Gov. Martinez called out for backing Spears

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez

From the Carlsbad Current-Argus - by Milan Simonich, Texas-New Mexico Newspapers - SANTA FE — To the annoyance of at least a few fellow Republicans, Gov. Susana Martinez is not sitting on the sidelines this primary season. Martinez is throwing her might and her political action committee's money behind Angie Spears, who is running for the state Senate in a rural, heavily Republican district. The trouble for the governor is that Spears faces opposition from two other Republicans. They say they do not appreciate Martinez taking a side in a campaign where no Democrats are to be found. One of the GOP candidates, trucking company owner Mark Myers of Clovis, says he is running for the Senate for a simple reason: "I'm not a fan of the good ole boy system in Santa Fe." Asked what he meant, Myers, 44, said one example actually involves women — the governor backing Spears in the three-way primary, rather than pouring her energy into races where Democrats could be defeated. "I'm not associated with the circles of power. My only interest is in the people here," Myers said of Senate District 7, which includes Curry, Quay and Union counties. Pat Woods, 62, a farmer and rancher from Broadview, is the third Republican candidate. "I'm disappointed that the governor got into the race," he said. Woods and Myers said they did not understand why Martinez elected to take sides in a primary. Jay McCleskey, of the governor's political committee, offered this explanation: "Governor Martinez endorsed Angie Spears when she was the only candidate." Republican Clint Harden, the incumbent senator in District 7, announced on Feb. 18 that he would not seek re-election. Spears had entered the race even before Harden decided to retire from politics. She received Martinez's endorsement two days after Harden stepped aside.

Martinez's Susana PAC has since donated $5,000 to Spears' campaign. That was nearly a fifth of the $26,080 that Spears listed in contributions. Read more

Gov. Martinez called out for backing Spears