Two Republican legislators from New Mexico who both also happen to be Air Force veterans would very much like to secure the Senate seat to be vacated by fellow Republican Sen. Pete Domenici. Rep. Heather Wilson is a 1982 Air Force Academy graduate and the only woman veteran in Congress, and Rep. Steve Pearce is a decorated USAF fighter pilot of the Vietnam War. The interest is widespread, consider this New York Times report. Two Democrats—Tom Udall and Martin Chavez—are vying for the Democratic nomination. Both Wilson and Pearce are part of a diminishing list of military vets on Capitol Hill, and, by vying for the Senate, they’ve thrown open their House seats. Popular New Mexico political blogger Joe Monahan noted last week that Wilson leads in the race for the Republican bid.
The Senate confirmed new leaders of U.S. forces in Europe and the Middle East over the weekend. Lawmakers on June 29 also approved a reshuffling of Air Force officials that will put new faces in the service’s Pentagon headquarters as well as at its largest command.