Former Congresswoman Heather Wilson is getting it from all sides concerning her refusal to take a clear position on the Paul Ryan budget proposal.That's a situation she's used to being in. But if that recent PPP poll is anywhere near correct -- that she's got a wide lead among Republicans to win the GOP primary -- it might not be concerning her all that much.
Her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, just issued a statement saying she "hasn’t changed much from the liberal member of Congress she used to be."
That's referring to a statement Wilson recently made in Politco: "I don’t agree with some of the things in his budget plan. There are a lot of things in there that cause some concern.”
That's similar to what she told me in May. "I don't agree with everything in the Ryan plan, but I give him a lot of credit for trying to have a serious debate about saving Medicare. Democrats have not offered one single idea to save Medicare."
Sanchez in his statement today, said, "A genuine conservative should have no trouble supporting Rep. Ryan’s budget proposal. It is not perfect by any means, but it is a bold step toward truly reforming how our federal government does business. It protects our seniors, pays down our national debt, puts us on a responsible path to prosperity and repeals ObamaCare. I would vote for Rep. Ryan’s plan. ... For Mrs. Wilson to punt on such an important issue is disappointing, and unfortunately consistent with her record.”
Sanchez's statement is far more definite than the answer he gave me in May. Then he said Ryan's plan was a "good start," but declined to say whether he'd vote for it.
Meanwhile, the national Democrats are beating the same drum. A news release yesterday from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee points out that Wilson signed powerful small-government advocate Grover Norquist's no-new-taxes pledge earlier this year. The DSCC referred to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal that says Norquist has a "new set of marching orders" for the GOP -- enact the Ryan budget.
“Heather Wilson has a long history of kowtowing to Norquist’s demands, but she refuses to say whether she will follow his latest marching orders." a DSCC spokesman said. "... Will Wilson follow Norquist per usual? "
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