Heath Haussamen
This is the second of two columns examining problems both gubernatorial candidates face. You can read the first column, about Democrat Diane Denish, here.
Let’s face it: Diane Denish is killing Susana Martinez when it comes to releasing substantive policy positions and detailed plans about what she wants to accomplish as governor.
Denish has released plans for ethics reform, helping small businesses, workforce development and government reform. The closest Martinez has come to issuing a similarly substantive plan came in a fairly detailed guest column on this site about growing jobs. She has recently released less-detailed statements about eliminating waste and making New Mexico competitive.
While both candidates have done some dodging of reporters’ questions, as far as I can tell, Martinez has done it more. She failed to answer at least two policy questions asked by journalists that Denish did answer, about a situation involving Helena Chemical Company’s facility in Mesquite and the Public Regulation Commission’s authority over insurance rate hikes.
It’s time for this to change.
Martinez has been on fire since her popularity began to spike a few weeks before the primary. Denish tried to halt that surge with a barrage of negative attack ads in June. It doesn’t appear to have worked. Polling has been done since then, and both campaigns are still operating as if the race is neck-and-neck at best, and maybe even leaning in Martinez’s favor.
Martinez is a candidate many find exciting. She’s Hispanic. She’s a woman. She doesn’t fit the mold. She talks about change and has successfully crafted an image as an outsider in a throw-the-bums-out year. She talks about taking down bad guys – and as a prosecutor she’s actually done it.
But Martinez’s honeymoon with New Mexico voters won’t carry her through the Nov. 2 election. She’s going to have to go into more detail about her plans and her stances on issues. Voters are paying attention this election cycle. Superficial slogans and statements won’t cut it.
Martinez must show she’s not an ideologue
Martinez is running to the right of the New Mexico electorate. Political analyst Jose Garcia said in early June that Martinez doesn’t have to follow the conventional wisdom for Republican candidates and move to the center because her ethnicity and law-enforcement background will attract Hispanic voters. He also predicted, correctly, that the unprecedented dynamics in this race would force Denish to move to the center.
I have heard from many moderate Democratic and independent voters that they’re interested in Martinez’s candidacy. That’s critical, because she can’t win without those voters.
Many of those people have told me they don’t know where Martinez stands on most issues. They do know about her far-right stance on immigration – and it makes them nervous.
Those are many of the voters still up for grabs: moderate Democrats and independents who are more closely aligned with Denish’s center-left philosophy but are tired of business as usual in Santa Fe and suspect that Martinez will more aggressively try to change things.
To win them over, Martinez is going to have to take detailed stances on the most important issues to voters – the economy, education and health care – in addition to other issues like ethics reform. She doesn’t have to move to the left. But she has to show that she understands the complexities of issues and has tangible plans to accomplish her goals.
Martinez has to show that, while she may be more conservative than most New Mexico governors in modern history, she’s not an ideologue. Displaying intelligence and substance on the issues would go a long way toward proving that she’s not Sarah Palin. Showing that she understands the complexities of issues would create the potential for compromise that will be critical to working with the Legislature and accomplishing anything.