Republican Rep. Pearce running for governor in New Mexico

Republican Congressman Steve Pearce kicked off his campaign for governor of New Mexico on Monday, giving up a firm hold on a vast congressional district along the U.S.-Mexico border. He is the first to seek the GOP nomination to succeed second-term Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who by law cannot seek re-election in 2018. Pearce will give up running in 2018 in the congressional district that covers the southern half of New Mexico. It's one of only a handful of congressional districts along the Mexico border not held by a Democrat. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is giving up her seat in another New Mexico district to run for governor. Pearce's candidacy offers New Mexico voters a Vietnam War-era veteran and former oil man with a conservative voting record during seven terms in Congress. Pearce said he wants to return from Washington to rebuild New Mexico's lagging economy and bring better management to public education. The state has the nation's second-highest unemployment rate and routinely ranks near the bottom in academics and child well-being. Conservatives have long been drawn to Pearce's his fiscal conservatism, his support for gun ownership rights, and his opposition to abortion rights and the legalization of gay marriage. Discussing his bid for governor, Pearce cast himself as a pragmatist who has been able to work across the partisan divide on Capitol Hill — essential qualifications to negotiate with a New Mexico Legislature led by Democrats...more