Palin-backed Susana Martinez now well-ahead

by Eric Dondero

Doug Turner, a young entrepreneur from Albuquerque has been the Libertarian Republican favorite in the race for New Mexico Governor. He has the endorsement of the Republican Liberty Caucus. He was featured on Libertarian Republican early on.

However, two new polls show him significantly behind the pack. Way out ahead of the 5-(wo)man pack is Susana Martinez.

From Dialing Services LLC (via Hedgehog):

GOVERNOR – NEW MEXICO – GOP PRIMARY (Dialing Services LLC)
Susana Martinez 41%
Allen Weh 30%
Doug Turner 9%
Pete Domenici Jr. 8%
Janice Arnold-Jones 4%

From SurveyUSA (via Hedgehog):

GOVERNOR – NEW MEXICO – GOP PRIMARY (Survey USA)
Susana Martinez 43%
Allen Weh 33%
Doug Turner 8%
Pete Domenici Jr. 8%
Janice Arnold-Jones 3%

Martinez best positioned to defeat Dems

Perhaps most important, Martinez is the one Republican who finishes ahead of expected Democrat nominee Diane Denish, a well-known and popular Dem elected official in the State.

From JoeMonahsNewMexico blogspot:

With two independent polls--including ours--now showing that Susana Martinez is threatening to rout Allen Weh in next Tuesday's GOP Guv primary, attention is turning fast to the main event--the face-off between Dem Diane Denish and probable nominee Martinez. And thanks to SurveyUSA we're already being titillated. A hypothetical match-up between the two women has Susana trumping Di 49% to 43%.

Martinez, Ana County Prosecutor, is described as a "stalwart conservative." She's running on Border Security First.

Two weeks ago, she picked up the endorsement of Sarah Palin.

From Josh Painter at Texas Broadside qouting New Mexico Politics blog:

Susana Martinez, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin May 15, has skyrocketed to a double-digit lead in the New Mexico Republican primary race for governor...

Clearly, this race has broken open since the ABQ Journal poll released May 16 showed Weh leading Martinez 31 to 30. Looking back, the same day that poll so favorable to Martinez was released, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin flew to ABQ to endorse the DA. The next day the Martinez camp came with an ad accusing Weh of being soft on amnesty for illegal immigrants. This was a one-two punch, plus one, that sent the wealthy businessman reeling, and this poll shows he is still staggering around the ring.

New Mexico Independent described Palin's endorsement as a "lightning strike" for her campaign.

Martinez's stance on economics is fully in line with libertarian principles. From her campaign website:

Higher taxes and excessive regulations force jobs out of New Mexico.

My primary goal will be to make certain businesses in New Mexico continue to operate in the state, while attracting others to set up shop here.

I believe we need to create new jobs in New Mexico by lowering taxes and making our state more competitive... This means I will reform the tax and regulatory system by cutting red tape and making it easier to create jobs in New Mexico than it is in neighboring states...

While working in my family’s small business, I learned a key lesson: the private citizen – not the government – assumes risk and creates opportunity.

She may not be the first choice for New Mexico Governor of the GOP's libertarian wing. But Susana Martinez appears to be a candidate that libertarians could rally behind if she secures the nomination.