Former CIA officer Valerie Plame loses primary competition in New Mexico

The former intelligence officer, whose life has been turned into a movie, lost her crowded primary.

Published: June 3, 2020 8:21am

Updated: June 3, 2020 9:07am

Former CIA officer Valerie Plame was defeated in her Democratic primary race Tuesday night. She was competing for an open congressional seat representing the third congressional district of New Mexico.

Plame played upon her history as a former U.S. intelligence operative whose identity was exposed after her diplomat husband disputed U.S. intelligence having to do with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Plame's memoir "Fair Game" was been made into a film starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

Teresa Leger Fernandez, a New Mexican attorney, won the party's nomination and will compete for Representative Ben Ray Luján's seat, as he runs for retiring Senator Tom Udall's seat.

This was Plame's first run for public office.