Ex-Iraq commander to seek U.S. Senate seat

SAN ANTONIO, May 11 (UPI) -- Ricardo Sanchez, a former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, filed papers Wednesday to run for the Senate seat of retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

Sanchez, who lives in San Antonio, said he'll make a formal public announcement in the coming weeks, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I believe Texas needs a strong, independent voice to address the enormous challenges we are facing -- leadership that focuses on results rather than politics," the Democrat and former Army lieutenant general said in a statement issued by his campaign.

Party officials say Sanchez's entry could offer a sliver of hope in the state in 2012. Sanchez was heavily recruited by national Democrats hoping to take advantage of the state's shifting demographics.

Sanchez commanded U.S. forces in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and relinquished his command but wasn't implicated in any wrongdoing by Army investigators.

Republicans downplayed the Democrats' chances in a bid for Hutchison's seat, The Hill reported.

"Our confidence in this race comes down to the simple fact that Texans do not support Barack Obama's liberal, tax-and-spend agenda and whoever the Democratic nominee ultimately is, that individual will be campaigning side-by-side at the top of the ticket next year with President Obama," Brian Walsh, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement.