Greg Solano
Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano announced Saturday that he’s dropping out of the race for lieutenant governor.
Solano made the announcement on his personal blog in an insightful look at how difficult it can be to break into the favored political class and become a viable candidate.
“I really felt that I could make a difference on many issues which I felt were important to the middle class. Not coming from a high income family, not being a lawyer or a high brow politico was something I felt was lacking in the roundhouse,” Solano wrote. “I truly felt we were lacking a majority of progressive democrats who understood the hardships which typical middle and low income families endure.”
“… It is really too bad that the one thing the media, bloggers, and political operatives care about most is how much money a candidate can raise. The issues, the person are secondary in a state wide race to money,” he wrote.
The Democrat’s exit leaves five candidates in the primary race — former state Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colón, State Rep. Jose Campos of Santa Rosa, state Sens. Linda Lopez and Jerry Ortiz y Pino of Albuquerque and former Mid-Region Council of Governments Executive Director Lawrence Rael.
Five Republicans have announced their candidacies for lieutenant governor — state Sen. Kent Cravens of Albuquerque, 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidate J.R. Damaron, former state Rep. Brian Moore of Clayton, 2002 Republican gubernatorial nominee John Sanchez and Albuquerque nurse Bea Sheridan.