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Bill Clinton in Española campaigning for Diane Denish. Photo by Matthew Reichbach
Former President Bill Clinton said that Diane Denish is “a proven leader with a proven plan” in front of thousands in Espanola Plaza on Thursday. While Clinton spoke about his “friend” Denish, he spent much of his speech attacking Republican gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez – without once mentioning her by name – by linking her to her large Texan donors.
Clinton said that there is a “clear choice” in this race. “This should not be a close race, if it were not for this economic climate it might not be,” he said. Denish is the best candidate to lead the state out of the recession, he added.
“I ought to have some credibility on these issues,” Clinton said, reminding the crowd that he took office as president during a recession in 1992. When he left office in 2000, the country had a surplus, he said.
“If those rascals had just stayed with my budget, we’d be out of this deficit for the first time since 1862,” Clinton said.
A major theme of the Clinton speech was that Martinez would be beholden to the Texans, a theme he borrowed from the Denish campaign, which has made much of the big contributions Martinez has received from New Mexico’s neighboring state. Martinez has received more than $800,000 in campaign fundraising from those who list their addresses as being from Texas.
Clinton said that he felt bad for those in Texas because they didn’t get to live in New Mexico.
But, “I don’t feel so bad that they should have two governors and New Mexico should have none.”
“Analyze her positions, or lack of them, and follow the money,” Clinton told the crowd.
Clinton also said that he respected Martinez for being a prosecutor, but that is not what is needed to head the state right now. “We need to worry more about putting people in jobs than putting people in jail,” Clinton said to cheers from the crowd.
Clinton said that Denish was the only candidate in the race with “any record in education and training.”
“Her opponent’s education program, as far as I can see, is to give vouchers to go to private schools,” Clinton said. Martinez’s campaign has denied that she supports vouchers.
Denish walked onstage with and introduced the popular former president to cheers from the crowd of thousands, many who stood in line for more than an hour. A staffer in the Denish campaign told The Independent that they gave out 5,000 tickets for the event.
“I will fight against anybody who will try to take our water to Texas,” said Denish, who has trailed Martinez in polls for months and hoped that Clinton would whip up her supporters and persuade some fence-sitters to vote for her.
Denish also said that Martinez has “come down every day on the side of corporations.”
Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., also spoke to the crowd. He told the crowd that Denish “is a woman of uncompromising integrity” and that she “has a good relationship with the Senators” as well as the House.
A number of Democratic politicians were in attendance at the event, including Secretary of State Mary Herrera, State Auditor Hector Balderas, Attorney General Gary King and state Auditor James Lewis. Speaker of the House Ben Lujan was joined by a number of state Senators and Representatives at the event.
Clinton’s voice was hoarse because “this is about the 80th event I’ve done in this election year.”
Earlier this week, he was in Arkansas and Nevada campaigning and he will travel to California to campaign for Democrats in their election battles.
One reason that Clinton is campaigning so much is that his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is not allowed to campaign for elections. Denish supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary for President in 2008. Hillary Clinton won the New Mexico presidential caucus in 2008.
Another is that “a lot of people were mad and even more confused.” And Clinton said that he “didn’t want it on my conscience” if he did not campaign for Democrats this year.
Denish, of course, predicted victory on election day, saying, “she may have the money but will have the votes on November 2.”
