GRANTS - Former U.S. Representative Steven Pearce stopped in Grants Jan. 29 as part of his campaign to re-win his old Congressional seat, now held by Rep. Harry Teague.

    “I'm in campaign mode, traveling the state with my message,” he told the Beacon. His central focus for this trip was small business and job creation. Consequently, he had lunch with local business leaders and took a walking tour of small businesses along Santa Fe Avenue and at Acoma Pueblo.

    As a conservative Republican, Pearce is trying to revive the conservative message of small government. “I'm trying to get conservatives to believe that they can make a comeback,” he said.

He advocates lowering spending in Washington, D.C. “Some people tell me that they're frustrated with the waste and fraud and think that Washington is out of control,” he stated. “The earmarks in the budget are out of control. People don't want bigger government and they don't think our federal government should be in the banking, automobile or health care business,” he asserted.

    Pearce cited the big bonuses for Wall Street bankers as one cause of citizen dissatisfaction with federal economic plans, but he didn't explain alternatives to current government policies.

    The politician favors a return to uranium mining in the Grants area. “The mines should reopen to provide jobs, but we must protect the environment at the same time,” he said.

    Pearce expressed regrets over the closure of the Corley Chevrolet-Chrysler dealership. “I worked with Mr. Corley in the state legislature and, even though he's a Democrat and I'm a Republican, we could communicate well because we're both business guys,” he recalled.

    The candidate spoke about two issues which interest him. “As a Vietnam combat veteran, I'm very concerned with veterans' affairs and I'd like to see legislation that permits vets to go to local doctors rather than having to travel so far to a veterans hospital,” he explained.

    Pearce also sees a sales tax as the only truly fair tax and he would like to see tax reform in Washington.

    Pearce served three terms as U.S. Representative and resigned in 2008 to run against Heather Wilson in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Pete Domenici. He won the primary, but lost in the election opposite Tom Udall. Harry Teague won the election to fill his seat in Congress.

    He has filed the paperwork and made an official announcement on his candidacy.