Carol Miller sees good omens in some recent election statistics.

The independent Congressional candidate from Ojo Sarco — who this week filed about 11,000 petition signatures to get on the 3rd Congressional District general election ballot — said in a telephone interview Wednesday that the fact that only 28 percent of Democrats statewide showed up to vote in this week's primary shows dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party. "This was supposed to be the big election of the century, and more than 70 percent don't vote?" she asked.

Miller also said the fact that nearly 60 percent of those who did show up voted for candidates other than Ben Ray Luján is further evidence of this dissatisfaction.

Miller acknowledges that turnout in primary elections is notoriously low almost every year in New Mexico — and in fact, this year's turnout was actually higher than it was for the 2004 primary. She also admitted the Democratic Congressional primary had six candidates, which makes it mathematically difficult for a candidate to win a clear majority.

Still, she said, she believes people are ready for a qualified independent candidate. And she said she fits that bill — even though some experts don't think independent candidates will have much effect on the race this year.

Miller's not the only independent trying to get on the ballot to run against Democrat Luján and Republican Dan East. Ron Simmons, a Santa Fe contractor and political newcomer, filed nearly 8,000 petitions to get on the ballot on Wednesday.

Slightly fewer than 6,000 signatures — which represents 3 percent of the last gubernatorial vote — are required to get on the ballot.

Miller's political background

Miller, 61, has worked for the past decade as executive director of a think tank called National Organization for Frontier Communities. Part of her job involves lobbying Congress. Her work in Washington, D.C., lobbying for national legislation on health care, farm policy and other issues, she says, makes her the most qualified for the House seat.

But what she's best known for, at least in New Mexico political circles, is her 1997 congressional race. That year, she drew enough votes from Democrat Eric Serna in a special election so that Republican candidate Bill Redmond won a plurality. The special election was to fill the vacant seat left by Bill Richardson when he left Congress to becomes United Nations ambassador.

Running as a Green that year, Miller received an impressive 17 percent of the vote. However, the next year, when Tom Udall beat Serna in the Democratic primary, Miller, running again as a Green, received only 4 percent in the November match-up with Udall and Redmond.

That was the last time before this year that Miller ran for office. She has remained active in politics, however. In 2004, she was the state coordinator for Ralph Nader's presidential campaign. In 2006, Miller shocked many Democrats when she endorsed Republican Heather Wilson for the 1st Congressional District seat against Democrat Patricia Madrid.

Miller earned a bachelor of arts from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., in 1969 and received a master's degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1978.

Ron Simmons

Simmons isn't as well known as Miller. The independent race is his first stab at politics, and he has run a low-key campaign so far. Simmons has attended several campaign forums, where he has expressed views similar to Miller's, Luján's and other Democratic candidates'. He wants to get the U.S. out of Iraq, focus on renewable energy and spend more money on education and health care.

Simmons, 62, moved to New Mexico in 1970 and has lived in Nambé, Chimayó and Santa Fe.

He has described himself as a "lifelong Democrat," but, in an interview this year, he said he became upset with the party over its superdelegate system in choosing the presidential nominee at the national convention. He changed his voter registration to "declined to state" in January.

Will independents have an impact?

The 3rd Congressional District is so heavily Democratic, Republicans normally don't spend serious money getting their candidates elected. In a post-primary news release, the National Republican Congressional Committee issued a statement noting the victories of the GOP candidates in the first and second districts, but didn't mention Dan East in the 3rd District.

Albuquerque columnist Jim Scarantino, a moderate Republican, said in an interview this week that the northern district could be in play because of the bitter campaign in the Democratic primary. "There's bad blood and a split between old patrón Democrats and progressives."

While Luján isn't as unpopular or controversial as Serna was in 1997, Scarantino said, Luján still could lose votes to Miller.

Scarantino said before the primary that the best bet for the Republicans was to nominate a "strong Hispanic Republican." However, that scenario crumbled Tuesday when East beat Santa Fe lawyer Marco Gonzales, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, also a Republican.

But Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff said in an interview Monday that a repeat of 1997 was far-fetched. "The Eric Serna situation was unique," he said

Sanderoff said while personal dislikes may have developed between the Democratic candidates after a blistering campaign, "public rifts between candidates will heal quickly. Most candidates don't want to alienate the party. Typically, they find it in their own interest to come back together to preserve their own standing in the party."

Sanderoff noted Luján had received endorsements from several environmental groups, which should help him with those tempted to vote for Miller. However, Scarantino pointed out Serna had received endorsements by some of the same groups, like the Sierra Club, before he lost in 1997.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.

ON THE WEB

Carol Miller: www.carolmillercongress.com

Ron Simmons: www.simmons08.com