Martinez looks to unseat legislative foes

Gov. Susana Martinez

From NMPollitics.net - by Heath Haussamen - When State Sen. Clinton Harden announced this weekend that he won’t seek another term, he gave Gov. Susana Martinez her first victory of the 2012 election.

Not that she’ll publicly claim victory or he’ll give it to her, but Harden’s announcement came days after the Clovis Republican learned that he would face a tough primary challenge that had the fingerprints of Martinez and her political adviser, Jay McCleskey, all over it. Martinez, also a Republican, has repeatedly threatened to help voters decide what to do about legislative incumbents who get in the way of the reforms she proposes. As of its last report in October, her political action committee had about $300,000 on hand to do just that. The apparent targeting of Harden shows that Martinez, fresh off another round of high-profile legislative losses on her top reform proposals, intends to remake the Legislature in this year’s election. That means going after anyone, Democrat or Republican, who has stood in her way. Read more

Martinez looks to unseat legislative foes