Udall’s Head Start

With the bitter GOP primary battle finally over in the New Mexico Senate race, the general election campaign for the seat of retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R) between Reps. Steve Pearce (R) and Tom Udall (D) has commenced. Pearce will have to play catch-up to Udall, who coasted through the primary season, running unopposed. He capitalized on his head start by releasing two debut ads (subscription) last month with an eye toward the general election. Udall, who represents the state’s 3rd District, is now up with another ad, " Crush "(subscription), which blames President Bush for high gas, food and health care costs that an announcer says are "crushing America." After touting alternative energy and his plans to revolutionize health care, Udall concludes by asserting that "we have to make the economy work for the middle class again." Campaign spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said Udall’s voting record differs fro...