Denish Positions Herself As "Different" Leader
By Erin McPike
NM LG Diane Denish (D) sees no need to proactively distinguish herself from Gov. Bill Richardson (D) despite some of his ethical issues in the state, she said Tuesday.
Denish said simply that she already is "distinctly different" from Richardson -- and she is. Where the Hispanic Richardson is back-slapping and outspoken, Denish is a soft-spoken woman, and the first female lieutenant governor of the state; her history of public service took a different route than Richardson's. Denish rose through state government ranks, whereas Richardson served in Congress and the Clinton administration.
Richardson and Denish campaign with Sen. John Kerry in '04
Richardson was set to join the Obama admin earlier this year, paving the way for Denish to run next year as an incumbent. But Richardson withdrew his nomination as Commerce Secretary due to a federal investigation probing whether he helped one of his donors score a state contract, keeping Denish in the No. 2 state slot.
Although she said she was disappointed in not getting her hoped-for promotion early and had to shift away from getting ready to go to the governor's mansion, she joked that she is "really experienced at transitioning."
"There was no question in my own mind that I'd be ready," she said. In part for that reason, she said she is most prepared to be governor.
While Denish is foe-free in the Democratic primary, the GOP has a four-way primary to wade through in June. State Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones, Dona Ana County district attorney Susana Martinez, consultant Doug Turner and former state GOP chair Allen Weh are seeking the nomination, but Denish swamps all four each in fundraising and polling.
Asked why she wants to be governor in a time when chief executives of nearly every state in the country are under fire with difficult budgets, Denish said now is the time to rise up and be a leader.
But even in a border state, Denish said "immigration falls very low on the radar as a controversial issue." She said she gets more calls on the side of trying to procure citizenship for workers than she gets about "shutting the doors."