Five terms is apparently enough*. Frankly, it’s more than enough for a lot of Senators out there, but that’s just my opinion.
Contra Chris Cizzilla, though, Obama’s 15 point victory in 2008 is not the only thing to consider about New Mexico: it’s that in 2010 the GOP took the governorship and lieutenant governorship, flipped a House seat, and came pretty close to getting another one (the state legislature was a wash). New Mexico is a swing state, and if recent history is any predictor it’s busy swinging back the other way right now.
Mind you, this is good news for Tom Udall, who won’t be up for re-election until 2014; and by then the pendulum may have swung back yet again. In the meantime, we’ll have to see who gets bitten by the Senatorial bug…
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: I should also note that, Senator Murray to the contrary, the Democrats were not sanguine about keeping this seat earlier in the month; also, the bench is thinner than it looks. DSCC recruitment of House members for Senate seats didn’t work all that well for the Democrats in 2010. Then again, very little else did, either.
Not four, contra the Fix.