As Mitt Romney attempts to move beyond the 47 percent debacle that dominated his campaign last week, the damage control efforts will include reconnecting with several GOP candidates for office who publicly distanced themselves from the comments made in that speech. Among those who have publicly disagreed with the symbolic leader of their party are five GOP candidates for the US Senate, all of whom are locked in tight races. The following quote from incumbent Sen. Dean Heller from Nevada to Politico sums up the distinction many Republican leaders wanted to make between themselves and Romney. “You got to understand, I grew up with five brothers and sisters. My father was an auto mechanic. My mother was a school cook. I just don’t view the world the same way he does.”
While it is understandable that GOP candidates facing tough elections would choose to separate themselves from Romney’s controversial statements, not all his co-partisan critics face this electoral pressure. Susana Martinez, the first term Governor of New Mexico is not up for re-election for another two years, and as illustrated below, is very popular with her constituents. Yet the Latina Governor still criticized Romney’s dismissal of almost half the electorate and government programs to help the poor in a recent interview with the Albuquerque Journal: “We have a lot of people that are at the poverty level in New Mexico, but they count just as much as anybody else. There is a net that does allow them to be caught and taken care of, whether it be through medical services, whether it be food services, whether it be with funding for apartments, for housing. I think, certainly the fact that New Mexico provides that safety net is a good thing.”
As we have discussed in previous posts, Martinez is important to Romney’s Latino strategy. The first Latina Governor in American history is a member of his Hispanic outreach team and was a prominent speaker at the Republican National Convention. She is a valuable resource for Romney (and the Republican Party) who is struggling to connect with Latino voters, including those in the key Mountain West states of New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. However, this is the first time the Governor publicly disagrees with Romney; and her clear policy and ideological disagreement with the 47% comments hardly sound like a ringing endorsement for the GOP presidential hopeful. It appears as though the Romney campaign recognizes the impact that Martinez could have on Latino voters. After her strong statement supporting a social safety net, Team Romney moved several staff members from New Mexico to Colorado, including the Hispanic Outreach Coordinator. Governor Martinez boldly distanced herself from Mitt Romney less than a month after being a featured speaker at the convention. Her words may prove to be a critical blow for Romney’s chances with Latino voters in November. Her words may also prove to be very wise for her future political prospects.
Gabriel R. Sanchez is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico and Director of Research for Latino Decisions.
