Lt. Gov. John Sanchez

Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Sanchez says he’ll do what he believes is right in Washington regardless of the effect it could have on his political future.

“I’ll do what’s right, and not worry about the fallout,” Sanchez said today in an interview with NMPolitics.net.

He said his focus in Washington would be on creating jobs and getting the nation’s finances in order through tackling out-of-control spending and pushing for business-friendly policies.

Sanchez filed his statement of candidacy last week and formally announced his campaign today with a 60-second video distributed online and through a small TV ad buy.

The video focuses on Sanchez’s background as “the youngest of eight children raised by a single mother” and someone who “worked his way out of poverty” to build a successful business and become the state’s lieutenant governor.

“I know what it is to create jobs, to put Americans back to work. That’s the answer to our problems today,” Sanchez says in the video. “It’s immoral to think that we’re spending money that we don’t have.”

Sanchez joins former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and two lesser-known Republicans – Greg Sowards and William S. English – in the GOP Senate primary. On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich and State Auditor Hector Balderas have entered the Senate race, as has little-known community activist Andres Valdez.

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Sanchez took an obvious shot at Wilson in his video, saying, “We don’t want to return people back to Washington, D.C. who got us into this mess in the first place. It’s time for a new voice. I can be one of those leaders who will stand up for principled, conservative values.”

But he told NMPolitics.net the statement wasn’t just a shot at Wilson.

“It’s for anybody who’s been in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “New Mexicans have told me as I’ve traveled around the state… that they want a new voice, they want to be able to make sure that whoever is going to represent New Mexico in the U.S. Senate has the political courage to stand up and make tough decisions, that we’re not obligated and committed to any one special-interest group, that we will be accountable to the voters.”

“They’re saying we need to send commonsense conservatives” to Washington who are “not so concerned with re-election in six years,” he said. “It’s one thing for somebody to do what’s easy, but the most important thing is to do what is right, and I’ve always lived that way.”

Sanchez will provide ‘seed money’ for campaign

Sanchez enters the race at a financial disadvantage – Wilson raised more than $300,000 in the first quarter of the year and Sowards loaned his campaign $150,000 – but Sanchez could gain ground quickly if he opts for self-financing. He loaned his lieutenant governor campaign almost $274,000 last year.

He said he will provide “seed money” to let potential donors know that “we’ve got skin in the game,” but he didn’t say how much. He added that he’s confident in his ability to raise money to compete in the race.

Sowards was quick to take a shot at Sanchez, saying in a news release that he’s “another moderate Republican” who “will try to deny their roots and engage in an extreme candidate makeover to seem conservative.”

Sowards has also called Wilson a moderate as he seeks to paint himself as the true conservative in the race.

Sanchez says he stands by his record and looks forward, over the next 12 months, to talking about that and his vision with Republican primary voters, and beyond that will all New Mexicans.

“We’re confident that at the end of the day people are going to have a very clear and easy decision on who they want to send to Washington, D.C.,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s abundantly clear that I have a proven track record of being a good, conservative Republican.”

Martinez won’t give Sanchez additional responsibilities

Meanwhile, Gov. Susana Martinez announced that she won’t endorse in the Senate primary “at this time,” but she said Sanchez won’t play a big role in her administration while she works to “keep my word to the people of New Mexico by pursuing the reform agenda I promised and delivering the results they deserve.”

“To prevent this race from becoming a distraction, Lt. Gov. Sanchez will not be given responsibilities in my administration beyond the select few provided for in the state Constitution,” Martinez said. “I promised New Mexicans that I would work hard every day to turn our state around, and that work will remain my focus.”

Sanchez said he will fulfill his constitutional duties as lieutenant governor – most notably presiding over the New Mexican Senate when it’s in session – while still waging “an effective” campaign. He spoke highly of Martinez and her agenda.

“If I happen to become successful at becoming the next U.S. senator from New Mexico, I look forward to working with Gov. Martinez,” he said.

Update, 4:25 p.m.

From Heather Wade, Wilson’s deputy finance director:

“We welcome Lt. Gov. Sanchez into the race and look forward to contrasting Heather Wilson’s conservative record with his invented one. On issue after issue, John Sanchez is not who he says he is, and Republican voters will be quick to figure that out.”

From Javier Gonzales, chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

“John Sanchez’s entry into this field is a weak and desperate attempt by the Republican Party to placate the tea party’s extreme right wing agenda. The biggest question now is which one will be the first to support Paul Ryan and Speaker John Boehner’s plan to end Medicare for New Mexico’s senior citizens and balance the budget on the backs of working class New Mexicans. … The race to the right between Heather Wilson and John Sanchez has begun and New Mexicans will have none of it.  When the time comes, New Mexico will overwhelmingly reject a tea party senator.”

And from Kent Cravens, who ran unsuccessfully against Sanchez in the GOP lieutenant governor primary last year:

“I have had the privilege of speaking with folks from all over the state regarding the duties and obligations of the office of lieutenant governor, both statutory and implied. The most important of these duties is for the lieutenant governor to promote healthy dialogue between the Governor’s Office (the executive branch) and the Legislature, all for the benefit of our constituents. As a senator, I am disappointed that this critical communication link has been severed by our lieutenant governor seeking another office after so short a time in his current office.”

Update, 5:15 p.m.

State Sen. Clint Harden, D-Clovis, had this to say:

“In the previous eight years, the executive branch was always running for something else. New Mexico needs leaders who stay home and take care of business for a change. The lieutenant governor’s role is important, especially as we do redistricting, and we have some big problems in the state that need real focus. I think if Lt. Gov. John Sanchez wants to run for the U.S. Senate, he should resign.”