Lt. Gov. Diane Denish (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
The Albuquerque Journal looked this weekend at how Democrat Diane Denish went from a likely governor to a big loser in the 2010 election, and suggested that one moment changed everything.
From the Journal:
“It’s Jan. 3, 2009, and it seems nothing stands in the way of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish’s goal to be elected the first female governor of New Mexico in 2010.
“In fact, she is on the verge of taking the job for a test drive.
“Denish is poised to slip into the governor’s seat as current Gov. Bill Richardson makes his way into President Barack Obama’s Cabinet.
“…What a difference a day makes.“On Jan. 4, 2009, Richardson withdrew his nomination as secretary of commerce, citing a federal investigation into pay-to-play allegations as his reason.
“‘That created a chain of events that prevented Diane Denish from stepping up to the governorship,’ said Brian Sanderoff, a political analyst and president of Research and Polling Inc.”
Read more from the Journal here.