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Friday, October 30, 2009
Wilson: I Won't Run for Gov.
By Sean Olson
Journal Staff Writer
The Republican field for the 2010 governor's race became clearer this week as two candidates announced their intentions:
Heather Wilson is out. Doug Turner is in.
Wilson, who had flirted with the idea of running for governor after giving up her long-held 1st Congressional District seat to run for Senate in 2008, said Thursday that private life was too appealing to let go of just yet.
"My work in the private sector is satisfying," Wilson said. "I do volunteer work that matters, and I am enjoying having more personal time to spend with family and friends. The governor of New Mexico has no significant national security role — an issue area that continues to be an important part of my life. Running for office and being governor means setting these things aside."
Turner, who owns Albuquerque public relations firm DW Turner and was campaign manager for former Gov. Gary Johnson, made six stops across New Mexico on Wednesday to declare that he will run for the state's top job.
Turner's top priority is education, which he said is woefully inadequate in many parts of the state.
"If we fix education, almost every other problem we face is addressed," Turner said.
Turner said he would also bring more transparency to the Governor's Office, support the state's natural resource industry and push for a "simpler, less politicized" state government.
"I think the state can be managed better," he said. "I think, to a great degree, we have squandered a lot of our resources."
Turner joins former state GOP Chairman Allen Weh, Albuquerque Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones and Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish is the only declared Democratic candidate in the race.
Weh had raised the most money of the Republicans, with more than $500,000 in his war chest. Turner said he raised more than $300,000, but that includes a nearly $250,000 loan from himself.
Wilson said that while she was taking time out from public service, she could run for office in the future.
"To everything there is a season. I will probably return to public life at some point, but I have decided that I will not run for governor or any other office in 2010," Wilson said.
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