A leading group on the political left is throwing its support behind its first congressional candidate of the 2012 cycle, in part as a pre-emptive strike against conservative Democrats.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) endorsed Democrat Eric Griego today in New Mexico's 1st Congressional District. The U.S. House seat is being vacated by Rep. Martin Heinrich, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

"The last thing we need to send to Washington is a Democrat who is a kinder, gentler version of the Republicans," reads a PCCC fundraising pitch touting the Griego endorsement.

Griego is a New Mexico state senator. A political website in the state, nmpolitics.net, says former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Diane Denish, who was Bill Richardson's lieutenant governor, and Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez are both considering running for the House seat.

The group backing Griego says there's no reason why a "Blue Dog" Democrat should represent a district that gave 60% of its vote to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Griego, the group says, already beat a conservative Democrat in the primary for his state Senate seat.

He would "bring our troops home, tax big corporations and the rich and protect Social Security and Medicare from benefit cuts proposed by either party," the group said.

PCCC raised $3 million in the 2010 election. It has been active in the campaigns in Wisconsin to recall state lawmakers who backed efforts to curb collective bargaining rights of public employees.