Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Pearce to run for governor of New Mexico
The Albuquerque Journal ^ | July 10, 2017 | Michael Coleman

Posted on 07/10/2017 7:45:38 PM PDT by 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: congress; pearce; stevepearce
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.
1 posted on 07/10/2017 7:45:38 PM PDT by CedarDave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: LegendHasIt; leapfrog0202; Santa Fe_Conservative; DesertDreamer; OneWingedShark; CougarGA7; ...

NM list PING!

I may not PING for all New Mexico articles. To see New Mexico articles by topic click here: New Mexico Topics

To see NM articles by keyword, click here: New Mexico Keywords

To see the NM Message Page, click here: New Mexico Messages

(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for anyone to use. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
(For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the article for free after answering a question or watching a short video commercial.)

2 posted on 07/10/2017 7:49:30 PM PDT by CedarDave (Proud member of Hillary's Deplorables class of 2016.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave

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.


3 posted on 07/10/2017 8:07:27 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave; Impy; AuH2ORepublican; Clintonfatigued; Galactic Overlord-In-Chief; BillyBoy

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.


4 posted on 07/10/2017 8:12:49 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Je Suis Pepe)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET

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.


5 posted on 07/10/2017 8:17:10 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Je Suis Pepe)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave; All

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?.”


6 posted on 07/10/2017 8:31:09 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave

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.


7 posted on 07/10/2017 8:59:13 PM PDT by Carthego delenda est
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave
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.

8 posted on 07/10/2017 9:06:22 PM PDT by TheConservativeTejano (God Bless Texas...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave

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


9 posted on 07/10/2017 9:10:24 PM PDT by wjcsux (The hyperventilating of the left means we are winning! (Tagline courtesy of Laz.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TheConservativeTejano

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.


10 posted on 07/10/2017 9:13:40 PM PDT by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: fieldmarshaldj

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.


11 posted on 07/10/2017 9:13:57 PM PDT by Galactic Overlord-In-Chief (Domo Arigato, Mr. Rubio. Domo Arigato, Mr. Rubio.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: CedarDave; fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican; Clintonfatigued; Galactic Overlord-In-Chief; ...

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.


12 posted on 07/10/2017 10:09:36 PM PDT by Impy (End the kritarchy!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Carthego delenda est

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.


13 posted on 07/10/2017 10:13:55 PM PDT by Impy (End the kritarchy!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson