Newman says it’s ‘full steam ahead’ in CD2 race

Monty Newman says his campaign to become the next representative of the Second Congressional District of New Mexico is moving forward even after he narrowly missed qualifying for the ballot at Saturday’s Republican preprimary nominating convention.

“We expect to file at least 1,500 signatures when we officially qualify for the Republican primary in 10 days,” Newman said in a news release. “We are ecstatic with the overwhelming support we’ve gotten directly from the voters. When over 1,500 voters say ‘We want you to run,’ you have to listen. My record in Hobbs and my sincere conservative message is resonating loud and clear.”

Aubrey Dunn Jr. won Saturday’s contest with the support of 40 delegates, or 30 percent. C. Earl Greer and Ed Tinsley each qualified for the ballot with 33 votes, or 24 percent.

Newman fell two votes short of qualifying, getting 25 votes, or 18.5 percent. He’ll need to submit the signatures of 804 registered Republicans living in the Second Congressional District by March 25 to appear on the June ballot.

Newman’s campaign claimed in the news release that he “exceeded all expectations” at the convention, and revealed publicly for the first time that he has raised almost $200,000 for the race, “with most of the funds coming from registered voters within New Mexico. This is in stark contrast to his two major opponents who have relied upon self-funding and out-of-state special interests to finance their campaigns.”

“We’ve only been in the race for a few weeks,” Newman said. “And most of my opponents were predicting slam-dunk runaway victories. That didn’t happen. We finished just eight votes behind candidates who have been campaigning for nearly six years for this seat and just two votes shy of the 20-percent mark. My campaign just started reaching out to delegates 10 days ago. Such a strong showing makes me confident in our campaign.”

“I have never lost an election,” said Newman, the Hobbs mayor. “When voters see who I am, they realize that my values and beliefs are deeply rooted and do not sway with the wind. In the end, voters want a leader who will not bend to the polls and say anything to get elected. My sincerity will make the difference, and that’s why I’ve collected so many petitions and beat everyone’s expectations at the state convention.”