*
Doug Turner, a young entrepreneur from Albuquerque has been the Libertarian Republican favorite in the race for New Mexico Governor. He has the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus. He was featured on Libertarian Republican early on when he first announced.However, two new polls show him significantly behind the pack. Way out ahead of the 4-(wo)man pack is Susana Martinez.
From Dialing Services LLC (via Hedgehog):
GOVERNOR – NEW MEXICO – GOP PRIMARY (Dialing Services LLC)From SurveyUSA (via Hedgehog):
Susana Martinez 41%
Allen Weh 30%
Doug Turner 9%
Pete Domenici Jr. 8%
Janice Arnold-Jones 4%
GOVERNOR – NEW MEXICO – GOP PRIMARY (Survey USA)
Susana Martinez 43%
Allen Weh 33%
Doug Turner 8%
Pete Domenici Jr. 8%
Janice Arnold-Jones 3%
But perhaps most important, Martinez is the one Republican who finishes ahead of expected Democrat nominee Diane Denish, a well-known and popular Dem elected official in the State.From Joe Monohan's New Mexico Politics:
With two independent polls--including ours--now showing that Susana Martinez is threatening to rout Allen Weh in next Tuesday's GOP Guv primary, attention is turning fast to the main event--the face-off between Dem Diane Denish and probable nominee Martinez. And thanks to SurveyUSA we're already being titillated. A hypothetical match-up between the two women has Susana trumping Di 49% to 43%.Martinez, Ana County Prosecutor, is described as a "stalwart conservative." She's running on Border Security First.
Two weeks ago, she picked up the endorsement of Sarah Palin.
Josh Painter reported here Wednesday, quoting The New Mexico Independent:
Susana Martinez, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin May 15, has skyrocketed to a double-digit lead in the New Mexico Republican primary race for governor...New Mexico Independent described Palin's endorsement as a "lightning strike" for her campaign.Clearly, this race has broken open since the ABQ Journal poll released May 16 showed Weh leading Martinez 31 to 30. Looking back, the same day that poll so favorable to Martinez was released, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin flew to ABQ to endorse the DA. The next day the Martinez camp came with an ad accusing Weh of being soft on amnesty for illegal immigrants. This was a one-two punch, plus one, that sent the wealthy businessman reeling, and this poll shows he is still staggering around the ring.
Martinez's stance on economics is fully in line with libertarian principles. From her campaign website:
Higher taxes and excessive regulations force jobs out of New Mexico.She may not be the first choice for New Mexico Governor of the GOP's libertarian wing. But Susana Martinez appears to be a candidate that all libertarians and libertarian-leaning Republicans could fully support if she wins the nomination.
My primary goal will be to make certain businesses in New Mexico continue to operate in the state, while attracting others to set up shop here.
I believe we need to create new jobs in New Mexico by lowering taxes and making our state more competitive... This means I will reform the tax and regulatory system by cutting red tape and making it easier to create jobs in New Mexico than it is in neighboring states...
While working in my family’s small business, I learned a key lesson: the private citizen – not the government – assumes risk and creates opportunity.
- E.D.
Regular contributor Eric Dondero is a Texan and the Publisher/Editor of Libertarian Republican.
I'm having a tough time making a choice in this race. As a Libertarian-leaning Conservative NEW Mexican, I know there is no way I'm voting for Diane Denish, who I consider to be "Bill Richardson's Third Term".
ReplyDeleteOur state's economy has been decimated by over-regulation (including the "Pit Rule" instituted by Governor Richardson and the Liberal Democratic State legislature, which enormously increased fees and regulatory expenses upon the gas and oil industry that already has an exemplary environmental record in New Mexico, and supplied the bulk of New Mexico's tax revenues). The Pit Rule succeeded in making an already bad economic situation even worse by driving gas and oil jobs out of state, to places like Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the Carolinas, where state regulation is far less. It is imperative that whomever becomes the next New Mexico Governor work to repeal the "Pit Rule", and rather than continuing to increase regulation, actually decrease job-killing regulation.
At the same time, Governor Richardson's pet projects like the RailRunner (A state-funded commuter train which only serves the Albuquerque and Santa Fe areas, and which is losing over $10,000 dollars a day), subsidies for the movie industry (an industry which may provide Bill Richardson's next employment), and the Spaceport, most known for crashing privately funded rockets all over the New Mexico backcountry and losing Jame Doohan's (Star Trek's original "Scotty") cremated ashes, have cost the state billions. During Bill Richardson's tenure, New Mexico increased the size of state government by 40%, while the state's population increased by only about 10%. Whomever is the next governor must make the decisions on which state funded projects should be either turned completely over to private hands, or discontinued entirely. The State of New Mexico simply cannot afford to continue to spend like times were good, while at the same time, discouraging any high paying industries like mining, oil and gas, timber, etc. from doing business in our state.
I do not trust that Diane Denish, as a fan of big government and as Bill Richarson's "enabler in chief", will even consider making the tough decisions on regulation, spending, and taxes, which liberals are loathe to make under any economic condition.
So that leaves us with several qualified conservatives, of which Susan Martiznez is one.
Personally, I'm leaning toward Allen Weh in the primary. I believe a former Marine Corps Colonel is likely just what we need to combat the several liberals who will remain in the State Legislature after November. He's old enough to have some life experience. Is a business owner and entreprenuer. Has solid conservative credentials. And has a lot of experience in the state.
I know whomever is nominated on the conservative side, that person is going to have a "tough row to hoe" dealing with the entrenched liberalism which is infecting New Mexico state politics. Likely, much positive conservative change won't occur during a new governor's first term. A conservative who wins the governorship is going to need a very thick skin.