New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici is expected to announce on Thursday that he intends to retire at the end of this term, which expires next November.

I believe reader David M has told us his popularity has dropped like a rock with New Mexico voters, and if he didn’t tell us he went around everywhere with an aide to help him move, I read that bit of information someplace else. I’m just not sure if David told us that or if I read it.

Expected to make a run for his seat: Rep. Heather Wilson, whom David told us is less popular than she was last year when she won re-election, Rep. Steve Pearce on the Republican side and Rep. Tom Udall on the Democratic side. (Those Udalls are all over the west, aren’t they?)

Other possible Democratic contenders could be Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez and state Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

The Senator is retiring for health reasons, but did say he went through hell this year when the Senate Ethics panel investigated whether he and Wilson had influenced a corruption probe against Democrats by contacting later fired US Attorney Iglesias.

By the way, have you noticed we haven’t heard anymore about the “scandal” of firing US Attorneys since Gonzales resigned? Think it was all show and no action for the sake of politics? Hmmm.