Courtesy photo
Michelle Lujan Grisham
After an Albuquerque Journal poll recently showed Michelle Lujan Grisham with a commanding lead in a three-way primary for the Democratic nomination for governor, it wasn’t surprising that she was declared winner soon after the polls closed on Tuesday.
Journal pollster Brian Sanderoff called the race for Lujan Grisham shortly after 7 p.m. based on early voting results from just a handful of counties — not including Bernalillo County.
Just after 8 p.m., statewide results showed Lujan Grisham getting 71 percent of the vote to 18 percent for Jeff Apodaca and 11 percent for Joseph Cervantes.
EMILY’S List, a national political advocacy organization for women, congratulated Lujan Grisham and spoke of the coming battle with Pearce.
“Now, she must fight to defeat an out-of-touch conservative to end eight years of harmful Republican policies in New Mexico,” the group’s president, Stephanie Schriock, said in a news release.
The Republican Governor’s Association was quick to congratulate Pearce on advancing to the general election. He didn’t face a primary opponent.
“Steve will unite all New Mexicans behind a common vision of economic prosperity and quality education so every New Mexican can achieve their dreams,” said RGA Chairman Bill Haslam, the governor of Tennessee.
Courtesy photo
Steve Pearce
Democrats in New Mexico, who enjoy a wide advantage in voter registration, have seen the state elect Republican governors in four of the last six gubernatorial contests — and they fear Pearce may have a shot at winning in November. The Democratic Governor’s Association was quick to hammer Pearce as “too extreme for New Mexico.”
“New Mexico Republicans just nominated a Donald Trump clone for governor,” said the group’s executive director, Elisabeth Pearson.
There’s not been much publicly released polling, yet, of the Lujan Grisham/Pearce contest. Pearce’s campaign released a poll in April showing him trailing Lujan Grisham by two points.
In response to an NMPolitics.net request for analysis of Lujan Grisham’s victory on Facebook, several spoke glowingly about the Democratic nominee for governor.
“I voted for a strong progressive woman who is in line with my views,” Kimberly Fries Walker wrote. “Steve Pearce is so far from what I believe he isn’t even a consideration for me.”
“She’s the real deal,” Bruce Malott wrote.
K.C. Counts predicted the race to replace current Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, will be one to watch.
“I think she and Steve both have a big negative after the last administration,” Counts wrote. “He’s a Republican and she’s a woman. It will no doubt be an interesting, brutal race!”