Just a few weeks ago, the biggest worry for Pete V. Domenici — New Mexico’s longest-serving senator ever and “godfather” of the state Republican Party — was convincing voters he intended to run next year for a seventh term.

But the sudden eruption of what might be the biggest controversy of Domenici’s political career — involving reports that he tried to pressure a federal prosecutor to speed up a corruption probe of a prominent Democrat during last year’s midterm election campaign — has put Domenici’s legacy in doubt and could drastically alter New Mexico’s political landscape.

Domenici is dealing with allegations that he and another New Mexico Republican, Rep. Heather A. Wilson, pressured U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias in late October to produce an anticipated indictment of former New Mexico Senate President Manny Aragon. The fact that Iglesias was one of eight U.S. attorneys fired by the Bush administration after the 2006 elections has added fuel to the political brush fire.

Critics contend that Wilson was looking for a boost during the toughest race of her career, a contest with Democratic state Attorney General Patricia Madrid that Wilson ended up winning by 861 votes. A timeline presented by Iglesias, according to political blogger Heath Haussamen, placed a call he received from Wilson in October as coming shortly after the second of four polls showed her trailing in the race. Domenici’s calls, according to Iglesias’ recollection, came about four days after a fourth poll showed Wilson losing.

Both Domenici and Wilson have not denied making the calls but say they were not meant to intimidate or influence Iglesias. Domenici issued a statement on March 4 apologizing for his call, while Wilson said in a March 6 statement that her call was not “motivated by politics or partisanship.”

New Mexico is an almost evenly split partisan “battleground” state that has a Democratic governor (Bill Richardson), a Democratic senator (Jeff Bingaman) who has long been paired with Republican Domenici, and a House delegation in which Wilson is joined by Republican Steve Pearce and Democrat Tom Udall. New Mexico was a swing state in the past two presidential elections, giving President Bush a 1 percentage-point margin in 2004 and Democrat Al Gore a razor-thin edge in 2000.

So a political flap of this magnitude has at least the potential to tip the partisan balance.

Most politicos both in state and in Washington and on both sides of the aisle agree that if Domenici wants another term, it’s his for the taking — as long as the controversy does not blow up into a full-blown scandal.

But this unexpected trouble raises new questions about whether Domenici — who recently appeared to bat down retirement rumors by launching a fundraising effort for a 2008 campaign — is certain to run again next year at age 76 for a seat he first won in 1972 when he was 40.

If any incumbent would have a cushion of public sympathy, it would be Domenici. After relatively close races his first two times out, he won his next four contests by margins ranging from 30 percentage points (over Democrat Gloria Tristani in 2002) to 46 points (over Democrat Tom R. Benavides in 1990).

Fundraising also has never been a problem for the popular incumbent, who spent $4.1 million in 2002 for a 5-to-1 ratio over Tristani.

Given these stats, “it would take something a lot more dramatic than this to threaten [Domenici’s] viability,” said Albuquerque pollster Brian Sanderoff.

But that might not be as true for Wilson, who has been groomed by the Republican Party as Domenici’s heir apparent but has endured several close races — including the 2006 nail biter — in the politically competitive, Albuquerque-based 1st District.

Domenici massaged the way for Wilson to win the 1st District seat in the March 1998 special election necessitated by the death of Republican Rep. Steven H. Schiff. Wilson, then 40 years old and a member of then-GOP Gov. Gary E. Johnson’s Cabinet, won the short-term contest — though with 44.5 percent of the vote and a 5-point margin over Democrat Phillip J. Maloof, as a Green Party candidate pulled down nearly 15 percent — then won a full term that November by 7 points.

But Wilson, even after wins of 11 points in 2002 and 9 points in 2004, has not been able to rest comfortably in the 1st, and she endured a political bruising in the 2006 election that is now again the focus of attention.

Among those paying attention is a Democrat who many in his party would like to see challenge Wilson in 2008, but who has explicitly ruled out doing so: Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez.

While Chavez has said he would not challenge Domenici, he is considered a strong contender for the Democratic Senate nomination should Domenici reverse himself and retire.

Nonetheless, Chavez had some choice words for the 1st District incumbent, saying, “Heather Wilson will no longer be elected in New Mexico,” and calling Wilson’s actions “reprehensible.”

© 2006 Congressional Quarterly