NEW MEXICO: Lake: Wilson, Madrid Within Margin of Error

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Rep. Heather Wilson (R) and her highly touted challenger, state Attorney General Patricia Madrid (D), were essentially tied in a new poll conducted for the Madrid campaign.

The poll of 400 likely voters, conducted Jan. 25-29 by Lake Research Partners, found Wilson preferred by 44 percent of respondents and Madrid the choice of 43 percent of those surveyed. The poll had a 4.9 percent error margin.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they had a positive impression of the job Wilson is doing, while 47 percent were negative. Madrid’s job approval was 62 percent, while 30 percent of voters did not approve of the job she is doing as attorney general.

In a memo accompanying the poll, Lake Research Partners said that Wilson, who has thrived in a district that slightly favors Democrats in national elections, appears to be losing her veneer of independence from the national GOP.

“The disparity in voters’ ratings of the two women’s job performance is only underscored by the fact that, by an 11-point margin, voters see Madrid as more independent than Wilson, 41 percent to 30 percent (7 percent say both are independent, 9 percent say neither is, and 13 percent don’t know),” the pollsters wrote. “Among independent voters, that margin grows to 15 percent.”

The 1st district race will be one of the most watched of the cycle. Through Dec. 31, Wilson had $979,000 in her campaign account, and Madrid had $431,000.
— Josh Kurtz

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The event was originally scheduled to be held Thursday at Tortilla Coast, a popular Capitol Hill watering hole. Admission will range from $5,000 for a political action committee sponsor to $1,000 per individual.

Sulzer was recruited to run by national Democrats and is viewed as the perferred nominee against Ney, who was forced to relinquish his House Administration chairmanship recently due to his ties to the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Still, Sulzer faces a primary against Dover Law Director Zack Space (D).

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Lamutt Manager Admits Stealing From Campaign

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Jack Thomas, who managed Lamutt’s bid to succeed now-Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) in the House, admitted that he wrote unauthorized campaign checks to himself, his wife, his brother and others from September 2003 to February 2004.

Lamutt, a wealthy financial adviser who spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the losing effort, was defeated in a runoff by now-Rep. Tom Price (R).

Thomas is due to be sentenced Aug. 8. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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Only activist Jean Hay Bright (D) and attorney Eric Mehnert (D) have taken the plunge so far.
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