Sources: New Mexico senator won't seek seventh term

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Veteran Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico will announce Thursday that he will not seek re-election to a seventh term next year, opening up another competitive seat for the GOP to defend, three Republican sources told CNN on Wednesday.

Domenici, 75, will make his retirement announcement in New Mexico, the sources said. He was first elected to the Senate in 1972.

The departure of Domenici is another blow to Republican chances of retaking the Senate in 2008, and it forces the GOP to defend another seat in a state where Democrats are highly competitive.

Sitting Republican senators in Virginia, Colorado and Nebraska have also announced their retirements, and Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, caught up in a sex scandal, has said he won't seek re-election. He may leave the Senate sooner if his battle to overturn a guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge isn't successful.

In order to regain control of the Senate, Republicans must make a net gain of just two seats. However, they are defending 22 seats -- including the five open seats -- while Democrats have just 12 to defend. While Democrats haven't won a Senate seat in Idaho in more than 30 years, the open races in New Mexico, Virginia, Colorado and Nebraska are likely to be competitive.

Domenici, the longest-serving senator in New Mexico's history, hasn't faced a competitive challenge to his seat in 30 years. However, in recent months, he has come under scrutiny for his role in the controversy over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, including David Iglesias of the District of New Mexico.

Iglesias has said Domenici called him before the 2006 midterm elections to ask about the progress of a corruption investigation involving Democrats. The prosecutor has said he felt the senator was trying to pressure him to bring down indictments before the election, and Iglesias believes he was dismissed a month later for refusing to expedite the case.

Domenici has admitted calling Iglesias, but he has denied trying to influence the investigation.

In his years in the Senate, Domenici has served as the chairman of the Budget Committee, as well as the Energy Committee, where he is now the panel's ranking Republican. E-mail to a friend

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