to reduce science budgets.

"We're a poor state, so a lot of those things are not going to change," Gessing said. "The impact of individual members is kind of mythologized, that they have huge impacts on the money. It's driven by the egos of politicians sometimes; they like to play up the fact they can bring home the bacon."

Bingaman's presence likely will be felt, given his senior status among Democrats in the Senate. But his spokeswoman, Jude McCartin, points to other factors as well - including his willingness to listen to Republicans.

"Senator Bingaman is a senior member of the Senate and has a very good working relationship with both sides of the aisle," she said of the Democrat from Silver City.

McCartin said a lot of federal money is determined by formulas, or by which party controls Congress or the White House.

"New Mexico gets a lot of money for reasons other than who is in the delegation," she said.