Sanchez gave up his command in Iraq and retired after the Abu Ghraib scandal. Dems eye Army general for Senate

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, may enter the open-seat Senate race in Texas as a Democrat, POLITICO has confirmed.

Democrats expect that Sanchez will run for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, though nothing has been decided for certain, according to a Democratic strategist.


A three-decade veteran, Sanchez gave up his command in Iraq and retired after the Abu Ghraib scandal, though he was not implicated in the mistreatment of prisoners there.

Matt Canter, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, embraced Sanchez as the kind of candidate who could make Texas competitive for Democrats.

“Gen. Sanchez has spent his entire life serving our country, and there’s no question he would be a strong candidate if he decides to continue to serve his country in the U.S. Senate,” Canter said in a statement. “He has a tremendous life story: growing up poor, rising to the rank of general in the Army and bravely leading more than a hundred thousand troops in both Gulf Wars. He would bring a new perspective to the Senate, as well as a proven commitment to our nation’s security and the men and women who fight to protect it.”

Canter continued: “He’s exactly the kind of independent leader who can win in Texas.”

In an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, which first reported the news of Sanchez’s possible bid, the retired soldier described his ideological profile: “Socially, I’m a progressive, a fiscal conservative and a strong supporter, obviously, of national defense.”

Several prominent Texas Democrats praised Sanchez to McClatchy, with former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes predicting: “He’s the one guy who could unite the Hispanic vote. He’ll get the conservative Hispanic businessman.”

Sanchez did not confirm his interest in the race.

If Sanchez ultimately does enter the Senate race, he would have to address questions about both Abu Ghraib and the Iraq war more generally. In the past, Sanchez has blasted the Bush administration for its “incompetent” and “unquestionably … derelict” handling of the conflict.

But whether the Democratic base would welcome a candidate tied closely to an unpopular war remains to be seen. Over the weekend, conservative blogs were already digging into the paper trail of Democratic senators and online activists criticizing the general.

Even if Sanchez can get past questions about his record in Iraq, he – or any other Democrat – would face a challenging race in conservative Texas.

Democrats believe that the state is becoming more competitive, in large part due to its growing Latino population. The 2010 census found Latinos represent 38 percent of the population in Texas.

Yet the state has continued to lean solidly to the GOP in recent years. In 2010, Republican Gov. Rick Perry was reelected by 13 points over former Houston Mayor Bill White, a star Democratic recruit.

As recently as February, a Texas Tribune poll placed President Barack Obama’s approval rating in Texas at 36 percent. A January survey from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found Republicans solidly positioned to keep the open Senate seat, though it did not test Sanchez on the Democratic side.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Brian Walsh sounded unconcerned by the prospect of Sanchez entering the race, noting that it would be an expensive risk for Democrats to target Texas.

“We look forward to hearing where he stands on the issues facing Texas and our country,” Walsh said of Sanchez. “But whomever the Democrats ultimately nominate, Republicans can only hope that person campaigns side-by-side with Barack Obama in Texas and national Democrats decide to spend millions of dollars in the Lone Star State.”

There’s already a sizable group of Republican candidates in the Senate race, including former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Railroad Commissioners Michael Williams and Elizabeth Ames Jones, and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz. Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has not ruled out a bid and would likely be the Republican frontrunner if he jumped in.

Texas is one of six states the DSCC has vowed to target for takeover in 2012. With 23 Democratic Senate seats and just 10 Republican seats up for election next year, the committee is trying to offset a difficult map by going on offense in unconventional places like Texas, Arizona and Indiana.