SANTA FE – Meet Carol Miller. Actually, you’ve met her before—in 1997 and 1998—when she ran as a Green Party candidate for New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District seat.



The Peñasco-area resident is running again this year—this time as an Independent against Democratic nominee and Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Lujan and Republican contractor Dan East. Another Independent candidate, Santa Fe homebuilder Ron Simmons, will also be on the ballot. Can Miller turn her years of experience as an community organizer and public health advocate into a long-shot victory?



A look back to the 1997 special election, when then-Rep. Bill Richardson left office to join the Clinton Administration, shows she can attract votes. In that race, she garnered 17 percent of the vote—pulling votes from Democrats who were less than enthusiastic about their nominee, Eric Serna.  Republican Bill Redmond ended up winning the election in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1.



Could the same thing happen this year? That depends on how Democrats view their nominee, political pollster Brian Sanderoff told the Associated Press:

"Green Party candidates and independent candidates have the potential for double-digit support levels—and thus impact the outcome of elections—in circumstances where the Democratic candidate is seen as substandard," Sanderoff said.



But Sanderoff notes that the Democrat Lujan, son of state House Speaker Ben Lujan, Sr., has built strong party support and landed important endorsements from environmental and labor groups. He won his crowded primary race with 42 percent of the vote.



If the Democratic party likes its candidate, the hill gets steeper for Miller to climb. Despite her strong showing in 1997, she attracted less than 4 percent of the vote the following year, when Rep. Tom Udall entered the picture and sent Redmond packing.



Udall is now leaving his House seat in a bid to replace Pete Domenici in the Senate.