Susana Martinez
Analyst says endorsements help Las Cruces-based gubernatorial candidate gain credibility
Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez has been racking up endorsements from state legislators.
To date, she has the public backing of 25 percent of current Republican state senators and representatives – 10 of 40. With the exception of Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones obviously backing herself in the gubernatorial race, no other candidate in the Republican primary has the endorsements of any current state legislator.
What does it say that so many of the Republican lawmakers – elected officials who will be working closely with the next governor – are all getting behind the same gubernatorial candidate? Not necessarily anything, according to one of Martinez’s opponents, Doug Turner.
“I realize I’m a different sort of candidate with a different sort of campaign, but I really believe that it’s about the people of this state, not the political powers that be,” he said. “… I have the same number of legislators endorsing me that Gary Johnson had in 1994 – zero.”
Johnson went on to win the governor’s race that year and re-election four years later.
But political analyst and pollster Brian Sanderoff said the endorsements probably help Martinez, the district attorney in the one county in the state that’s outside the Albuquerque media market – Doña Ana County.
“I think those endorsements are more valuable to a lesser-known candidate like Susana Martinez because it gives her that credibility, to demonstrate that she’s a player,” he said.
Martinez’s supporters
The 10 who have endorsed Martinez are:
• Rep. Zachary Cook of Ruidoso.
• Sen. Dianna Duran of Tularosa.
• Rep. Nora Espinoza of Roswell.
• Rep. Keith Gardner of Roswell, who is the minority whip.
• Rep. William Gray of Artesia.
• Sen. Steven Neville of Aztec.
• Rep. Dennis Roch of Tucumcari.
• Sen. Sander Rue of Albuquerque.
• Sen. John Ryan of Albuquerque.
• Sen. William Sharer of Farmington.
Sanderoff noted that the group is geographically diverse, but many of them are ideologically driven, so it makes sense that they’d get behind Martinez’s tough, anti-corruption campaign.
Gardner said there’s a more practical reason he’s backing Martinez. Making clear that he is only speaking for himself – and not as the House minority whip – Gardner said he believes Martinez is the candidate who can win in November.
Asked if endorsements make a difference, Gardner said, “I don’t know how much they help but I know they don’t hurt.”
“Most people don’t do that lightly. They don’t do it without thoughtful consideration, because frankly once you do that you’re married to that campaign,” he said. “We’ve got a corrupt state, and the only way we fix it is if we make a change in the executive branch, and that’s why I was willing to jump in.”
Arnold-Jones hasn’t asked
Gardner also noted that Arnold-Jones, who he called a “hardworking member of the House of Representatives,” hasn’t been asking for endorsements from her colleagues.
Arnold-Jones said that’s because she thinks it’s “entirely inappropriate to ask for a public endorsement leading up to and during a legislative session.”
“As a member of the Republican House Caucus, I have a commitment to the members of the caucus, and to my constituents, to make sure my actions and decisions are thoughtful, in the best interest of the caucus, my district and the state,” she said.
Arnold-Jones said she’s “gratified” that former Rep. Murray Ryan has endorsed her candidacy and said “there are others,” but right now, “I must focus on my duties as the representative, House District 24. My constituents, the caucus and the state deserve nothing less.”
House Minority Leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington, said GOP legislators have “generally” followed people directly involved in the state and county Republican Party organizations in not endorsing candidates in primaries in the past.
“This time it’s sort of different, and there is no rule against that,” he said. “They’re free to decide whether they want to give that support.”
Taylor said it’s important, from his perspective, “that you allow the primary process to go on and the influence on that being the voters.” That’s why he hasn’t endorsed any candidate in a Republican primary.
Getting on the ballot
The main focus of candidates right now is securing the necessary support at the upcoming preprimary convention to appear on the ballot in June. That requires the votes of 20 percent of delegates. Those who fail in that task must gather a large number of signatures if they still want to appear on the ballot, but they also lose credibility among many party activists because they failed the organizational test of winning enough delegates’ support.
Sanderoff said securing that 20 percent at the preprimary convention is “a real organizational task that takes a lot of effort, and it can be done successfully with or without legislators.”
But he believes Martinez’s legislative endorsements will help her be taken more seriously by those delegates. It sounds as though that’s exactly what Martinez is planning.
“With so much at stake in this election, Republican legislators are coalescing behind the strongest candidate,” Martinez Campaign Manager Adam Deguire said. “While Susana is honored by the endorsements, she understands this will be a tough campaign and looks forward to working with these leaders to build a grassroots effort that will deliver real change in New Mexico this November.”
For someone like Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Weh, Sanderoff said, legislative endorsements may not be as important because he’s a former state party chairman and is already known by preprimary delegates.
Weh played up the endorsements he’s received – which include two former lawmakers – while saying that New Mexicans “are tired of career politicians and political insiders who have fallen out of touch with everyday people, and that’s why this campaign has picked up so much steam.”
“I’m very proud of the enormous support I’ve received across this state, especially from the veterans who have served our country in the armed forces and our first responders,” Weh said in a prepared statement. “In addition, we’ve now received contributions from nearly 1,000 people who are fully committed to helping me take on and clean up Santa Fe.”
Doug Antoon, coordinator for the campaign of Pete Domenici Jr., said Domenici and Republican state legislators “have very positive and productive relationships,” but securing legislative endorsements “is not the main focus of our campaign.”
“Susana has worked very hard to court GOP legislators, who are all fine men and women,” he said. “…Pete’s main goal is to reach out directly to and communicate with the voters who will elect the Republican nominee at the June 1, primary, and then to all voters to help win the general election on Nov. 2.”