New Mexico's Sen. Domenici to retire

WASHINGTON - Sen. Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, an influential Republican voice on budget issues for a generation, plans to retire at the end of his term next year, party officials said yesterday.

These officials said the 75-year-old, six-term lawmaker intends to make a formal announcement today in his home state. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the decision.

Domenici would be the fifth Republican senator to decline to seek a new term, giving Democrats an opportunity to expand their majority in the 2008 elections. GOP Sens. John W. Warner of Virginia, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Larry Craig of Idaho, and Wayne Allard of Colorado have previously announced plans not to run again.

A spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee did not immediately return a request for comment.

Domenici had earlier signaled a desire to run for reelection, despite coming under criticism this year over a possible role in the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.

A Domenici adviser said the prospect of a potentially tough race in what is expected to be a difficult year for Republicans was not why Domenici decided to retire. Instead, lingering concerns about his health are the main reason for his decision.

Domenici's Senate career has been highlighted by involvement in budget issues. He was the longtime chairman of the Budget Committee dating to President Ronald Reagan's first term and is currently the top Republican on the Energy Committee.

The senator's health became an issue after he suffered nerve damage in his right arm while playing touch football with his grandchildren on Thanksgiving Day 1999. He underwent surgery in June 2000 to relieve pressure on nerves in his neck. But the pain persisted and in 2003 he was diagnosed with arthritis in his lower back.

Domenici came under investigation by the Senate ethics committee this year after a watchdog group accused him of trying to pressure Iglesias, then the U.S. attorney in Albuquerque, to rush a corruption probe against Democrats to sway the 2006 elections. Iglesias says he believes he was dismissed from his job for resisting Domenici and Rep. Heather Wilson (R., N.M.), who both say they did not pressure him.

In March, Domenici called the controversy a "hell" he had never experienced in his career.

His retirement is expected to spur a scramble among the state's top politicians who have long hoped to succeed him. Among them are Wilson and fellow Republican Rep. Steve Pearce and Rep. Tom Udall, a Democrat.