Race for Congress hits the airwaves
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4/7/2008 - 4/8/08
Two months before the Democratic primary, two of the six Democrats vying to replace U.S. Rep. Tom Udall in Congress have taken their campaigns to television.On Monday, state Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Luján launched the first in what his campaign manager said will be a series of ads.
This weekend, Santa Fe developer Don Wiviott, who first began advertising in late February, began running his third television commercial.
Spokesmen for both campaigns said Monday that the tone of their respective ads will remain positive.
"Absolutely not," said Wiviott spokesman Webster Cash when asked whether Wiviott's ads might "go negative" against Luján. "We care about issues that are important to the people of New Mexico, and our ads will communicate about those issues. ... This is not a negative campaign."
Luján's campaign manager, Carlos Trujillo, gave a similar answer. "We are running a clean and positive race," he said.
Cash declined to say how much Wiviott's campaign is budgeting for television ads. Trujillo said he would have to check with another campaign staffer. The answer had not come by Monday night.
Wiviott, who has spent $890,000 of his own money on the race, and Luján, the son of House Speaker Ben Luján, who has tapped into funding from lobbyists and many of Gov. Bill Richardson's financial supporters — have led the crowded field of candidates in terms of fundraising.
None of the other four Democratic candidates — former state Indian Affairs Secretary Benny Shendo Jr., Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry Montoya, Santa Fe lawyer Jon Adams and Dixon lawyer Rudy Martin — have advertised on television.
Luján's 30-second spot, titled "Heart and Soul," shows the candidate standing up in a kitchen. Over what sounds like jangly folk-rock music in the background, Luján says people are the heart and soul of New Mexico. He promises to "stand up" for the people by working for affordable health care and creating jobs by promoting alternative energy.
Trujillo said the ad is meant to "reintroduce" voters to Luján, who four years ago was elected in the PRC District that makes up a large portion of the Congressional district. He said upcoming ads will focus on specific issues.
Wiviott, who never has run for office before, ran a pair of "introduction" ads in February. One of them cleverly played on the fact that many people don't know how to pronounce his name. The other, called "Meet Don Wiviott" declared he was running a "different kind of campaign." He mentions the need for better schools, affordable health care and his opposition to the war in Iraq.
Iraq is the focus of Wiviott's new commercial. In it, Wiviott promises one of the first things he'd do if elected would be to "get our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible." He said he'd vote against further funding of the war.
The ad comes the week that Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will report to Congress on progress in Iraq. Though Cash said the release of the ad wasn't timed to coincide with that testimony, he noted that last week the Wiviott campaign in an e-mail to supporters asked them to submit their own questions to Petraeus and Crocker. Some of those submissions — such as what plans are in place for getting U.S troops out of Iraq and what would constitute "winning" the war — appeared in a Wiviott news release Monday.
Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com.