State Senate Candidate David Pyne Welcomes Rue to Race

David Pyne for State Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Eric Lucero
March 7, 2008 505-934-4728 Ellu57@earthlink.net

David Pyne, Republican candidate for State Senate in the 23rd District, welcomed pharmaceutical salesman Sander Rue to the State Senate race to replace Sen. Joe Carraro on Thursday. “I understand that Sander has run for public office three times before including twice for Albuquerque City Council and once for State Representative which of course means he is an experienced candidate. I look forward to debating him on the issues that Republicans in the district care about hopefully sometime next month.”

David is a thirty-eight year old former United States Army combat arms officer, conservative Republican leader, local attorney and resident of the Paradise Hills community in northwest Albuquerque who announced his candidacy in early December. Pyne was born on a US Army base in Seoul, Korea where his father was serving during the Vietnam War. He spent over six years working in a number of Department of Defense capacities in the Washington, DC area prior to relocating to Albuquerque a few years ago including a three-year stint as a US Army Headquarters staff officer where he worked only two miles from the Pentagon when it was attacked on September 11, 2001. “As someone who has worn the uniform, I am a strong supporter of our brave troops fighting overseas in our just war against Islamic terrorist groups and understand some of the amazing sacrifices they and their families are making on behalf of their country on a personal level.”

Pyne said he moved his family to Albuquerque because of his strong family ties to the area and the improved cost of living. His aunt, uncle and cousins have lived in Rio Rancho for over a quarter of a century and his grandparents moved here nearly a decade ago. Over the past several years, he has served in a number of state and county Republican Party leadership positions, most recently as a Ward Chairman for the Bernalillo County GOP and as a member of the New Mexico GOP State Central Committee. Pyne is also a member of the Republican National Committee, the Center for Emerging National Security Affairs, the National Contract Management Association, the American Legion, the Association of the United States Army, the Military Officers Association of America, Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association.

He received a Bachelors of Arts from Brigham Young University with minors in international relations and history in 1992 and is also a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law. In 2000, he graduated from Georgetown University’s prestigious School of Foreign Service and received a Master of Arts degree in National Security Studies. David has been married to his wife, Donelle, for over twelve years and they are the proud parents of four beautiful daughters—Christina age 11, Kathryn, 7, Caitlin, 6, and Ashley, 5.

He said he enjoyed running for three months without an announced challenger, but had taken nothing for granted and would have been surprised if he had not drawn a challenger given the fact that he was running for an open seat. “As this campaign progresses, I believe clear differences will emerge between myself and Mr. Rue on the issues that will make our campaign of greater interest to primary voters so I am glad he is in the race,” he said. “I continue to believe that I am the strongest candidate in the running with the best chance of winning the primary and the general election, but understand I will have to work hard during the next several months in order to do so.” Pyne added that he was gratified to have received so much support from a large number of elected party leaders both in and out of public office since declaring his candidacy.

Last week, Mr. Pyne gave a speech at the Albuquerque Federated Republican Women luncheon,
saying he is running as the social and fiscal conservative candidate in this race. “I have always been strongly pro-life, pro-family and pro-Second Amendment,” he said. Pyne added that once elected to the State Senate, he would fight to pass a partial birth abortion ban and a parental consent law, protect the sanctity of traditional marriage, stop illegal immigration, and phase out the personal income tax. During his speech, David also condemned liberal Democrat Bill Richardson as an “absentee governor” and praised Republican state legislators in attendance--Senator Joe Carraro and Representative Janice Arnold-Jones--for their hard work in joining together with centrist Democrats in helping to defeat Richardson’s ‘radical socialized health care’ bill and other ‘excessively costly liberal pet projects’ during the annual legislative session that ended last month.

Mr. Pyne said he was very encouraged by the turnout at the Sandoval and Bernalillo County Republican conventions he attended on February 16th and February 17th which he noted was more than double than what it has been at past conventions. He said that the excitement level of the attendees at those conventions bodes very well for the chances of strong conservative Republican candidates like himself to defeat Democrats in the fall.

He said that he is running to work hard to improve the lives of his fellow citizens and to make sure that his children grow up enjoying the same if not a better quality of life in this state that his extended family has. “I believe the best way to do that is to elect me to the State Senate because I understand what needs to be done. Once elected to the State Senate, I will fight to increase the quality of public schools, cut taxes, promote job-growth, secure our southern border and bring honesty and integrity to Santa Fe. I look forward to holding on to this important seat for the GOP and joining my fellow Republicans already serving in the State Senate beginning with the 2009 legislative session.”