By KRWG News
New Mexico – State Sen. Eric Griego says he's running for the Democratic nomination in the Albuquerque-area 1st Congressional District.
Griego announced his candidacy on Saturday. He is executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, which advocates for policies to help children and families.
The congressional seat will be open in 2012 because Democrat Martin Heinrich is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Jeff Bingaman.
Griego is a former Albuquerque city councilor and has served in the state Senate for three years.
In a statement, Griego said "the conservative Republicans running the U.S. Congress have declared war on working families." He pledged to fight for programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
On the Republican side, Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis is an announced candidate.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.