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Sunday, January 03, 2010
Governor Candidates Try To Rise From Pack
By Sean Olson
Journal Staff Writer
New Mexico's 2010 election year has barely begun, but Republican candidates for governor were running hard even before it arrived.
The backdrop is seven years, going on eight, of Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, whose administration has been clouded by investment scandals and tormented by a revenue slowdown. Richardson, who once advertised himself as a tax-cutter and can't seek another term, has started talking about tax hikes, helping to make a prime target for Republicans in an open season.
The only Democratic candidate so far in the field to succeed him is Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, his running mate in 2002 and 2006. With seven years of statewide visibility under her belt, Denish has enough of a head start for the top job at the Roundhouse that she may remain unopposed for the nomination.
The governor's race action has all been on the Republican side of the fence, where four candidates are taking aim at Denish's affiliation with Richardson and 40 percent state spending growth, after budget cuts, during Richardson's two terms. Republicans have specifically targeted a large increase in exempt employees — or state employees who serve at the pleasure of the governor — from about 170 in 2003 to about 450.
Denish, while trying to maintain the profile of a lieutenant governor who knows the state and listens to its residents, has had to devote some of her early effort to distinguishing herself from the Richardson administration.
The four Republicans vying for their party's nomination in June are public relations firm owner Doug Turner, former state GOP Chairman Allen Weh, Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez and state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones.
There is still time for more candidates to jump into the fray, but it's becoming more and more unlikely that another major player will enter a gubernatorial contest that has already started to pick up the pace. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who had contemplated a run, said in late October that she would not seek the office.
That leaves a Republican field with two first-time candidates — Weh and Turner — and two elected officials without experience in a statewide race — Arnold-Jones and Martinez.
The Republicans have been, for the most part, gracious to one another so far, choosing to focus their attacks on Denish and Richardson. Generally, the GOP candidates are trying to portray Denish as a Richardson administration insider, who hasn't sufficiently condemned the administration's record.
Turner summarized Denish's role in the Richardson administration as akin to a customer witnessing a theft in a convenience store but remaining silent. The state GOP has come at Denish with an even heavier hand.
"As the state's second-in-command, Mrs. Denish has had seven years and ample opportunity to blow the whistle on New Mexico's culture of corruption," state GOP Executive Director Ryan Cangiolosi said in November. "But she hasn't done it, so why should voters believe that, if elected to higher office, Diane Denish will make this a priority?"
Most of the scandal emerging during the Richardson administration has involved state investment practices, with which Denish has little or no involvement as lieutenant governor. Her duties as lieutenant governor are, in fact, constitutionally limited. She presides over the state Senate when it's in session and serves as acting governor when Richardson is out of the state.
She has developed her own roles as an advocate for children and small businesses. She says she has "transformed" the office of lieutenant governor into a leadership position complete with a bully pulpit.
Denish responds to the GOP attacks by saying she is the only candidate for governor who has proposed ethics reform legislation. She says she has been proud to be a part of the Richardson administration, but stresses that she would run the state in a more low-key, collaborative way, and would be her own person.
"I don't want people to think that I am running on anything but my own credits, my own abilities," Denish said.
Democrats remain the majority party in New Mexico and outnumber Republicans by 1.6 to 1. Independents represent about 15 percent of registered voters. In addition to the voter registration advantage, Denish has left the Republican field with some catching up to do in the fundraising department.
With a yearlong head start, she already had a $2.2 million war chest as of October — well over the total contributions for all four Republican candidates combined. Weh was the top Republican fundraiser through October, with about $500,000. He was followed by Turner, with about $342,000. Both Turner and Weh gave themselves large loans. Martinez had raised about $143,000, and Arnold-Jones raised about $23,000.
While Denish sets herself apart from Richardson, the GOP candidates have been trying to raise their individual identities above the pack.
So, who are they?
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