2002 Dirty Dozen: Heather Wilson: Race at a Glance
New Mexico's 1st Congressional District
| Heather Wilson (R) | 55% |  |
| Richard Romero (D) | 45% | |
View Heather Wilson's Dirty Dozen profile
The Race
New Mexico³ 1st Congressional District race between incumbent Heather Wilson and New Mexico Senate President Richard Romero was expected to be one of the nation³ top contests, but it never fully materialized into a national race. Still, both candidates attracted the attention of national leaders to help them with fundraising. Vice President Cheney helped Wilson, while several Democratic members of Congress assisted Romero. With the absence of a Green Party candidate, and a last minute surge by Romero, the battle for the 1st District was closer than most pundits had predicted.
The Environment
New Mexico is endowed with a wealth of natural beauty, but also faces many environmental challenges: Toxic mercury pollute the state's lakes, rivers, and reservoirs; Contamination from uranium mines have had a major impact on environmental and public health; and national monuments are threatened by the gas and oil industry.
Heather Wilson's clear anti-environment record--against toxic pollution reductions, strong public health standards, and public lands protections--earned her a spot on the 2002 Dirty Dozen list. Her listing reflected the view of voters in her District. In a September 2002 survey of 500 likely voters, LCV found that 78% of the respondents felt that conservation or environmental issues were important in deciding how to cast their vote. Voters in our survey believed that by siding with corporate polluters and earning one of the worst records in Congress, Wilson was out of step with their needs--and the needs of New Mexico.
LCV Activities
LCV³ campaign against Heather Wilson combined an aggressive grassroots earned media effort with paid media. LCV had an experienced local organizer in Albuquerque who concentrated on generating attention for the Dirty Dozen designation in a variety of ways. Campaign events included a Halloween event focused on Wilson³ campaign contributions from polluting industries, an event with local farmers highlighting Wilson³ vote against increased voluntary conservation funding, and an ad launch event. LCV also orchestrated a volunteer phone banking effort to reach thousands of voters in swing precincts. LCV³ ad spot went up on October 22 and detailed Wilson³ environmental record, including her vote to allow more mining waste on public lands, the fact the she has accepted thousands of dollars from oil, gas, mining and electric utility interests, and her status as a member of the Dirty Dozen.
