Pearce to run for governor of New Mexico

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | July 10, 2017 | Michael Coleman

[CedarDave]

WASHINGTON – Rep. Steve Pearce, a Republican who has represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District for over 12 years, will announce his campaign for governor today.

Pearce, 69, will become the second member of New Mexico’s five-member congressional delegation to shift political ambitions from Washington to Santa Fe. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, announced her 2018 campaign for governor of New Mexico in December.

Incumbent Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, is term-limited and will leave office at the end of 2018.

Pearce’s announcement makes him the first Republican to jump into the 2018 New Mexico governor’s race. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez have also been mentioned as possible GOP candidates for governor, but neither has thrown his hat in the ring.

Pearce told the Journal he’s concerned about an exodus of young people from New Mexico. He said they’re leaving to seek jobs and a better quality of life elsewhere. Pearce said his gubernatorial platform will contain four planks: improving education, reducing crime, spurring economic growth and reducing poverty.

Pearce said his experience as a member of Congress, a New Mexico state representative and an executive in the state’s oil industry has prepared him for the governor’s job. But he also said he didn’t make the decision to run easily.

“It’s one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made in elected office,” Pearce said in a Journal interview. “We could have pretty well cruised in the 2nd District, but at the end of the day, if New Mexico fails while we are getting some successes in D.C. then that’s a problem.”

The congressman said he’ll serve out his current term in Washington while running for governor.

[CedarDave]

Extremely disappointed to see this. The likelihood of him winning is between slim and none. He gave up his seat once before to run against Sierra Club candidate Tom Udall for Senator and was soundly beaten. His vacant seat was filled by a Democrat who supported Obama's leftwing agenda. The district (and the state) is now majority Democrat and he was the only Republican (and conservative at that) holding a NM seat in Congress. I expect the seat again to go to the Dems next year.

[CedarDave]

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[DIRTYSECRET]

He’s 69. Time to find something else to do. Come home Steve. Run for Gov. If it doesn’t work you’re home. I don’t see anyone else stepping up. Martinez should run for the Senate. If she loses there should be a cabinet or ambassador appointment for her. Do the best we can.

[fieldmarshaldj]

The Republicans should hold his seat in the midterms (when he first retired, the GOP put up a weak retread candidate in 2008), but this run is baffling, since he comes in as the underdog.

Of course, 2008 turned out to be a bad year and he also emerged damaged from a brutal primary, all of which didn’t help his Senate candidacy. I expect 2018 to be a better year. Since the GOP will have a heavyweight running for Martinez’s seat, that may scare away any challengers. The problem for the Dems is that there’s a free-for-all on their side, and Pearce may be betting that a brutal internecine battle will see the Dem emerge as damaged as he was going up against Tom Udall.

I give him about a 45% shot at winning. Getting that extra 5% will be tough, but not impossible.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Martinez should NOT run for the Senate. Her approvals aren’t very good (not Stay Puft Christie bad, but whose are ?). If anything, since she is a resident of Pearce’s district (from Las Cruces), she could run for his House seat.

[LegendHasIt]

Cedar Dave already wrote pretty much what I would have.

When I opened my email this morning and saw the email with the “I want you to be the first to know” subject line with his name next to it, I knew what it was going to say.. I thought “Oh Crap. Did he learn nothing from his disastrous senate run?.”

[Carthego delenda est]

Unlike when he ran for Senate, which I didn’t support at all, I support his decision to run for Governor. He definitely has a shot at winning. Unfortunately, his congressional seat will probably go to some far left socialist for a term, given how animated/organized all the ‘resist’, ‘Indivisible’, and other libtard groups have become in CD2 since Bernie’s loss.

[TheConservativeTejano]

Pearce to run for governor of New Mexico

Martinez turned out to be a Rino!!!

Martinez is an example of the terrible void we have in leadership positions across the country!

The answer is not in the Rat party either!!!

Hopefully, a strong governor for the Great State of New Mexico is the result.

[wjcsux]

I’m disappointed too. Steve is one of the really good guys.

[Jane Long]

That’s my thought, too...Martinez is a RINO.

I’d rather have her replace Pearce, as a Representative, than a Dem, tho. She likely has no desire to run for Congress.

[Galactic Overlord-In-Chief]

Pearce might have had a shot against Udall in 2014 when Udall underperformed against a longshot challenger, but Udall’s big margin in 08 seemed to preclude any chance that he could be vulnerable.

Ed Tinsley’s performance in 08 was shockingly bad: 44 percent to the Democrat Harry Teague’s 56, an even bigger margin of victory for the Democrat than in the Dem-leaning open NM-1 just north of the district. GOP primary voters should pick a stronger horse this time.

[Impy]

Well you live there but...I don’t think his odds are that bad, he’s not running against Bill Richardson. Probably that witch Lujan, GOP poll had that matchup at only 4 points, this should be a competitive race.

As for his seat, Trump won it by 10 points, Romney by 7, that’s not a “majority rat” seat. It would only fall in a rat landslide, like 2008 was.

I hope this means Lt. Governor Sanchez will run for the Senate. I think he lives in Lujan’s house seat, I don’t think we can win back that one.

[Impy]

Gosh you locals are pessimistic!

That is not a rat-leaning House seat. Unless there is rat wave that clearly isn’t here yet or they’d have taken that GA seat, that seat is not at high risk at all.