Ronchetti (R) announces candidacy for governor of New Mexico
Former TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti announced his campaign for governor Wednesday, against Democratic incumbent Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in November 2022.
Ronchetti ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year in a race against Ben Ray Luján, losing by six points.
Ronchetti will compete against seven other Republicans who so far have announced their intentions to seek the GOP nomination. Unlike the other hopefuls, Ronchetti has statewide name recognition and has proven to be a formidable fundraiser. A political science professor at the University of New Mexico has said Ronchetti would be the front-runner among the Republican contenders.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico pounced on Ronchetti less than an hour after he formally announced his candidacy.
"Without leadership experience or a record to run on,
Ronchetti has taken up a platform of the GOP’s most extreme policies and former President Trump’s most divisive ideas," the party wrote in a news release.
Jessica Velasquez, chairwoman of the state's Democratic Party, said in a statement Ronchetti "got a clear answer" from New Mexico voters when he ran for the Senate.
"No amount of lies can distract from his inexperience or his support for dangerous far-right policies," Velasquez said. "We've already seen how Ronchetti is unfit to lead New Mexico, and this desperate run for governor is no different. Our state cannot afford four years of incompetent Republican control."
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ronchetti-announces-gubernatorial-bid/article_b595c366-3742-11ec-a9be-0fd9ad41a24e.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
And now he wants to be N.M.'s governor,
doing to New Mexico what Trump did to America.
