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WASHINGTON — Sen. Pete Domenici will announce that he will end his career in the Senate next year after 36 years of service to New Mexico.
Republican sources confirmed that the Albuquerque Republican plans to make the announcement at 4 p.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic School, where he went to school, and where his sister long served as principal.
For much of the year Domenici, 75, has insisted that he would run for another six-year term next year. President Bush recently attended a fund-raiser for the campaign in Bernalillo.
During the fund-raiser motorcade to the airport, a Rio Rancho police officer was killed in a crash.
The sources say the decision is not related to an ongoing Senate ethics investigation of Domenici's phone call to former U. S. attorney David Iglesias last year about a local corruption report or publicly reported polls that showed his approval rating dropping.
Domenici has been plagued by shooting pains in his left leg that caused him to sit down frequently at press conferences and other public events. And he has appeared to tire from the strain of a hectic Senate schedule.
Domenici's announcement could shake up all the top elected positions in the state.
All three House members, Republicans Heather Wilson of Albuquerque and Steve Pearce of Hobbs, and Democrat Tom Udall are expected to consider the race. Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez has said he would strongly consider running if Domenici retires.
But Gov. Bill Richardson will face the biggest decision, whether to abandon a presidential campaign that has yet to close on the front-runners to run for the Senate. He also would conceivably be foreclosing a shot at vice president or Secretary of State in a Democratic administration should he run for the Senate.
Asked Wednesday if Richardson could categorically state that he has no plans to abandon the presidential campaign and run for the Senate, campaign spokesman Tom Reynolds responded, "That is correct. We are running for president and are confident about winning."
Domenici has left an enormous imprint on the state as an advocate for its national weapons laboratories, water projects and military bases and on the nation as chairman or ranking minority member at times of the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Domenici's colleague in the New Mexico delegation, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, said he greatly admires Domenici's service to the state.
“As our longest-serving senator in the history of New Mexico, Pete Domenici has earned a position of great respect in our state and Washington," said Bingaman, a Silver City Democrat. "He continues to represent New Mexico with great effectiveness and vigor. I look forward to working with him on efforts to help our state and nation during the remainder of this Congress."
