New Mexico’s next governor will be a woman.
Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez won 51 percent of the vote in a five-candidate primary. Martinez will face Democrat Diane Denish, who ran unopposed, in the general election.
Former Democratic Party Chair Brian Colon will run on the same ticket with Denish. He beat four other candidates for the chance to be New Mexico’s lieutenant governor.
Former state representative and developer John Sanchez won the Republican lieutenant governor candidacy.
The general election is Tuesday, November 2, 2010.
According to the Associated Press, 28 percent of eligible Republican and Democrat voters in Bernalillo County turned out for the primary election.
The governor’s race is a virtual tie, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released June 4. The poll of 500 likely voters in New Mexico shows Martinez with a slight lead over Denish, 43 to 42 percent. Also, 4 percent said they prefer other candidates while 10 percent remain undecided.
The impression that this year’s race for governor will be tight has pressed both campaigns into full gear.
Denish concluded a statewide tour June 5 that began in Lea County, the southern New Mexico county where she was born.
Martinez issued a press release June 4 announcing an endorsement from Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential nominee’s political action committee donated $5,000 to Martinez’s campaign.
She can also claim an endorsement from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who came to support Martinez during the GOP primary. And, according to the Washington Post, the Republican Governor’s Association is backing Martinez.
A few days after the primary, Denish released an ad that accuses Martinez of making plea bargains with convicted murders and inflating her DWI conviction rate as district attorney.
She also targeted her opponent in her primary victory speech.
“Let me just remind my opponent, she’s running against a lifelong New Mexican who has lived and worked in five communities in this state, who has been an independent voice, who has not been afraid to take on any of those powerful interests in Santa Fe,” Denish said.
Martinez responded to the ad in a statement.
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“Diane Denish has been part of an administration that has wasted taxpayer dollars, defrauded New Mexico citizens and abused the public trust. Now, as a gubernatorial candidate, Denish believes voters will ignore the fact that she failed to lead on the issue of corruption.”
For a complete listing of Bernalillo County and statewide primary results, visit the County Clerk’s website at www.bernco.gov and www.sos.state.nm.us.
