Momentum belongs to the Republicans

With the primary season now over in New Mexico and the general election season underway, Republicans across the state should be excited about the strong ticket of Republicans nominated in last Tuesday’s primary. Primaries are a healthy exercise, but now it is vital for the Republican Party to unite, put past differences aside and make the Democrats their target.

Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, coming off an impressive gubernatorial primary win, will be joined by a powerful slate of down-ballot candidates. She will team up with John Sanchez, who won the nomination for lieutenant governor. Together, they present voters with a good geographical balance. Former U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce will challenge Rep. Harry Teague for his old seat representing the 2nd Congressional District in what will undoubtedly be one of the most competitive House races in the country.

In the 1st Congressional District in Albuquerque, Jon Barela has quietly built a strong campaign apparatus and is raising enough money to battle Rep. Martin Heinrich. District Attorney Matt Chandler, who won the nomination for attorney general, is a rising star and fresh face for the Republican Party.

Polls are good news for the GOP

A Rasmussen Reports poll released days after the primary showed Martinez leading Lt. Gov. Diane Denish by 2 percentage points. What should be more concerning for Lt. Gov. Denish is the fact that Martinez leads among unaffiliated voters by 27 percentage points. This is after Lt. Gov. Denish launched a false and misleading attack on Martinez.

If Martinez can maintain this lead among independents while uniting the Republicans, she will be the next governor of New Mexico.

The same poll shows good news for Barela and Chandler. Fifty-four percent of New Mexicans support repealing the health care reform law written by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid that was supported by Representative Heinrich. And though attorney generals across the country have lined up to question the constitutionality of the law, N.M. Attorney General Gary King is conspicuously absent.

This is clearly a winning issue for both Barela and Chandler.

Charlie Cook from Cook Political Report, a well respected, non-partisan election forecaster, currently rates the race between Representative Teague and former Representative Pearce as a toss-up. I however, give the advantage to Pearce. While in New Mexico, Representative Teague portrays himself a moderate and fiscally pragmatic voice. But his record in Washington shows otherwise. He supported some of the more liberal policies to pass the House, including the failed economic stimulus package and cap and trade.

Last week, a Gallup poll showed Republicans were favored on the generic ballot by the largest margin yet. This has to be nerve-wracking for Representative Teague, who represents a traditional Republican district, and for Representative Heinrich, who represents a historically swing district that has always been held by Republicans until recently.

A strong ticket

All of the Republican candidates need to quickly define their opponents and put forth a positive, pro-growth, pro-jobs, anti-spending and anti-corruption agenda. Some of these candidates are running for state office to influence what is happening in Santa Fe, and others are running for federal office to influence what is happening in Washington. But the reality is both capitals are riddled with the same problems.

Lt. Gov. Denish has helped promote Governor Richardson’s fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable policies. Representatives Heinrich and Teague have supported fiscally irresponsible spending sprees and unsustainable government programs put forth by the Obama administration. Nationally, the unemployment rate is nearly 10 percent, and in New Mexico the unemployment rate is nearly 9 percent. It is evident that the policies New Mexico Democrats have pushed are doing little to promote jobs or economic growth.

Running against the failed Democratic agenda won’t be enough. Republicans need to show voters that they are ready to govern. Both Santa Fe and Washington are in desperate need of leadership that will help get people back to work.  New Mexicans want reform that will end the culture of corruption and cronyism among our elected officials.

Most importantly, New Mexicans are eager for a new era of responsibility that will end the out-of-control spending that exists in Santa Fe and in Washington. Republicans have the ability to offer these solutions to voters across the state.

Republicans are ready to lead with a strong ticket of nominees. The era of one-party rule in Santa Fe that rewards political supporters and fails regular New Mexicans is coming to an end. New Mexico deserves representation in Congress that will stop the largest expansion of the federal government in a generation. Momentum belongs to the Republicans.

Baca is a former congressional staffer and campaign operative for former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson and served as a page to U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman. He is a current public affairs professional and campaign consultant in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Follow Joshua on Twitter at twitter.com/beltwaybaca.